Biscotti Time!

Every year, my mom and I spend at
least a day baking biscotti, Italian twice-baked cookies. They're perfect for dipping in coffee, hot cocoa or tea. There are some flavors that we make every year, and we usually add a few new ones. This year's flavors are:

Cranberry Almond / Apple, Nut & Spice / Cranberry Walnut
Anise / Citrus Poppyseed / Cherry & Chocolate Chip
Mocha Almond / Double Ginger / Cranberry Pistachio
Chocolate & Peanut Chip / Tropical Trail Mix
Super Nutty (Almond, Walnut & Hazelnut)
Lemon Rosemary (savory)

Buttermilk Bread

I've been in a baking mood lately, but I've been crunched for time. I had a few hours on my hands, but I'm very type-A so I was doing multiple things at once and needed a quick bread idea. Not really a "quick bread" but more of a "shortcut" yeast bread. I found a recipe for buttermilk loaves-- a blended yeast bread. The beginning of the mixing process is done using a hand mixer. Very interesting process, actually. Before you know it, you have yummy loaves of bread, and your whole house smells like a bakery.

Tandoori Night!!!

My man and I had dinner with some great friends (and their very friendly dogs!) last night... Tandoori chicken (delicious!), fried mixed veggies, perfectly-cooked basmati rice, pappadums, salsas and raita. Everything was tasty, to say the least. To drink -- riesling for the girls and beer for the guys. And for the perfect ending -- Indian-style mango ice cream. The atmosphere was complete with Indian music -- Anoushka Shankar. The best part, though, was cooking the meal together. Good food & great friends... The perfect start to the holiday season.

Big thanks to our host & hostess. :)

Euro!

Last night, my boy and I enjoyed a delicious meal at Euro (the link is for a history of the restaurant, but the website welcomes donations for Dzemila, part of the family that owns the restaurant, who was injured in a terrible accident). Euro serves up (obviously) European delicacies from numerous countries, including dishes made with veal, lamb, seafood, chicken, and pasta. We started with freshly made garlic rolls and a chopped salad. I had the chicken picatta with pine nuts and my boy had the chicken francese. They offer a selection of sides (mashed potatoes, fries, pasta, or veggies) and the salad and rolls come standard with entrees. We ended our meal with dessert: for him, the baklava (the phyllo dough is handmade!) and for me, a slice of good old apple pie. Delicious. The service is friendly, the food is make quickly, and it's an overall pleasant experience!