Typically I take a photo every month on the twelfth; it’s fun to document how Atticus is changing. This one will have to suffice; it was taken this past Monday at our most fave kid-friendly hangout, Sydney’s Cafe. He’s stuffing a blueberry muffin into his mouth; for some reason, Atticus likes to “bite off more than he can chew” — it’s never a small morsel but a contest to see how much he can wedge in. (Ah, the good old days when feeding him wasn’t a chore. Tonight was slightly less dramatic than last; he ended up refusing dinner altogether and opted for a bath instead.)
As you can tell from the picture, he’s still got that bruise on his head from the holidays (he fell down the brick front steps a few days before Christmas). Well, get used to that look. Just as it was almost healed, a few days ago he hit the exact same spot on his forehead on the chair in his room (prompting a friend to ask today, “Is that the same bruise from before?”), and tonight he stumbled and smacked it again, this time on the living room floor. Now the bump is huge, purplish-pink and painful to look at. Of course he wouldn’t let me ice it. Thank goodness there’s still so much give in their little skulls.
It was 28 degrees when we left this morning for Peninsula Park’s indoor playground. It just occurred to me that it’s not unlike a dog park for kids — they’re all unleashed and romping around at will, fetching balls, jumping, drooling, chasing cars and panting. Atticus is trying to figure out foot-power; he sees these kids scooting around in these little vehicles, and now that his feet can touch the ground, he wants so badly to MAKE IT GO!
He was inside this “police car” but all he could figure out was how to go backwards. There’s a seat on the outside rear of the car for another kid to sit (whoever gets “arrested”, I guess), and a toddler younger and less steady on his feet than Atticus walked up to the seat and tried to put a soccer ball in it. At that very moment, Atticus scooted back about two inches, and the kid plopped gently on his butt — no drama, no tears, no harm done. But his mom made a beeline for her son, scooped him up and cooed “It’s okay, you’re okay,” and… SHE SHOT ME A LOOK! The judgmental, “Shouldn’t you be keeping an eye out to make sure your child isn’t endangering others?” look!
I guess we all have it coming, and surely Atticus will more than earn me that “look” one day, but please… not over something like this!
Biscotti has been in the oven while I’ve been writing. Nothing like the fragrant odor of chocolate to cozy you up on a winter evening. It’s a no-brainer Epicurious recipe and I made a bunch over the holidays. We are going to a pot luck tomorrow, which was a great excuse to bake more. Here’s the recipe. I recommend best-quality dark chocolate (skip the Nestle’s and no carob!), and always substitute dried tart cherries for the white chocolate (I think it’s a more sophisticated touch). Definitely adjust baking times depending on how hot your oven runs. My oven requires me to leave them in longer to get them dry enough. These are gift-ready in a cellophane bag and pretty ribbon.
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE BISCOTTI
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white baking chips
Line large baking sheet with double thickness of foil. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt into medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and butter in large bowl to blend. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, then vanilla. Beat in flour mixture. Stir in semisweet and white chips. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheet in two 10- to 11-inch-long strips, spacing 3 inches apart. Using wet fingertips, shape strips into 11- by 2 1/2-inch logs. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake logs until tops are cracked and dry and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes; cool 10 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 300°F. Using foil as aid, lift logs onto work surface. Line baking sheets with clean foil. Using serrated knife, gently cut warm logs crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Arrange half of slices, cut side down, on each prepared baking sheet. Bake biscotti until just dry to touch, about 8 minutes. Turn biscotti over. Bake until top is dry to touch, about 8 minutes. Cool on sheets. Makes about 30.
