Happy Father’s Day! In commemoration, I’ll tell you about an item on my pre-residency bucket list. I’d had my eye on a file cabinet on Pinterest that had been converted into a mini kitchen island. However, I was also fully aware that the only tools to my name are a convertible screwdriver and an abandoned hammer that I once filched from my apartment basement. I found a filing cabinet at a thrift store for $5, but wasn’t sure how to break into an entirely new realm of “recipe”. So I called upon my dad, who went with me to Home Depot and helped me find the necessary hardware. I then went to my brother-in-law’s father’s house, where we used an electric drill to install the wooden top and casters (and he was impressed by my recognition of the metal awl).
At the end of a few weeks of planning and two afternoons of work, I’m thankful that these two dads were willing to help me construct my crazy dreams, didn’t laugh at me while doing it, and taught me something new. And now I get to cook with the result any time I want.
Recipe (can be found at Smitten Kitchen by clicking here…I know, I know, next week will have a different source!)
I made these as a thank-you gift for all of the help I received for this project. It is now my go-to for last minute gratitude. It is about as easy as banana bread, but more portable — it doesn’t go stale for 1-2 weeks and holds up to shipping (done once already). Here’s my advice:
- A 1/2 recipe will suffice for one gift; it makes about 15 biscotti
- During the second bake, don’t worry about the biscotti still feeling moist in the oven before you take it out. If you wait until they’re completely hard, they won’t be very tender.
- Play with the ingredients…the next time I think a lime & cardamom might be nice. Anise lends a traditional yet more adventurous taste.
- If you’re shipping, ship in an air-tight container, preferably with layers of parchment or wax paper between layers of biscotti.
- This a gift that is especially good for coffee and tea drinkers.
