Brown as a Biscuit

I made Joanna Gaines' homemade biscuit recipe, as found in her new cookbook, The Magnolia Table.

I can remember coming in from playing outside and my grandmother proclaiming, "You're as brown as a biscuit!"  I would grin because I knew I was mostly freckles, but I liked the idea of looking sun-kissed and summery.

We have had a bit of a dream summer.  We just returned from a family vacation, where we took the boys to their first major league baseball game, spent a couple of nights at Great Wolf Lodge, and spent some time in Branson before returning home.

Somehow we have become a baseball family!  It was really cool to see the game up close, and the boys loved it.

There's nothing like a week on the road to make you crave home-cooked food.  We kind of left our garden to its own devices, not knowing what it would look like when we returned.  When we came back, we were greeted with a hefty harvest!  The plants love this hot Arkansas weather.

The bundle on the left is lemon basil.  It actually grew back from seeds that fell from last year's plants!
I will post my Nana's recipe for Lemon Basil cookies at the bottom of this post.

Amos 8:1

“Thus hath the Lord GOD shewed unto me: and behold a basket of summer fruit.” 

This morning I decided to attempt some recipes from Joanna Gaines' new cookbook The Magnolia Table.  I won't share her recipes, but I will highly recommend that you try "Jojo's Biscuits" and "Bobo's Classic Gravy."  Not only are the recipes easy and delicious, but the pictures in the cookbook are just beautiful.


LEMON BASIL COOKIES
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 T. grated lemon rind
1 T. lemon juice
1/3 c. chopped fresh lemon basil
Topping: 1/3 cup finely chopped pistachio nuts (optional) mixed with 3 tablespoons of sugar

Sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.  In a bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, mixing until combined.  Add lemon rind, lemon juice, and lemon basil.  Stir in the dry ingredients, blending thoroughly.  Wrap and chill the dough for 1 hour or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Shape the dough into 1-inch balls.  Combine pistachio nuts with 3 tablespoons of sugar.  Roll the balls of dough into the mixture until coated.  Place 2 inches apart on un-greased baking sheets.  Press cookies down with palm of hand to flatten them slightly.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden.  Transfer to racks to cool.  Makes about 5 dozen.