another cold snap and maple walnut biscotti

Saturday was the perfect return to normalcy:

• A breakfast of pastries and coffee at the Little Bread Company with Crystal, Micah, and Simone


• The first Fayetteville Farmer's Market of the season, where I purchased some early onions and a fig tree


• Some browsing in Terra Tots


• Shopping at Ozark Natural Foods, where we were filmed in the bulk section for an ONF commercial :-)


• All in 70 degrees weather!

Sunday was a big step back into winter. Grey skies. Freezing temperatures. And it's supposed to freeze again tonight.

Once again, our peach and plum trees are covered in fruit, all of which is likely to shrivel and die. This is the 3rd year in a row that this has happened. At least I haven't planted any tender vegetables yet.

As a move of desperation, Gabriel and I mummy-wrapped the plum tree and select branches of the much larger peach tree. It looks comical and a bit frightening, but if it saves any of the fruit it will be worth it.

So now we wait inside our heated house, hoping and praying for our fruit trees.

I console myself with a cup of coffee and some freshly-made biscotti. The recipe is from the Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites.

Maple Walnut Biscotti

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchent paper or lightly grease with baking spray
3. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Lightly beat the eggs and add them to the flour mixture. Stir in the maple syrup, vanilla, and walnuts, mixing just until smooth.
4. Using a rubber spatula and well-floured hands, scoop half of the dough out of the bowl and onto one side of the baking sheet. Shape the dough into a 15-inch log (about 3/4 inch thick). Repeat with the other half of the dough, spacing them about 6 inches apart.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top of each biscotti log is firm. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes. Cut each log on a severe diagonal into about fifteen 1/2-inch thick slices and place them cut side down on the baking sheet.
6. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Hot from the oven, the biscotti may still be soft in the center, but they will harden as they cool. Allow to cool completely. Stored in a tightly closed container they will keep for several weeks.