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Baking biscottis👍

Ingredients:

– 2 cups all-purpose flour

– 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

– 1/4 teaspoon salt

– 3/4 cup granulated sugar

– 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

– 2 large eggs

– 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

– 3/4 cup whole almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla extract.

4. Gradually add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture, stirring until well blended. Stir in the almonds.

5. Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a 9-inch-long log on the prepared baking sheet. Flatten the logs slightly.

6. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and firm to the touch.

7. Remove the logs from the oven and let cool for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 325°F.

8. Using a serrated knife, cut each log into 1/2-inch-thick slices on the diagonal. Place the slices back on the baking sheet, cut side down.

9. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and crisp. Flip the biscotti over and bake for an additional 5-7 minutes, or until lightly golden brown and crisp.

10. Remove the biscotti from the oven and let cool completely on the baking sheet. Serve and enjoy!

The first flowers of spring in Connecticut are typically crocuses, daffodils, tulips, and hyacinths. These flowers usually start blooming in late March or early April, depending on the weather conditions. Other early blooming flowers in Connecticut include snowdrops, hellebores, and witch hazels. As the weather warms up, other flowers such as cherry blossoms, magnolias, and dogwoods also begin to bloom.

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 Frogs, antelope squirrels, birds,cicadas and toad fish sing to mate, warn of danger or because it’s hot 
bats and dolphins make noises when on the move.

Whales sing but the reason for it is a mystery.

Feb 4/5: US elects George Washington as first president, In 1789

Feb 27: 1827: Mardi Gras is celebrated in New Orleans for the first time.

March 3 Thomas L Jennings is the first African American to get a patent. The year was 1831.

March 4/5: 1829:First open house at White House was held by Andrew Jackson.

March 4/5: 1963: Hula-Hoop patented by Wham-o company.

March 8:1913: first international women’s day observed.

March 15: equal voting right called for by Lyndon B. Johnson, in 1965.

March 16:1802: West Point founded by congress.

A story about a reluctant gardener!

There came a time when my bride, who was always interested in flowers, decided she wanted to grow the biggest and most fragrant bug repellent flowers with vibrant colors .

Hence the start of the vegetable garden. Naturally that was planted and cared for by the reluctant groom.

She ordered all the supplies needed for her marigold research from Burpee( supplies garden needs) located some where in California.

She had 2 long boxes which held little wax coated paper sleeves that contained her end -of -growing -season marigold seeds and her alpha-numeric

Notations on booth sides.

It came to pass that lettuce was the only vegtable not always protected ( seemed the kind of lettuce was a factor for survival ) by the marigold odor !

We substituted corn in place of the lettuce which was a delight to our resident squirrels; our back yard had the right height trees for these athletic animals to colonize!

Our daughter was the only one to plant corn that survived the onslaught of the pesky creatures; it was just for one year, however, since she wasn’t interested in working in the garden any more.

We Tried growing gladioli where the corn had been planted. They which were attached by the thrips ( an insect, I believe ).

The next year the cucumbers survived and in abundance, which encouraged my wife to jar pickles which she used as Christmas gifts.

Happily I just had to tend the the large pot that heated the jars.

The marigolds did their job but I realized the garden soil had to be refreshed. Leaf compost was not helpful .

Also, I decided to enhance the soil with a compost tea, which was a pain. By that time my back gave out ( I was not able to lift the rented rototill out of my car trunk any more) so we planted grass seed .

Some of the vegetables should have grown as well as the grass did.

But the cucumbers, squash, watermelon and ornamental gourds were real winners for us.

The draw back was that we only got one or two watermelon each year.

The ornamental gourds and cucumbers were usually in abundance .

The biggest disappointment during my garden experience were the raspberry bushes I suggested to my bride and I eventually planted.

It had Nice tasting fruit but was dangerous to be near. Because of their thorns , I keep a small first aid kit in my pocket while working in the garden. Digging out those plants was a real “joy.” However It was worth it since it was not no longer necessary to carry a first kit while milling around the garden to impress my wife!

One part of its definition, is experience.

I’ll define experience ,in this case, as being the result of human problem solving.

February,:9th, 1990: Davis cup competition is started.

February 13th: 1866 :western outlaw Jesse James robs his first bank. He became a legend.

February 15: 1965: the official name, maple leaf, was named for Canadian flag.

February 17th:1972: the German beetle car becomes more famous than the ford modal T.

January31: 1865: House of Representatives pass 13 th amendment- abolishment of slavery.

February 1: 1970: first black history month celebrated at Kent state U.

February2: 1882 Janes Joyce is born in Dublin, Ireland. He was mired for his books Ulysses and Finnegan s wake .

February 3: 2005: Alberto Gonzales becomes first Hispanic attorney general.