Month: September 2007

Once again the time has come for me to post my biscotti recipe

Because I feel like it.

 

Biscotti  Don’t forget to double the recipe
 

MIX IN ANY ORDER
3 large eggs
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup melted butter
1 cup pretoasted any combination of coarsely chopped hazelnuts/almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cardamom (Optional — but optimal)
3 drops of almond flavouring (Optional, and don’t overdo it)
 

Add, until no flour shows:
 

2 ½ cups all purpose flour (you may add a little more if dough is too sticky)
1 tablespoon baking powder (I use less).
 

Cover carefully with at least a couple of layers of cling-style wrap and refrigerate for NO MORE THAN A DAY
Cook in two stages  – Preheat the oven to 350
 

Form dough into two logs (or four if you have doubled the recipe).  Roll the dough between your hands until the logs are between 1½ and 2 inches in diameter and about 14 inches long.  Place on greased heavy duty aluminum foil (properly spaced you can get two logs onto a cookie sheet) and squish down with your hands until they are less than  3/4s of an inch high.
 

Cook for about 25 minutes, but watch it like a hawk for the last 5 minutes so it doesn’t burn.  You want everything cooked right through but not so cooked that you have trouble cutting the logs up because they crumble.  If it still looks bubbly on top it isn’t done.  While still warm, slice logs using serrated knife in ½ inch thicknesses.  If the dough is gooey wipe off the knife with every cut.  Return to the oven at 350 until golden brown, about another 15 minutes.  For extra crispiness turn the oven off and let them sit for another 10, or even overnight with the oven off.
 

A double batch makes about 60 biscotti, depending on how thin you slice them.
 

Grrrr

It seems like every time I come back with the CAN car I have to deal with a never ending parade of people who can’t read the sign (Dear Blithering Eejit, don’t stop, park, unload or stick any kind of vehicle here!)  So I sit in the car and curse until people move, and then move the car, or park it down below, since I have access to the visitor parking.  I bailed on church (mostly because I was too angry to sit through another minute, and unfortunately “If you can’t say something nice, keep cakehole in down and locked position” applies in  this case).  And I made biscotti for afters too… Grr.  But then I had all this time with the car and Paul called and we went through what appears to be the last draft of the separation agreement although I am NOT Alicia (that was a funny typo!).  I got to see Keith, briefly.  I learned what happened to my recipe book, copied or took what I needed, and had a good visit with Paul after we got the paperwork squared away.  I’ve been thinking a lot over the last week about “what went wrong” so a lot of our conversation consisted of him listening to me say what I thought I’d screwed up; because, you know, he’s a really great guy and he deserves as much as anyone else to be happy, and there was no way, considering how perma-cheesed I was for the last year, that he could have been happy living with me.  He was very kindly about the whole conversation and we got in a good walk and I finally have decent rice, I can’t believe how much I missed having proper Indian basmati, which I am to the point of thinking is the only rice.
Grr.  Grr.  Then my mood lifts abruptly when I find out that Katie K is going to take me to either Dosza Garden or Simba’s – two of my fave eating places….  So this afternoon I have one last crack at various projects before work commences, and then food, and then hopefully home early, to bed early, and with any luck my migraine will be gone.  It’s not a big one, but it’s dreadful not to be enjoying sunshine…. it’s really another glorious day.

It’s a beautiful day

It is so gorgeous outside that I feel like I’m having an Out of Weather experience.  This summer sucked, but today is nice.

Anyway – I’m dealing with my internet addiction (wot? Allegra has an inertnests addiccion?) by writing – away from the computer – and practicing mando.  So if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to start a biscotti batch (about time, eh folks?) and then cheese off my neighbours and practice on my balcony.  Okay, just inside the balcony door.
I get to do the Thanksgiving service at church.  That’s less than a month away so more than enough time to get it together.
I still can’t believe how happy I am.   The goofy pic is me and Tam…photo-88.jpg

CAN car meshuggas and Happy Family News

I booked the CAN car – the charcoal Prius parked at my door, don’t you know – from 10:30 to 1:30 so I could shop for the extremely large toilet paper package I like so much (okay, I bought other stuff too…) and also to have enough time to hit the office and call RobofNine and ScaryClown down to admire the vehicle.  As could be predicted (ScaryClown being about 12 in terms of psychological age – maybe 13) he said “People must have been ****ing back here, look at the stains” as he got into the back seat.  Thanks, kiddo.

Today I bought eggcups (leering eggcups frustrate my amnesia – R. Needham); a set of stacking coffee cups which I have coveted for about two months now; much food (I’m feeding Katie K tonight – and probably watching Red Shoes again…); a wall calendar, suction cups (none of which suction to the walls, Tammy, I think I’ll have to make holes now); and did I tell you I drove a Prius for the first time?  I nearly broke my neck trying to figure out how to take the parking brake off and when I went to show off to the guys I couldn’t get it started ’cause I didn’t put my foot on the brake, so RobofNine kindly pointed out my error.  Then when I got home some ****wit in a Honeywell service truck was parked in the CAN car spot so I had to park it in the visitor lot, but as soon as I unloaded my groceries, the spot vacated and I ran like the hammers down the stairs to shift the car, all of which went well and I didn’t have to parallel park, may the saints and angels be praised.

OOOOOOOO Squeeeee!!!! phone just rang – it was daughter Katie and she GOT THE JOB.  In three months benefits; in six months a raise – and the company discounts are great and she’s working 8:00 – 4:30 M-F.  I said, “Welcome to the working poor” and she said, “I don’t care, at least things are moving in the right direction. Big Ten Four to that.

I have learned three new chords and booked the CAN car Prius for a little tour

Tee hee.  Wish me luck on both; I am NOT enjoying Eb dim, and by the way Peggy that’s actually D dim, no matter WHAT your chords for “Absolutely Bonkers” say.  It just doesn’t sound right otherwise.
Now if I can just remember how to get into the car.

May a special spot in a government lineup be reserved for the guy who keeps smoking in his apartment without turning the fan on.  I keep telling him, and telling him.  But does he listen? What an ageist old sow I’m turning out to be.  God knows – and to the eternal disgust of my non smoking friends and family – I enjoy the occasional foray into tobaccoland, but I really try to take other people’s feelings into more consideration.