lemony goodness...and a winner!

wow, so many entries for the cookie giveaway!  i was excited as i read every comment and re-tweet.  you guys all have some wonderful things happening in your lives right now!  made me extra glad to use random.org to pick a winner - because i would never have been able to choose someone myself.  babies, houses, weddings, birthdays, so much awesomeness!  i want to make cookies for all of you.  heh.

but of course, there could be just one winner...this time.  drumroll please:

yay for cara!  drop me an e-mail and we'll coordinate what and when.  thanks, everyone, for entering!  i may very well do this again soon.  i'm having way too much fun making these cookies, and unfortunately for me i love the taste of them.  a lot.  ha!

in other news, i was trying to think of how i could possibly save at least some of the citrusy bounty in the back yard.  we have so many lemons and oranges back there, and i hate the idea of it going to waste.

so after consulting my friend google for freezing tips, i decided that the best way to handle it would be to zest a bunch of fruit, freeze the aromatic bits in thick ziploc bags, juice them and freeze it in ice cube trays.

and then i mixed up a bit of zest with some water and vodka to make my own lemon extract to use in cookies and frostings and stuff.  that stuff is pricey at the grocery store, and if i'd known how easy (and cheap!) it was to do, i'd have done it ages ago.

the bean played in the back yard while i picked oranges.

and then she watched as i zested and juiced them.

i sure know how to have a good time, huh?

by the way...if you have great recipes using lemons or oranges, send 'em my way!  i'd love to try some new stuff.  might as well make the most of what i've got.