Category Archives: Cooking

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti

I used to make this recipe all the time back in university and somehow it ended up being put aside for years. Then recently a recipe for chocolate chip biscotti ended up on my Facebook and I remember this recipe. It took me a while to find particularly since it was actually two recipes that I had modified and merged together.

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti
Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti

Almond Orange Cinnamon Biscotti
 
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1½ tsp orange zest
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1½ tsp baking powder
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup toasted slivered almonds
Instructions
  1. Set oven to 325 degrees F.
  2. Cream butter and sugar.
  3. Beat in eggs, vanilla and orange zest.
  4. Combine the flour, cinnamon, salt and baking powder in a separate bowl.
  5. Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat to combine.
  6. Add the toasted almond slivers and beat until just conbined.
  7. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or butter the sheet.
  8. Form into two logs about ¾ of an inch thick and as wide as you like your biscotti. I got for betweeen 3 and 4 inches. The wider it is the lest pieces you get in the end.
  9. Bake for 35 minutes.
  10. Take out and let cool enough for you to cut, 10-15 minutes.
  11. Cut into slices about ½ inch thick.
  12. Place slices cut side down on the cookie sheet.
  13. Bake 12 minutes. Turn over and bake another 12 minutes.

It is funny how our memories work. For me this recipe takes me back to my university days and the people there that particularly liked this recipe. For me this will always go with a large mug of hot chocolate and a cold winter night. This isn’t on my Favorite Six Christmas Cookies from last year but it should be.

Home School Blog Awards…

I have been nominated in the Homeschooling Dad category and would appreciate your votes. While you are there check out all the other wonderful blogs.

HSBA VOTING BEGINS NOW
Linking up at…

Man Pleasing Chicken Pinterest Recipe Review

The recipe came to me from Iowa Girl Eats via the pin at the bottom. Overall this recipe got thumbs up from everyone in the family and will be made again. I can also say that it is ‘Wife Pleasing Chicken’ based on her reserving the two leftover servings for her lunches.

I made a couple of alterations based on what I had in the house. First I never buy chicken breasts anymore so I used boneless skinless chicken thighs I had in the freezer. Second I don’t pound thin unless I absolutely have to. I fried them well and kept them in a 350 oven while I finished up. Third my mother who taught me to cook always subbed onion for scallion so I have never bought a scallion. I put in one small onion chopped fine. That brings me to change #4, I am serving five and my 12y old is starting to get his teenage bottomless pit of a stomach. I doubled the recipe so that onion would be 1/2 an onion in a single batch.

Chicken Spinach Mushrooms in Cream Sauce over Spaghetti
Chicken Spinach Mushrooms in Cream Sauce over Spaghetti

I served it over spaghetti since at first glance the sauce was alfredo based. When I actually made the recipe I realized that there was no garlic in so I wouldn’t call it alfredo. That is the one change that the family agreed on. Next time we will add some garlic. I would put in 2-3 cloves in her batch size and 5-6 in mine.

On the time side I took me longer that the 30 minutes partially because the chicken and the bacon was frozen and partially from me doubling the recipe. It took me three rounds in the frying pan to cook all my chicken. If everything was thawed and I was only doing a single batch I could probably do it in 30 but it would be close.

Overall this is going to be made again and again. Everyone liked it and my wife loved it. I should also say that I loved it too. The plate pictured is mine at and I didn’t leave anything on the plate.

My Top Five Posts of 2013

I have seen a number of other blogs do this so it got me wondering. I wasn’t really surprised by the list as the top two are my most popular pins on Pinterest and both are recipes. The remaining three all come out of the “Not” Back to School Blog Hop. Everyone is always looking for ideas on curriculum and how to set up their schoolroom.

1. Chocolate Crinkles. These got a lot of clicks in December. They are yummy.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

2. Salsa Chicken. My first pin that actually went anywhere. Simple and yummy. It can also be done in a crockpot.

Salsa Chicken cooked

3. Our New Homeschool Room. We had to make major changes as we needed a bigger room with the adding of my daughter the homeschool.

Reading Nook Already in Use

4. Grade 4 Curriculum. I found that naming my linkups with the grade brought me more clicks.

Grade 4 Curriculum

5. Grade 6 Curriculum. I also found that separating the two grades was better as well. Both are pretty long for posts. Both together would have been way to long.

Grade 6 Curriculum