Another Weekend Over

And not another in sight for two weeks. Oh, well. If it was possible to bank sleep for two weeks, I'd be all set. Slept 7 hours on Friday during the day, then another 6 or so Friday night. Dozed off on the couch while surfing movies Saturday afternoon (after changing back into jammies from my exercise clothes) and then couldn't stay awake past 10 or 11 on Saturday night. Healthy I may be, but I think I still need these kinds of shutdown days where I loll around undressed and unshowered, and travel no farther than the kitchen or bathrooms.

But I did manage to mess with the fireplace so we get actual yellow flames instead of a wimpy blue glow from the gas burners; got a tiny bit of fanfic done; and talked to Bryan for about 2 1/2 hours on Friday night. We talked about what people want in life, the incompatibilities that arise because of wanting different things in life, relationship break-ups, kidney transplant tests and roadblocks, and of course, food.

Sunday in Frankenmuth we completed a grab bar installation in mom and dad Reinert's tub/shower stall, and got some more boxing up and trash tossing done at grandma and grandpa Zucker's. Must remind ourselves we still have two old mattresses in the bed of the pick-up truck, and they have to go out with the trash this week. I can see that being a rude surprise if we forget. One of them is cousin J's. Pretty much no words for when we dragged the mattress off the bedsprings. We thought we'd seen all the filth in that room, but...no. Scott took pics to document the first sunlight that has struck that floor in decades.

As usual, after any traumatic family duties necessary in Frankenmuth, we sought our favorite watering hole, the Frankenmuth Brewery. We had soups and deep fried onion rings and beer. Very comforting.

Tim and I made a
smoked tuna salad that night for dinner along with one of our favorite standby wines, any Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand. This particular one was from Branscott Estates. Quite appropriate to sip while looking at nephew Benjamin's pics on Facebook from his recent trip there with his mom and dad. The tuna salad recipe was actually an advertisement, and they wanted you to used pouch/canned tuna, and add liquid smoke to one of the dressings used to top the salad. Liquid smoke? Eeww. Why not put some tuna steaks on the smoker? I also swapped out the Granny Smith apple (sorry, March is not the time to find good apples in this part of the world) for an asian pear, and used cashews instead of walnuts. All in all, quite good.

But one project that required a minimal amount of effort Saturday was making biscotti. The motivation was, of course, hunger. And a craving for something salty, savory and crunchy, but being too lazy and cheap to leave the house to buy something prepackaged and expensive. Usually the supplies I have on hand at any given moment in the house are sufficient to whip up a multi-course feast. I had blue cheese, and I always have almonds, walnuts and pecans in the freezer. Buttermilk is a staple in the fridge, as are eggs. White and whole wheat flours, and cornmeal? Yep, always in the house. I based it on this recipe from the Vegetarian Epicure, and it could be adapted for any cheesy nutty combination you wanted. We had them with a Montepulciano d'Abruzzo (Cantina Zaccagnini, 2008) but there are probably many/better pairings out there.

Yes, when you look at all the baking time involved, I could probably have driven to Trader Joe's and back. But the point was to use what I had, and to stay in my jammies and not leave the house. Critical issues on my weekends.




Blue Cheese and Pecan Biscotti

1 3/4 cup white all purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp coarse ground black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
about 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cup toasted pecans
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten

Combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder, baking soda, black and cayenne pepper in a medium bowl and whisk it all together. Stir in the crumbled blue cheese.

In a small bowl beat together the eggs and buttermilk. Pour the wet mixture into the dry and stir together with a fork until a crumbly dough forms. Turn the dough onto a lightly floured board and knead a few turns, just until it is smooth. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest about 15 minutes.

Work the pecans into the dough, leaving a mixture of whole and crushed nuts scattered throughout the dough. Divide the dough into three equal parts and form each part into a one-inch diameter log. Put the logs onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spacing them about 2 inches apart, and flatten them just slightly with the palm of your hand.

Bake the logs at 375 F for 20 minutes, until golden. The tops may split as they bake. Let them cool on the baking sheet a few minutes, then carefully transfer them to a rack and let them cool at least 20 minutes more. Meanwhile, lower the oven temperature to 225 F.

Using a very sharp, thin serrated knife, slice the logs on the diagonal, about 1/4 inch thick. Arrange the slices on parchment lined baking sheets (you'll need two) and bake them 35 minutes. Flip the biscotti over and bake again for another 35 minutes or until they are dry and crisp. Let the biscotti cool completely on racks.