Benzedrine Purr Bulb

I like rice. Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something.
- Mitch Hedberg

Last night we unexpectedly were invited to a dinner party at one of TY's yogi teacher buddies, sort of a last minute thing that turned out to be really fun. There were 4 couples and all were very interesting and talkative people, so it was great to meet NEW folks for a change. I am so tired of the same ole political conversations, the same ole arguements and the same ole relatives! Everyone was talking at once and I wanted to hear all the different topics so I got whiplash trying out first one, then another. Sitting across from me was a woman who was wearing a necklace she had made around a prosthetic eye in a workshop at Haystack- now tell me you wouldn't want to grab her and go sit on the porch and dig away at her brain! Well, all I got was her first name and the fact that our lives have paralleled for 40 years, sure would like to get into a deeper talk with her at some point.

I took my first seasonal batch ofr biscotti with me, and because I ate half the dough before cooking it, and then had to make a second batch, I am including the recipe here. I've made this for years, and keep adding and subtracting things so now use the 'base' recipe and add whatever I have on hand to it so that's how I am presenting it:


Biscotti (formerly known as Pepper Biscotti)

2 c. flour
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extrtact
Pick one of the following combinations to add to the dough. All of the ingredients are interchangable- pick the combinations you like best.

For Pepper Biscotti: add 1 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 tsp orange zest (I use a whole orange worth)
1 1/2 c. toasted walnuts

For Pine Nut Biscotti: add 1 c. chopped dried apricots
1 1/2 c. toasted pine nuts

Cherry Biscotti: 1 c. dried cherries, chopped if they are large
1 1/2 c. toasted hazelnuts, skins removed

Blueberry Biscotti 1 c. dried blueberries
2 tsp lemon zest
1 1/2 c. toasted slivered almonds

Mix well, form into 1 1/2" logs and wrap and chill well. Preheat oven to 350 and put roll onto a silpat linier on a baking sheet- you can bake 3 rolls at once allowing 3" between them. Bake for 20 minutes, remove from oven and cool 10 minutes. Slice the rolls on a diagonal at 3/4" intervals and put cut side up back on baking pan. Return to oven for an additional 15 minutes. Cool well and store airtight, and it's best if they are hidden from view or they will be eaten immediately. OK, so that's an editorial written from personal experience.


Diem Chau's amazing crayon sculptures.


Arthur Hash's Jewellery

German or Swiss innovations for ordinary stuff. There seems to be some dissention on their comment boards as to whether the Germans or the Swiss are more apt to do these things. Looks like a tie to me.

Undersea creatures fashioned from recyclable pop bottles! These are georgous.

We took the furchild to the Brookline dog park this morning but soon after we got there and she snifffed a few posteriors, all the other doggies left. Poor thing, she thinks it 'her'.