Lemon Biscotti with toasted Pignoli
Mom & Dad are arriving in Columbia late tonight and in case they need a snack when they get here I decided to make some biscotti. We all know Rebecca is the biscotti master, but I figured I'd give it a try anyway. (MOM & DAD - if you are reading this you are getting a sneak peak, but you SHOULD BE PACKING!)I bought some pine nuts the last time I was at the Fresh Market (not really knowing what I was going to do with them), so I went searching for a recipe. After reading a few I found one on the Delicious Days website. My recipe below is based on what I found there...Pignoli Biscotti
2/3 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
Zest of 2 Lemons
2 cups plus 2 T flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
Place nuts in a shallow pan and bake in a 350 degree oven for a few minutes, or until golden brown. Let cool. In a mixing bowl cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, lemon juice and zest. In a bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Add to the creamed mixture, mixing until blended. Fold in nuts. Divide dough in half. On a greased and floured baking sheet pat out into two logs about 1/2 inch high, 1 1/2 inches wide and 14 inches long, spacing them at least 2 inches apart. Bake in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer from the baking sheet to a rack. Let cool for 5 minutes. Place on a cutting board. With a serrated knife slice diagonally at a 45 degree angle about 1/2 inches thick. Lay slices flat on the baking sheet and return to the oven for 10 minutes longer, turning over once, to dry slightly. Let cool on a rack. Store in a covered container.
2002 Cuvaison Napa Valley Chardonnay ($24)
Cuvaison Winery4550 Silverado Trail NorthCalistoga, Napa Valley, CA 94515http://www.cuvaison.com/Our Tasting Notes: We opened this bottle on a very hot South Carolina day. It was close to 90 degrees and although we normally would have turned to a Sav Blanc, we decided to chill a bottle of Cuvaison Chardonnay that had been in the “cellar” for a while.
It has a beautiful yellow-gold color and the initial aroma showed a good amount of fruit - pear, apple, & melon – which were apparent on the palate as well. It has just enough oak to give it that buttery texture and creamy finish that Craig and I both love about some California Chardonnays. Although I think it could definitely be paired with food, it made for a great sipping wine (and I think I personally would prefer it that way)
Tossed together and put into a flour wrap...
chopped deli turkey, american cheese, shredded lettuce, diced tomato, red onion, ranch dressing, and cayenne pepper sauce. 
For kicks I threw one of my homemade spinach and ricotta ravioli in the deep fryer. YUM!
This past weekend we had freakish hot weather - four days in the 90s. To help keep us cool Craig made some sun tea.
A combination of regular tetley tea, green tea, and some lemon balm leaves from the herb garden.
For some strange reason I started thinking about the chocolate cookies we used to get at Shoprite. No clue if they were Shoprite Brand or what (Mom would know) - but they were great, especially dunked in milk.
Anyways, that lead me to looking for a recipe to make something similar. I happened upon the Culinary in the Desert and his recipe for Chocolate Snaps. THANK YOU JOE!
Here is my take on them. The texture was slightly different than the Shoprite ones, but the taste was right on.
I read this list this morning on one of the many food blogs I frequent (Tea & Cookies). This is pretty much what Craig has dealt with since I started the Eating-In website...YOU KNOW YOU'RE AN OBSESSED FOOD BLOGGER WHEN: - A full 80% of the photos in your computer files are of food.
- Your fridge and freezer is stuffed with ingredients you’re wanting to try and use.
- You have a stack of cookbooks by your bed. (in my case it's all the wonderful food magazines family members have subscribed me to! Thanks guys, I LOVE them!!)
- You check your blog comments before checking your own email every morning.
- You have two kinds of balsamic vinegar and four kinds of salt.
- You try to make dinner early so you can take pictures of it in natural light.
- Your friends love coming over for dinner, but most of your conversations revolve around food, cooking, and obscure types of mushrooms.
- You’re corresponding with people all over the world that you’ve never met and yet they feel like kindred spirits.
- You’re beginning to have a personal relationship with your butcher/baker/wine merchant.
- You can’t eat a restaurant meal without wondering how it was prepared.
- You get a little worried when a favorite food blog is not updated for a while—has something happened to them? You hope it’s not serious.
- You laugh at yourself often, because you realize it’s a little obsessive, but you’re having too much fun to really care much.
- You’re well fed and very happy.
