There was an Engagement Party, Christmas, Holidays and life has been crazy. But I did want to write about these Biscotti cookies, my hands-down Best Selling cookies (if I was selling them, which I am not). I always try to make a batch for special occasions and for Christmas gifts, as I did this year.

My husband Zeke, who doesn’t particularly like Biscotti, does love mine. Perhaps because they are a more American version than the traditional Italian Biscotti, which can be so crunchy, you could crack a tooth on them. These Biscotti contain butter, toasted almonds and lemon and orange peel, making them quite delicious and perfect with your morning coffee, to dunk in a dessert wine, or with a glass of ice cold milk.

They are, however, a labor of love.

I’m not saying they are technically challenging, but there are a lot of steps involved and they take quite a while to make. First, you need to toast the almonds, zest a lemon and orange, cream the butter and sugar and make the cookie dough. Biscotti, which means “twice cooked”, are actually cooked three times. First, two big cookies loaves are baked, then cooled and sliced. Then the slices are baked, for ten minutes on one side, ten minutes on another and then cooled. Finally, they are done!

So, I made a batch last year and judiciously gifted them for Christmas to people who I know would appreciate them. I saved a precious few to take a photo for this blog, but one by one, they disappeared. I found I couldn’t resist the siren call of them in the freezer and ate them. I had only one small one left, which I put on a plate in the kitchen to take a photo of to accompany the recipe. Alas, when I came down for lunch, half of the biscotti was missing- a victim on my husband’s hunger and love of my irresistible biscotti.

Of course I had a fit. I screamed and shouted, moaned and groaned. I may have thrown some hamburger buns in his direction. Not my finest hour.

Do you know how long it takes to make biscotti?

I interrogated him.

“No,” he backtracked sheepishly. “But whenever you make them, it seems like a while.”

You’re darn tooting it’s a while! And, without further ado, my recipe for my obviously irresistible Biscotti.

Irresistible Almond Biscotti

Recipe by Miami HeraldCourse: DessertCuisine: ItalianDifficulty: Difficult

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Calories

300

kcal

Total time

1

hour 

10

minutes

These are delicious, orange and lemon flavored almond biscotti.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cup whole almonds

• 3 cups all-purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 2/3 cup butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 3 large eggs, room temp

• grated peel of one large orange

• grated peel of one lemon

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Spread almonds in a sheet pan and bake until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. They should smell fragrant and start to pop.
• After cooled, chop into coarse chunks and set aside.
• Combine dry ingredients of flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.
• Place butter and sugar in large bowl of electric mixture. Beat on medium high speed until light and fluffy.
• Add eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition.
• Mix in orange and lemon zest and almond extract.
• Add flour mixture and mix at low speed until ingredients are well incorporated. Mix in almonds.
• Form into 2 logs, approximately 12 inches long. (I use a ruler to measure) Flatten tops gently with palm of hand.
• Place on lightly greased cookie sheet as far apart as possible.
• Bake 25 minutes, or until tops are firm. Do not under or over cook, otherwise they will not slice smoothly.
• Remove from oven and place of rack. Cool 10 minutes.
• With a large sharp knife (I use serrated), cut logs into diagonal slices, about 1/2 inch wide.
• Line them, cut side down on the cookie sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on one side, turn and bake another 10 minutes on the other, or until they are lightly golden.
• Enjoy and keep out of reach of hungry husbands.

Notes

• These freeze great and are also an easy cookie to ship.
• You may substitute 1/2 cup of cornmeal for 1/2 cup of the flour.

P.S. Sorry Tami! I ate your biscotti! Alas, I could not upload the photo of the half-eaten cookie! Drats on technology, or my inability to master it.

Up Next: Food Trends 2024

These cookies are chewy, not crunchy, so if you only like crunchy cookies, stop reading. I like both and I decided if a pecan on top of the cookie was good, chopped pecans in the cookie batter would be even better! These cookies are delicious and can be frozen for future eats.

Melt-in-Your-Mouth Maple Cookies

Recipe by Lenox Bakery

Servings

24

servings

Prep time

12

minutes

Cooking time

11

minutes

Ingredients

• For cookies:

• 1/2 cup butter

• 3/4 cup light brown sugar

• 1/4 cup sugar

• 2 eggs, room temp

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2 1/3 cup all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 cup toasted, chopped pecans

• 24 whole, toasted pecans

• For maple glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar

• 1/3 cup maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon milk

• Candy eyeballs, optional

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a stand mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and light brown sugar for 2- 3 minutes using the paddle attachment.
• Add in the eggs, one at a time, maple syrup and vanilla.
• Mix in flour, baking soda and chopped pecans.
• Scoop the batter into rounds the size of a ping pong ball and place on a baking sheet lined with parchement paper. Bake for 10 minutes or until they’ve just started to brown a the edges.
• Remove from the oven to let cool.
• To make the glaze, mix the powdered sugar, maple syrup and milk together until well combined. Drizzle the glaze over the cookies, or use a knife to apply. Top with candy eyeballs or pecan half, a trick or a treat!

Notes

• To make mummy-like cookies, drizzle glaze like mummy’s rags and add sugar eyeballs.

Up Next: The Halloweeniest of Halloweens!

Reading an article in the Miami Herald Food section, culled from different sources, one of the first unbelievable predictions was that the comfort food craze was over. Au contraire, ye crystal ball-gazing, foodie soothsayers. In case you haven’t noticed, there’s still this little thing called a Global pandemic going around. And yes, there are vaccines, but many of us (including yours truly) haven’t been able to get it yet, so we are still in need of comfort and, after last year, may always be in a constant state of needing nourishing, comfort food.

1. Comfort Food

I predict comfort food is here to stay, albeit with a difference. Perhaps we lighten it up a bit, like using 2% milk in our Mac-N-Cheese instead of whole, or ground turkey in place of ground beef in our meatloaf. Eating all those comfort foods in 2020 contributed to many people’s increasing middle (aka, the COVID 19), and health and fitness is on everyone’s minds these days.

2. Retro Food

Linked to #1, I see a trend of going back to the basics and revisiting beloved food from the past. My friend got her kids a fondue set, with a fondue cookbook for a Christmas present last year; this seems the perfect time and place for this 70’s throwback. Fondue is dining as entertainment and since we can’t go to movies, plays, or concerts, what better way to entertain ourselves than through food? Plunging meat, bread and veggie chunks into a pot of gooey cheese might not be front row seats to Hamilton, but as my motto was for 2020- “It’s better than nothing.”

3. Healthy/Vegan/Vegetarian

Last year taught us all how important our health is to our well-being and this trend, which has been ongoing for years, is more important than ever. The introduction of tasty faux meat by companies like Beyond Meat and Impossible, make eating meatless meals almost painless.

4. Flexitarian

Linked to #3, it’s the trend of mixing vegan or vegetarian meals in with meals of animal protein. Diners awareness of the environmental consequences of eating meat, as well as health reasons, have influenced this trend. While some of us will never be vegetarian, we can try “Meatless Mondays” or trying to eat some meals without causing harm to an inhabitant on Old McDonald’s farm. And, if you want to eat at McDonalds, you can now get a veggie burger (Beyond Meat) instead of Moo Moo meat.

5. Jackfruit, Monkfruit, Hearts of Palm and Chickpeas are hot.

Jackfruit takes on the flavor of whatever it is spiced with, or sauce it is cooked in, but has the texture of pulled meat, making it perfect for vegetarian cooking (see #3). Monkfruit is a natural sweetener. Hearts of palm has been made into a pasta-like product called Palmini; it also adds a nutty and meat-like texture to other dishes (I like to add a small slice into my deviled eggs to add a little oomph and bite). And apparently chickpeas are the “new cauliflower” of trendy foods. Not just for hummus anymore, they’re now being made into pasta, tofu, tortillas and even frozen desserts.

6. Seasonings and Condiments from Faraway Places

Since travel has been extremely limited, people will be cooking meals from around the globe in their own kitchens, experts predict. I have definitely hopped on this trend, making Chili Oil (Chinese), Dukkah (Eygyptian), Za’atar (Turkish) and Garam Masala (Indian) to add a little interest to my meals. These are also easily ordered online.

7. Hot Cocktails are hot!

Hot Toddies, Mulled Wine and Spiked Cider are supposedly making a comeback. This makes sense for those living in frigid locations, especially with those being snowed in at this time of year. I myself enjoy hot apple cider, spiked with Buttershots Schnapps Liqueur. Heated up and served in a glass mug, with a cinnamon stick garnish, it’s delicious and comforting nightcap.

“I’ll have a glass of mulled wine, heavy on the cinnamon, easy on the cloves.”

The angel Clarence in It’s a Wonderful Life.

8. Small Batch Baking

We all know baking was big in 2020, but it started a trend for small batch baking, where recipes were cut down to more reasonable portions for one or two people. Because how many loafs of banana bread can one person eat?

9. Make your own Condiment Trend

I also hopped onto this trend, making Pesto (Italian), Chimichurri (both red and green) and Shug hot sauce (Middle Eastern) in 2020. Last week for the Superbowl, my husband smoked a Pork Butt. It called for serving it with a vinegar sauce and since we didn’t have any, he whipped some up himself. We all agreed it was the perfect compliment to the pork, not as overpowering as Barbeque sauce and the vinegar cut the fattiness of the pork. Making your own condiments puts you in control of the ingredients used and allows you to tailor it to your own tastes. Plus, it’s cheaper than buying store-bought condiments.

10) Take Out As a Way of Life

I think many of us pivoted from meals out in restaurants, to take-out, but branched out from the normal Pizza and Chinese food trend to a whole new world of restaurants, as the restaurants pivoted in turn. I tried Southern Food (Root and Bone), Indian (Ghee), Thai (Atchana’s), Sushi (Moon Thai) and make-it-yourself pizza (Farinelli) last year and, while not the same experience as dining out, it was fun. Along with this trend is a revolt against Uber Eats, whose service really eats in to a restaurant’s bottom line, as well as higher menu prices and a no-tipping format.

11) Alternative flours

Have you made a trip down the flour aisle in your grocery store lately? There is a dizzying array of flours now available- tapioca, amaranth, banana and coconut, to name a few. Perhaps this arouse as an alternative to regular flour, which was in short supply during the beginning of the Pandemic, or perhaps we’re just bored with the basic All Purpose and Whole Wheat. What took us so long?

12) Chinese American, Afro-Caribbean, Indian, Singapore and Jewish Cuisines

Unfortunately, I don’t have a good Chinese restaurant anywhere near me, but I do love some good dim sum. Happy Year of the Metal Ox, by the way. Apparently the other cuisines are also on the rise. I am all in favor of trying new cuisines- if we can’t travel to other countries in 2021, at least we can sample their cuisines in our own kitchens.

Up Next: The week in Review

My friend Katy texted me last week: “Is this the end of civilization? 2020 is the worst.” But she actually has enjoyed being able to spend time with her only daughter Chelsea, who works at a ritzy hotel in Manhattan. She’s been home in Orlando for a while since her hotel’s not re-opening until September; I can’t imagine another scenario where that would happen. Katy works at Disney, which is re-opening July 11th. I asked A.J. if she wanted to take Wyatt to Disney (we were supposed to go in April) but she said no, she wants to wait. I get it. Universal and Sea World are opening next month as well.

While my sister Elise, who’s a nurse for an OB doctor, said to her practice, which has cut back hours: “Don’t worry, in nine months we’ll be overrun with new patients!”, expecting a baby boom from people sheltering at home, this may not be true. Studies show 60% of people aren’t having sex on a weekly basis in lockdown. While, this is understandable, (especially if you’re home alone) even masturbation is down. Apparently the stress, anxiety and instability of this current situation is not sexy. I have to say that the plague, impending sickness and possible death surrounding the coronavirus, certainly doesn’t put me “in the mood”.

In other news: I got a new laptop. Not that I was planning on it, but that “liquid” I spilled on it late one night essentially destroyed it. My old one, a MacBook Pro, is nowhere to be found in the Pandemic (with everyone needing one for work/school etc..) so I switched to a MacBook Air. I’m still figuring out how to use it, including uploading photos, etc… There is a learning curve. I would go the Apple store for guidance, but of course they are closed.

On the Homefront: Zeke’s gone back to work full time (yippee!) and has graduated from Virtual Zoom Happy Hours, to regular Happy Hour at Riviera, which is now re-opened. Emma and Lauren took Eloise to the vet and discovered she actually had a medical condition, which may have caused the uncontrolled peeing. A roofer is supposed to fix one part of our leaking roof this week, if it ever stops raining. In rodent news, the rat has not been spotted lately, as far as I know. I’m not completely sure as I escaped to hunker down in the Keys. Can you blame me?

Emma (youngest) is getting her own apartment this month and is going to take on-line classes this summer at Miami-Dade before she goes to nursing school. Lauren, who also got into NYU Law School last week (#1 Tax Law in the US) finally decided on Georgetown in D.C. to attend in the Fall. Hurray! She left to visit her boyfriend in California for a month. So we almost have an empty nest. Not including the peeing cat, rogue rat and middle child.

Wyatt graduated from his three year old class last week. They had a drive-by ceremony at one of the parent’s house, with kids in cars, teachers attending, and there were little gifts for the graduates. Wyatt took a photo with one of his buddies, six feet apart. I guess 2020 is a year all graduates will remember, for better or worse. He is now bugging me for a mini-trampoline as a graduation gift. Since when did we get gifts for a three-year-old class graduation? Of course, I probably will break down and get it.

I had Wyatt Tuesday night and made pasta (his favorite meal), a green salad and focaccia. Zeke and I had watched Fat, Salt, Acid, Heat on Netflix and the author made focaccia in Italy. It looked delicious, so I gave it a try from a Frugal Gourmet recipe I made years ago. It’s pretty easy, essentially a pizza dough you spread flat and add toppings to. It’s made with yeast, which is about a hundred times easier than sour dough starter; I now know why yeast has been flying off the shelves and is impossible to find. I found a whole box of yeast at the Kmart in Key Largo and felt like I’d hit the lotto!

We had Emma’s birthday dinner at Riviera Country Club, her choice. It was a positive experience and felt very safe, especially since the dining room was basically empty. We wore masks to our table, the servers wore masks. I’m not sure how restaurants are doing now that they’re reopened in Miami, but when I walked through South Miami last week, the restaurants looked dead. Zeke and I went out for meals twice in the Keys this weekend. Saturday we went to Lorelie for drinks and an appetizer. They make a decent margarita and we had seared tuna and fish dip. We sat at a table outside on the deck, by the water.

On Sunday, some friends at the Sanctuary invited us out on their boat. What a treat to be out on the bay on a beautiful day! It re-lit Zeke’s desire to get a boat.(Not that it ever really went away.) We motored to local institution Alabama Jacks, docked and stepped out onto the wood deck. An older lady with a black mask greeted us saying,:

There’s a line out front you folks need to wait in. It’s probably an hour wait and once you get seated, we only have three waitresses, so who knows when you’ll get any food.

Our Welcoming Alabama Jacks Hostess

As she left, a guy sitting at the bar said: “And That’s the Hostess.” We accessed the situation- Alabama Jacks was packed with bikers and apparently, people who hadn’t been out of the house in ages and were desperate for a drink and some greasy conch fritters. We grabbed some beers to go and hightailed it to Gilberts. I think the reason it’s so crowded at Alabama Jacks is that you don’t need to go through the Key’s checkpoint to go there. The checkpoint ended last Monday, June 1st.

Miami Spice is starting two months early! Miami Spice began June 1st, instead of the normal August 1st, as an incentive to get diners into local restaurants. Eighty-eight restaurants are participating, down from the 200+ who normally participate. Since restaurants are only allowed 50% capacity, their margins of profit are already very low, so many restaurants don’t feel able to participate and make any money. Ironically, Miami Spice started as a way to get diners out to Miami restaurants after 9/11. I will definitely be checking out some restaurants for Miami Spice. Lunch is $25, Dinner is $39.

Another positive that’s come from the Coronavirus Pandemic, is the way people have met the challenge of working from home with creativity and enthusiasm. From parents thinking up fun ways to Homeschool, to teachers having to educate via Zoom (Quaranteachers), to the beautiful designs mask makers have come up with, I’m wowed by people’s imaginations. And Zoom has been invaluable for just about everything that used to be face-to-face: Court sessions, Therapy sessions, Happy Hours, Board Meetings, Presentations and Education of all sorts.

My daughter A.J. was going to do a succulent workshop for Mother’s Day in person, but revised it to a Zoom workshop. Participants got a beautiful box containing all the materials needed and the log in information to the Zoom workshop on the Monday after Mother’s Day. It was so much fun making the succulent terrarium, with the step by step instructions Ashley gave and seeing the fellow workshoppers (including my Mom and sister Kelley) on Zoom. Like many businesses, I think it’s something Ashley Jordan Events will incorporate into future endeavors.

Zeke and I like to watch Diners, Drive-ins and Dives with Guy Fieri (Triple D to those in the know), but lately he’s been getting take-out meal kits from different restaurants he visited in past shows and making their dishes on air. It’s not the same as his regular show, but it’s cool, different and fun. Musicians (like Bon Jovi) have been performing songs, sometimes alone, sometimes with others, actors, like Daniel Radcliffe of Harry Potter fame have been reading chapters from books, O Miami Poetry went virtual this year and there have been virtual tours of parks, beaches and museums (like Viscaya). While I can’t travel, I’m certainly getting ideas for traveling, which will make it all the more enjoyable when I can finally hit the road.

As far as restaurants around the country go, according to an article in Bon Appetit, if only the deep-pocketed restaurants reopen, this may reshape the country’s dining scene, in “devastating and homogenizing ways.” One of my Book Club ladies owns a couple chain restaurants and the PPP has become a problem for her, as well as many restaurant owners. According to the PPP, you need to re-hire back your full staff by the end of June. How is this possible when the restaurant can only open at 50% capacity? Adding to this problem, is most restaurant workers are paid low wages, so many people are better off taking unemployment and the $600 a week offered by the government until the end of July. Why would they want to show up at work, only to get paid less and possibly be risking their health and well being?

The restaurant my friend owns are located in Malls. And the last time we met and talked about it, she was unsure if she would re-open.

How do we know what dining is going to look like after this is over? Will people still be even going to Malls anymore?

she asked.

Of course, no one knows the answer. Most doctors are recommending not going to restaurants at this time, especially if you linger there for hours or can’t social distance. As for me, I will assess the risk, support restaurants that feel safe to me and tip well, because these servers are putting their lives on the line for us diners.

Another article I read is about how Canada is reopening, with “double bubbles”, a technique of social distancing that they borrowed from New Zealand, which has virtually eliminated coronavirus cases there. They’ve been experimenting with this practice for more than two weeks (the amount of time it takes coronavirus to appear) and the cases of COVID-19 have gone down. The double-bubble approach should only be tried in cities where community transmission is low and cases are decreasing.

The theory is that one family picks two other families that you feel safe with and socialize only with them. That way if someone (God forbid) comes down with coronavirus, the exposure is low. Of course, you should pick families that are wearing masks when out, practicing good hygiene (wash your hands) and limiting their outside exposure.

“The hope is that doubling the family bubble will reduce isolation and it’s toll on mental health. This is meant to be an intermediate step before opening up further.”

Vox, Sigal Samuel, June 2, 2020

So, if you’re not ready to jump into the coronavirus-filled pool that is Miami right now, you might try “double bubbling”. I realize we’ve already done it with a few couples we feel safe with and, so far, so good. Like Babs sang, “People who need people.” Apparently, we’re the luckiest people in the world. And so, fellow hunker downers, welcome to the first day of the rest of your life.

“Time is on my side, yes it is.”

Rolling Stones