Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  I hope you all have a relaxing day filled with family, friends, and lots of yummy food.  We all have so much to be thankful for and I hope this next year is filled with many more blessings.

How did I spend my Thanksgiving?  I slept in a little and then watched the Today Show online.  My run was a little chilly, but the sun was shining and I felt great.  Then I cam home and made biscottis.  They turned out pretty well, except for that fact that I'm still trying to figure out my toaster oven so a few had a couple burnt edges.  Overall, though, they're pretty tasty!  I used almonds instead of hazelnuts and tried to "toast" the first batch except they came out charred, so I just crushed them up the second time with out toasting them.  Here's the recipe:

Cappuccino Biscotti Recipe:

3/4 cup (100 grams) hazelnuts
2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200 grams) granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoonbaking soda
1/2 teaspoonbaking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 cup (60 ml) espresso or strong coffee, cooled
1 tablespoon milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extra
1/2 cup (85 grams) semisweet chocolate chips


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Place hazelnuts on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes or until their skins start to blister and peel. Remove from oven and wrap the hazelnuts in a clean towel and let them 'steam' for about five minutes. Then briskly rub the towel back and forth to remove the skins of the hazelnuts. Let cool and then coarsely chop.

In a small bowl whisk together the espresso (coffee), milk, egg and vanilla extract.

In the bowl of your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer) beat the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices until combined. Gradually add the espresso mixture and beat until a dough forms, adding the chopped nuts and chocolate chips about halfway through. With floured hands divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface roll each half of dough into a log about 10 inches (25 cm) long and 2 inches (5 cm) wide. Transfer the logs to a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spacing about 3 inches (7.5 cm) apart. Bake for about 35 minutes or until firm to the touch (logs will spread during baking). Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for about 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F (149 degrees C). On a cutting board cut the logs crosswise on the diagonal into 3/4 inch (2 cm) slices. Arrange the slices on the baking sheet, and bake for 5 minutes on each side, or until they are pale golden.Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool. Store in an airtight container.  Makes about 24 biscotti.

Then I went on a walk around town (found out that the school I'll be working at part-time starting next week is only one block past my regular night time job!).  When I got home, I taught myself how to knit thanks to the wonderful old lady who made a beginner tutorial via YouTube, and watched The Santa Clause online.  Better yet, I just found out that I can stream the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade online (1 hour away and counting), so I won't miss a beat.  On Saturday I'll be celebrating Thanksgiving with a large crew (about 20+) and a traditional meal.  The hosts ordered a couple turkeys from Costco (yes, there's one out here) and everyone else is bringing side dishes: mashed and sweet potatoes, stuffing, pies, rolls, and I'm making my mom's delicious pomegranate salad.  It should be a fun day and I'm glad that I get to celebrate it.  I didn't feel too sad being away from home and I think it's because no one here celebrates the holiday.  When everyone else is going about their daily lives, I almost forgot what was happening back home (and the fact that no one has school - so jealous).  But, I watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie in all my classes which made me feel a little more at home.

Since it is Thanksgiving I should probably write down some of the many blessings I have in my life.  I know there are many more, but here's a short list:
A wonderful, loving, and supportive family (immediate and extended)
The best friends in the world
My health
The opportunity to live in a different country
All the wonderful people I've met in Korea
A job
A wonderful boss and great students
A roof over my head (and heated floors - a wonderful Korean tradition)
Technology - so I can Skype, watch the Today Show, the parade, and movies online :)
God's unending love and forgiveness

May you, too, realize the many blessings in your life and thank our Creator for all that we have.  Happy Thanksgiving and lots of love!