TWD/BWJ: Hazelnut Biscotti (with no hazelnuts)

I never thought of biscotti as something that a person would make at home. It was a revelation. Easy as can be. Couldn't find hazelnuts at the first 3 stores I tried, and was too lazy to keep looking, so mine was Almond Biscotti. I drizzled a little white and semi-sweet chocolate on them. The recipe can be found here or here, and links to other participants are here.

Can I say right up front that I had a little issue with the actual cookbook? The ingredients are listed on one page and the instructions on the next.  Flipping back and forth, with the ingredients for another biscotti recipe listed on the previous page - well, I mixed up the wrong dry ingredients before I realized it.  Kept thinking I didn't remember cinnamon being in there, and it specified baking powder when I thought we were supposed to use baking soda... Had to toss and start over.

And while I'm fussing, might as well admit that I've dropped the book on the floor at least a hundred times because of that slippery paper cover. Every time I took it off the shelf, it would slip out.  Finally gave up and removed the cover all together.  I'm using a naked white book.  There.  I feel better now that I've confessed.

It's been an exciting couple of days around here. Entertainment wise. Friday night we went to see a Cirque du Soleil show called "Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour". My husband bought the tickets in 2010.  I'm just glad we remembered to go after all this time. Our seats were 5 feet from the stage.

There was more singing and dancing that a normal Cirque show, and they did all the incredible stuff too. The performers even swung out over the audience which was kind of scary.  The costumes were unbelievable. And of course the music was, well, Michael Jackson. Every favorite song. Huge videos of him. I think it must be the closest thing to a Michael Jackson concert that's possible at this point. Impressive but also a little sad. There was a graveyard scene in the Thriller piece that hit a bit close to home.

And last night we saw Coldplay.  If you ever get a chance to see this band, GO.  You don't even have to know the music to have a great time. Everyone got a wristband when they came in the door.  During the concert those wristbands came to life and lit up. Controlled by a computer somewhere.  Sometimes they blinked to the beat of a song, sometimes they twinkled, sometimes they stayed dark. There was not an empty seat in the arena and it was a sea of lights. Totally made you feel a part of the show.

There was also confetti, and huge balls that looked like planets falling from the ceiling, and a performance that included Rhianna on video.  At one point, the band emerged in the middle of the crowd at the back of the room for several songs. "We love the people in the back!" they said. Mostly, the music was great and the band LOVED what they were doing.  You could feel it. I've been to lots of concerts and this was one of the best.

Well, the Biscotti's done now. Here are a couple of pictures from the shows.

And a shoe.  This one was in Richmond, VA.