Saturday, December 15, 2007

OK...an update on Kahn...he is doing a little better. We took him in to the vet yesterday before work, and left him for the day. His eating had decreased little by little, and he was eating near to nothing. With his condition (CRF), eating is very important. If he doesn't eat, his body breaks down muscle, which is hard for the kidneys to process. This makes him feel worse, and makes him not want to eat even more...a vicious cycle it is. So, we have started giving him Sub-Q fluids...twice a day for 10 days, and then we'll reevaluate with our vet. I was dreading this, as you have to insert a needle into him, and use an IV bag of fluids; it was really not a big deal at all...actually quite easy. Anyway, he has good moments and bad moments...but the vet assured me that it is totally normal with this condition. We just have to find the right combination of treatments for him to keep him stable.

It is finally cold here in north Texas...has been for the last few days. The highs have only been in the 30's and 40's. I know that's not cold to many of you "northern'ers", but it's darn cold to me. Cold weather makes me want to hibernate, and really prohibits my productivity. Could this explain why my house is a wreck and I haven't exercised lately? I've got to get motivated!

It's hard to believe that Christmas is only 10 days away. I have really not been able to get in the Christmas spirit yet this year. We've just had so many things going on lately...I haven't even sent out my Christmas cards yet. We haven't put up lights, a tree, or anything. Bah Humbug! We will just be staying home for Christmas...not going out of town or anything. We're not very close to either of our families, and usually just do our own thing for Christmas. Our little tradition that we started several years back...we sleep in, lay around and are lazy and cozy most of the day. Them, we cook an awesome gourmet dinner for just the two of us. For dinner, we dress up and enjoy. After dinner, we go out to a movie...one of the great ones that just opened that day. I don't even know which movies are starting this Christmas...guess I better get to looking into that.

I am a Food Network freak...a few weeks ago, I saw Giada DeLaurentis make biscotti. It looked really easy, so I gave it a try...it is delicious. Maybe not as pretty as hers, but absolutely delicious. In case you want to give it a try...here's the recipe.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a heavy large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Whisk the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl to blend.
Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar, butter, lemon zest, and salt in a large bowl to blend.
Beat in the eggs 1 at a time.
Add the flour mixture and beat just until blended.
Stir in the pistachios and cranberries.
Form the dough into a 13-inch long, 3-inch wide log on the prepared baking sheet.

Bake until light golden, about 40 minutes.
Cool for 30 minutes.
Place the log on the cutting board.

Using a sharp serrated knife, cut the log on a diagonal into 1/2 to 3/4-inch-thick slices.
Arrange the biscotti, cut side down, on the baking sheet.
Bake the biscotti until they are pale golden, about 15 minutes.
Transfer the biscotti to a rack and cool completely.
Enjoy!


It was super easy to make...the only problem I had: You cook it for 40 minutes, then let it cool before you slice it to put back in the oven. When I sliced it, I found that the center was still a little raw. This cooked when it went in the oven the 2nd time, but it was a little ugly. It also broke up a little bit while it was sliced. Also, Giada dipped it in white chocolate, but I chose not to do that. Also, I used walnuts in the place of pistacios, just b/c that is what I had in the pantry. It was not so pretty, but very good. If you like biscotti, give it a try and enjoy.

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