A Coverup...

I've been head of the household for a few weeks, so naturally things have gotten a little out of control… dishes have been abandoned, mail has piled up, and I'm doubting my ability to manage any living space larger than a 2x2' box.  :/

Which of course means that since my mom and sister are returning home today, I've got my work cut out for me… and why not dive into another project in the midst of having to clean an entire house??  (I know, I hate myself sometimes.)

I bought a few lemons to make biscotti a week ago  and since a strange smell was radiating from the sink (yum.) I decided to kill two birds with one stone - make the stank go away and make something tasty.

My aunt came over for a little bit, so I recreated the Lemon Basil Fizz from The Soundry for her to taste with some of the lemons…

Ice, lots o' basil, lemon slices, and a teaspoon of sugar… smush into submission, then add seltzer and enjoy!

AWESOME and pretty close to the original…

I used Giada's recipe for Almond and Lemon Biscotti and since it's 20,000 degrees outside, I skipped the white chocolate since it would never dry completely anyway.

If you don't have a cookbook holder, I highly recommend this one it adjusts to fit different sized cookbooks, protects the pages, and folds for easy storage (but I just leave mine out all the time).  A lot of other stores have similar designs - a MUST HAVE!

Ready for the first bake…

Ready for slicing…

And ready for another go in the oven…

And the final product…

See?  Pretty enough to leave it on the counter… and leave it on the counter I will. 

I wish I had a lovely display for everything I was too lazy to put away. :/  It might be a mess, but at least the house smells clean.  Thanks lemons!