The sweet smells of home!

Hello everyone!  As you know, each week Angelica from AngSuarez Creative will be sending a prompt to challenge those of us who are interested in self exploration.  We are taking a look at who we are as women and the role we play in fostering our own growth and often times hindering it by beating ourselves up with negative talk, etc.  The program is called Summer of Enough.   

This week for the Summer of Enough program we were given the following thought to finish... I  am Confident in My Ability To...

Prompt #3-  I want to share with you that I am confident in my ability to bake fabulous biscotti.  I bet you didn't see that coming.   

I am a full-blooded Italian and I grew up with women who knew how to cook and bake and of course everything was from scratch, even all the pasta noodles.  I loved watching my Noni, Grandma and Great Aunts cook.  Their houses always smelled so good.  I knew that I wanted to at least be able to make one Italian dish or dessert.  I found that I loved baking biscotti and it is a treat that I take to my Italian relatives every Christmas.  I tend to make it for special occasions, but mainly at Christmas.  Here is the recipe for the biscotti seen in the picture above: 

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups almonds
1/2 cup butter
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
3 eggs, separated
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Zest of 1 orange, finely chopped
3 cups all-purpose or unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped chocolate

Directions

Place nuts in a shallow pan and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool.  In a mixing bowl cream butter and 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg yolks, vanilla, and orange zest.  In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Add to the creamed mixture, mixing just until crumbly.  In a separate bowl mix egg whites just until soft peaks form and beat in remaining sugar, beating until stiff but not dry.  Fold meringue into the crumbly dough, mixing until it clings together.  Cut nuts into halves or thirds and fold in along with chocolate.  Divide dough in half.  Form into two logs on a greased and floured baking sheet making them about 1/2 inch thick, 1 1/2 inches wide and 16 inches long spacing them at least 2 inches apart.  Bake in the middle of a preheated 325 degree oven for 25 minutes or until set and golden brown.  Transfer from the baking sheet to a rack.  Let cool 5 minutes.  Place on a cutting board.  With a serrated knife slice diagonally at a 45 degree angle about 1/2 inch thick.  Place the slices upright on a baking sheet and return to the oven at 300 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes to dry slightly.  Let cool on a rack.  Store in a tightly covered container.

I hope you have enjoyed today's post.  Leave me a comment and let me know.  Have a fabulous day! 

I look forward to exploring my past, present, and future.  There is so much to learn.  After all, I am more than a mother!

Until next time! 

Cindy