Goodness!  I've been so busy in this mad Christmas lead-up that I've barely had time to cook yummy Christmas treats let alone post on here!!

With the big day coming tomorrow, I'd just like to take this moment to wish you all a Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, or however you prefer to hear it!

So much is happening this time of year, my brain can hardly keep up with it!

It's the time of year when people are thinking about getting a new puppy or kitten to surprise their family at Christmas, while others may be wondering what to do with their animals while they are away on holidays.

The title of my post today has a double meaning.

This past week at work has been heartbreaking.

For those of you who are unaware, we are now in kitten season, and we are also fast approaching Christmas, which means there is also a boom in the backyard and factory puppy business.

Standard leafy salads start to bore me after a while, and I can't help but think about all those carbs in my favorite concoction, Pasta Salad.  But after trying some Tabouli from Coles - which is no doubt uninspiring to most - I got thinking....  A healthy salad that's easy and quick to make - in fact, I usually knock it up of an evening while dinner is on the go.  Keeps well in the fridge or chilled in a cooler, and adaptable to whatever veg. I happen to like at the time or have in the fridge.

Here's what I came up with!!

"Nanna O'Brien"
16th February 1918 - 17th November 2011

My Great Grandmother on my fathers side - passed away on the 17th November, aged 93 Years and 9 Months.  Yesterday I, along with my Grandfather and loads of family, friends and former colleagues, attended her funeral service.  I shed many tears while remembering what an amazing part of my childhood she had been.  Though I had lost touch with her in recent years, she was in my thoughts often.  May she now have eternal rest with her loving husband.  I am not sad for her - she lived a long and amazing life.  I am only sad for myself, my family and her devoted frineds, who will miss her kindness, loyalty and warmth.

Always loved, Never forgotten, Forever in my Heart.  Goodbye Nanna.

Summer!  Christmas!  BBQ Season!  Party Season!  New Years!

Pick any of the above, or add your own!  It's around this time of year that I start getting really excited about the upcoming festivities, reminiscing about the months behind, and posting more to my blog (yep, predictable...)!

Long hot days spent enjoying good wine and food with friends...  Camping and kayaking... Swimming at the river...  Why wouldn't I be excited?!

I've already started making mental lists of all the yummy things I get to cook next month to give away to friends and family.  Don't forget to check out my Recipes page to get your own ideas.  I've even got a few new ones up my sleeve to share closer to Christmas!!

Ideas for gifts are racing through my head, and where the heck did I put all the leftover Christmas Cards?!

Just a quick update, you can now make Facebook comments about my posts directly from the page.  Yep, got bored there for a minute!!

More posts coming soon...

I was reading through one of my Animal Studies assignments from earlier this year on Animal Welfare, and found a short piece I wrote about my thoughts on Puppy Factories/Farms.  Responsible breeding is an enormous part of animal welfare, and is something I have pretty clear and strong views on.

Here is my original, unedited writing.  I would love you to share your thoughts and comments!  Please note that the original brief was to share your thoughts on an RSPCA campaign - I chose to focus on 'Close Puppy Factories' - Ending the mass production of 'designer dogs'.

Puppy Factories operate with little or no regard to the physical or mental wellbeing of the animals, being run purely for profit.

Backyard breeders, and even some so-called 'professional' breeders are just as guilty of these disgusting practices as larger operations.  In the worst cases, bitches are often constantly pregnant, and live in squalid, overcrowded conditions with minimal human interaction.

Anybody who buys these animals - even though they may believe they are 'rescuing' or 'saving' them, are only encouraging the situation to continue.

The reality is that Pet Stores are businesses, and where there is a demand, they will source from where they can to meet it.

Irresponsibly bred or mass produced animals are rarely screened for genetic diseases, nor are their temperaments and general health taken into account.  The puppies then suffer from reduced genetic capacity, which makes them far more susceptible to disease, unstable temperaments and physical deformity.

I feel very strongly that the public must demand more stringent regulations in regard to the breeding of not only dogs, but of all animals, especially in regard to the sale of animals.  For this to happen, responsible breeders, animal welfare and retail operations need to cooperate!

Yes, this is in-your-face and partially incomplete, but I'm sure you get my drift!

Visit the Close Puppy Factories RSPCA Website: http://www.closepuppyfactories.org/

...and I have little of general interest to post about!!

But I'll try.

Blog Stuff

I've had a fiddle with the blog and fixed the template, removed some stuff, and added some new bits.

Not a new feature, but over on the right side of the page (>>>>>>>>>>>>), there's a big box for my Twitter feed.  I've started posting there again, in a micro-blogging style, so anything that goes on in my world will be seen there first, and blogged about later if it's noteworthy or has photos.

I also had a play around with my Youtube Channel Page, so if you're bored and want to know a little more about the things that interest me, having a look at my Playlists, Likes and Recent Activity on Youtube is a good place to start.

Also re-added the list of 'Blogs I Read' down the left side of the page.  Only the most recently active ones are shown, but oyu can see them all by clicking 'Show All'.

I'm never sure what direction to send this blog in, so if you have any suggestions, comments or criticisms, please feel free to let me know!

Animal Studies

I finally had a change to catch up with my Animal Studies teacher yesterday, and got together all the bits and pieces I still needed to be able to complete the remaining assignments for the course.  I have it all now, so it's just a matter of finding some down-time to get it all done!!  Hopefully I can knock it out sooner rather that later, giving me more free time as the weather improves and the daylight hours grow longer to spend time with my animals!

A long time between posts again, but I've been busy - I promise!!

Since my last post:

• More riding lessons
• Pilates and Rider Wellbeing
• Got my Own Horse!
• Teaching my Beginners Group
• BIG Trail Ride!
• Trip to Hobart
• Work, Work, Work...

Horse Stuff

The lovely Andrea from Southern Tas Pilates made a trip to the North of the state in July, and I was lucky enough to get a spot in both the Pilates Mat Class and the Rider Wellbeing Class.  I learned a few things I didn't know about my body, and some techniques to deal with everyday 'problems'.  I also learned a lot about my posture and riding position, and the change in the ease of riding was almost instant!!

Later that weekend, I took a trip with Merry to visit a lovely old Thoroughbred named Gypsy.  Despite the freezing, howling wind, my tired, nervous body, and the slippery ground, she walked slowly around the roundyard with me on her bare back, in nothing but a rope halter.  From those first few moments, I know she and I would become friends.  So, the next day, Merry and I drove out with the float to pick Gypsy up, who called to me as I walked to her paddock to take her away from her friends and her son.

And so begins the story of Gypsy and I!  It's been almost a month now, and we have had a couple of short rides together, and are developing a great understanding.  She is kind, gentle and willing, and I know we will have a lot of fun together.

One of my new workmates - Amelia - is also a Horsey person, and was kind enough to invite me to the Tasmanian High Country Rider's Assoc. ride at Kimberley last month.  I rode her lovely 23-year-old boy Bundy and had a hell of a lot of fun!  Some of the downhill sections scared the pants off me, and I was sure I was coming off more than once.  But I didn't!!  Can't wait to do it again sometime.
Work

Well, I'm still there!!  Not much more to say aside from I am lucky to be working with a great group of thoughtful and supportive staff.  I'm still enjoying it, and leave every work-day with a smile.  It makes me laugh, makes me cry, but most of all it makes me feel whole.

Road Trip!

Had a bit of a trip to Hobart last weekend to catch up with friends and family, especially Emma & Charles Gregory and their spawn(!) to celebrate the impending birth of their third child!

One of the things attendees to the 'Blessingway' were asked to do was to knit or crochet a square to be added into a blanket for the baby.  I haven't knitted in years as it hurts my wrists, and have never learned to crochet, so that's what I did this week!  After only a few attempts, I managed to create a pretty square-ish looking patch to become part of the babys blanket.  Proud of myself!

I also managed to do a bit of shopping while down there.  But only a tiny bit, I promise!

Dogs

I'm still teaching my beginners group at training - only one more lesson next weekend, then the following week is their assesment!!  I'm really proud of the progress they have all made, and while I would like to think that it is due to my guidance, I would be more realistic to attribute it to each person and family's dedication to their dog.

Well, enough rambling for now... I'll try and write again soon!!

It's been so long since my last post, but as usual, I have a great excuse.

Since I last posted:

• School holidays
• Several riding lessons
• Lovely trail ride
• Back to school
• Started instructing at TDTC
• Two snow trips
• Three days of work experience at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic
• Started my new job at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic!
• Made plans for next years studies

Exciting huh?!

Horses

I've had some lovely lessons with Nan Catmur out at Longford, although this has been difficult due to the amount of rainfall lately.  I had been waiting to post about my riding experiences until I had a decent photo of me riding, but it seems that every photo of me atop a horse is accompanied by an idiotic grin because I'm having so much fun!  So here it is anyway.

I've also been lucky enough to do some work with with Merry and her lovely herd, including going on a breathtaking trail ride with her mares Eclipse and Kissaya.

Also been looking after my friend Lara's lovely horse Onyx when they have been away, and exercising him as often as I can get out there to help build his muscle tone back up.  He is a handsome and patient boy, but very cheeky!

Work & School

I started out doing just one day a week work experience for my Animal Studies Certificate II course at Mowbray Veterinary Clinic, where my family's animals have been patients for the last twenty-odd years.  Luckily for me, they were hoping to put on a new staff member, and I was asked to start!  My first day of paid work as a Vet Nurse was on the 10th of June, and I have enjoyed (almost) every moment of it.  When working with animals and people, you have to deal with some hard times, and support clients as best you can with some pretty difficult decisions.  The work is exciting, sad, happy, eye-opening and fulfilling all at once, and I finally feel like I have come home - this is what I am meant to do.

So much so that next year I plan on beginning Certificate IV in Veterinary Nursing, with the view to going on to a Diploma of Veterinary Nursing once the Cert IV is completed.  Several of the units in my course this year will count towards my Level 4 Certification, as will many of the units I plan on taking at Polytechnic next year in either Animal Studies or Animal Management (once they decide which they are running!!).  I am ridiculously excited, and finally truly optimistic about the future.

I also have another job prospect, as a Demonstrator for a national pet food company, but more on that at a later date!

Gone to the dogs...

I have also recently started instructing with my Dog Obedience club, and am looking forward to taking my own obedience class next weekend!  As you all know, I am quite passionate about animals, behaviour and training are two of my favourite areas.

Snow Everywhere!

We've had some big, early dumps of snow in Tasmania this year, and we wasted no time in getting out amongst it!  On the 9th of June, we bundled the dogs into the car, and took to the roads in search of snow.  We didn't have to go far, and couldn't have gone further if we had tried, but managed to get to the picnic area on Mount Barrow and play in about a foot of snow and slush!  Also took a drive along the Sideling to see the snow there - absolutely mind blowing!!  We followed that up with another snow trip - to the Central Highlands this time, on Sunday the 12th June.  We took along extra's - Buffy and Naomi - for Buff's first snow trip!

Unfortunately, I forgot to take any photos the first trip, and the video camera was flat for the second one!  Although with that promising start, I'm sure there will be plenty more snow trips this year!

All the best for now, and thanks for reading!

Who knew that going back to school would change my days so much!

I may only be going two days a week, but I think it has really been the boost I've needed to become much more motivated and enthusiastic about everyday life.

Simple daily housework tasks that I struggled with even a few months ago are now much easier to stomach, I'm getting caught up with things I've been needing to do for months and years (but never had the time or inclination to do!), and I've had so much more time and a little more energy to focus on my real passion - animals!

Being on such a ride brings its lows too, and I have had some interesting extremes of self-confidence and energy, offset with anxiety and depression, which has really floored me.

I'm hoping that this is just my body and minds' way of adjusting to a new direction in life, and maybe a bit of seasonal depression rearing its' ugly head. Either way, I'm pressing on, because I'm enjoying myself!

Family
There have also been some changes in my family life. Around my Birthday, my Nan's health was sufficiently deteriorated to the point where she required hospitalisation for pain management, which later led to her moving into an aged care facility. It was not an unhappy move, and she is really loving the new experience, but it was a stressful time as far as paperwork and moving things went. It was also difficult for my Mum, who resides South of Hobart and spent many days here in Launceston organising my Nan's move and finalising things at her unit.

Another change has been my Sister in Law, Niece and Newphews moving away. It has been a verystressful and sad time, and I hope it has a happy ending, but I will leave it at that for now.


Going to the... Horses?

RSPCA Cattery

I am now well into my Animal Studies course, and really enjoying it. The material is more in-depth than I had expected, which really pleases me. At the moment we're working on Nutrition, and I will soon be starting my first work placement!

We've had some fantastic guest speakers from a pretty wide range of animal industries, and I can only hope we get to learn from many more interesting professionals over the coming months. Good outings too!

I have also spread my tentacles(?) into another area of animals that has always interested me, but that I've not had much of an oppourtunity to do anything in: Horses!

I've been on a few semi-instructed trail rides in the past, and always enjoyed them. I went on another a couple of weeks ago with Lara and Emily (thanks Janet!)

So, I have taken the plunge, and had my first formal one-on-one riding lesson today! Janet and Lara have also been kind enough to allow me to help out with their stunning Thoroughbred Onyx at event days, and I look forward to getting some more strapping experience in the future.

As some of you already know, I took the plunge this year and finally went back to school to follow my true passion: the world of animals.

I am currently enrolled at Tasmanian Polytechnic, doing Animal Studies Certificate II.  During the course I'll have the opportunity to do work placements at different locations, and hopefully gain a new wealth of knowledge and experiences.

Yesterday, we had our very first excursion!  Tasmania Zoo were kind enough to host us for the day.

Edit:  Yesterday, Tasmania Zoo officially opened one of their new Devil enclosures.

Although I've been to Tas Zoo before, I haven't been recently, and it was lovely to see all the new exhibits, meet the new animals, and see some old favorites.

More on the course in upcoming posts... For now, here are some of my favorite shots from the day.

Things have been a little crazy around here the last couple of weeks!!

First to the sad part - Broc's Grandmother passed away earlier in the week.  Although it was not unexpected as she has been unwell for quite some time, there has still been a profound sense of loss in the house.  His Mum is taking it pretty hard, and we share in her grief while we help to support her through this process.

My Nan has also been unwell, which has been a little stressful, although it's nothing serious -  Just another stage of growing old!

Last but not least, I went back to school for the first time since I finished College!  I'm super excited, but it was a little daunting at first.  Now I'm just busting to get into the real work!  No prizes for guessing the subject matter... Yep, Animal Studies!  More on that later on.

Anyway, I really wanted to share this recipe with you!  No pictures, as I really suck at remembering to do that, but just make it for yourself and you can drool over your own real life specimen!  Goes great with soup or stew, and would go awesomely with a hearty curry aswell!


Ingredients

• 1 Cup Plain Flour * See Note 1
• 3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 Cup Sugar * See Note 2
• 350mL Beer (most of a stubby, drink the remainder!)
• 1/4 Cup Butter

Directions

1.  Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F) and grease a loaf pan.
2. Sift Flour & Baking Powder well, and mix in other dry ingredients.
3. Mix in Beer - lots of froth happens so be careful!
4. Pour into loaf pan, and then pour the melted butter over the mixture.
5. Bake for 1 hour - the first time you make this, put a flat pan under your loaf tin incase there are any drips!
6. Remove from pan and cool for 15 mins before consuming.

Note 1:  A mix of Plain and Wholemeal flour can be used.  I used 1/3 C Wholemeal and 2/3 C Plain, and added a little extra beer (so I used a whole 375 mL stubby) so it wouldn't dry out.  You could also mix some melted butter in the batter.

Note 2: I found that the 1/4 C Sugar makes the bread almost sweet, but this would change depending on what type of beer you use.  Experiment!!

The original recipe can be found Here.

Edit: While this recipe is FANTASTIC fresh out of the oven, it's hardly even worth eating once cooled.

This Saturday, the 12th of February, is my 27th Birthday.  A little scary to be honest!  Well past the quarter-century mark, and only 3 more years until I turn 30.

Aside from being a great reason to share great food and wine with friends - not that I'm generally hard-pressed to find an excuse to do that anyway! - I find Birthdays a poignant time to selfishly reflect myself over the past year.  What have I done?  What didn't I do that I wanted to do?  What really sucked?  What am I looking forward to in my next year of life?

Over the past 12 months, I have made some pretty important decisions regarding my physical and mental/emotional health:

I resigned from my job, as it was just too physically, mentally and emotionally draining to continue with - a decision I probably should have made some time ago.
I decided not to pursue more work for the time-being.
I'm really enjoying being able to do housework at my leisure, bake and cook, and exercise without worrying about being too tired out to go to work.
Cutting down on junk food.  I'm only likely to have maybe one glass soft-drink a week!  I've cut down on coffee, down to around 2 cups a day!  In the last few months, I've also been handling my comfort eating a little better.
I decided early last year to go back to school.  Today I submitted my application and sat an interview for a course due to start next week.  I am so excited!
I'm spending more time outdoors and really loving it.  Walking and gardening really relax me, sometimes I'll just sit outside in the garden and dig for the hell of it.
Trying to make our lives more sustainable, by recycling more, growing some of our own produce, and sharing it with friends.  We now have Solar panels installed that feed back into the power grid, and we have drastically changed our power usage in the home for the better.
I'm training dogs again which is something I've always loved doing.  I've missed Obedience Club over the last several years, and it's really nice to get into it again.
I'm reading more books which I had all but stopped doing for a few years.  I've been managing to average one a month, and hope to ramp it up this year!
Spending more time with friends is one of the bigger positive changes.  I'm always happier when I can share my experiences with friends, and I've got some really positive and supportive people around me now.

But it's not all good.  There's a lot of things I wish I had done, or had done differently over the last year.  I've thought about those too, but I won't share them right now.

For now, I'm looking at the positives.  This year I'll be expanding on all the positive points above, because they all make me feel better about Me (I said this was a time for selfish reflection, right?!)!  But they're also positive for those around me; sharing experiences, happy times, and personal growth.

Most of those close to us know that, for the last couple of years at least, having children has been frequently in our thoughts.

I have suffered with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome since my early teens, and although I manage my symptoms fairly well, I do have flare-ups from time to time.  Most days, I appear to be a normal, healthy, 26-year-old woman.  Other days, I can be irritable, physically exhausted to the point of not being able to drag myself from bed, anxious and jumpy, mentally exhausted and unable to concentrate on the simplest of tasks or hold a conversation - or any combination of the above, just to name a few!  My symptoms are exacerbated by - among other things - stress and physical exertion, so the thought of what being pregnant, and then taking care of a baby would do to my health terrifies me!

We feel very strongly about not having children until we can provide the best life possible for them - otherwise we would have had them years ago, I'm sure!

There is still little known about the effect of pregnancy on sufferers of CFS.  What is known for certain, is that I would have to stop taking my medication.  I currently take an anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication to help even out those symptoms, as they also help to exacerbate the physical side of the illness.  Although I am confident that I would be able to cope without them these days - under normal circumstances at least - I do not know how the hormones, and physical and emotional stresses of pregnancy would affect me mentally.  I have come to terms with the fact that there is a very high probability that I will suffer from Post-Natal Depression.

Friends assure me that we will cope - and yes, we have a fantastic support network of friends and family, but none of them suffer from Chronic Fatigue, so it's hard for them to think of the situation the way that I do, and I can't help but be scared.

I have been searching for the experiences of others in my position who have taken the plunge, and found a fantastic article on a blog.  A quote:

Here’s the thing, I am going to be sick whether I have kids or not......The thing is, the amount of joy we get from our kids WAY outweighs any hardship.

Reading the entire article, I feel much more at ease.

What do you think?  Especially to those who suffer from a chronic illness, how do you cope day-to-day taking care of your child/children?

I look forward to reading your responses!

Edit: PS: When you go and look at the linked article, make sure you check out the rest of the blog!  Some great reads there.

 As the title suggests, we've had a busy couple of weeks, and I've been a little quiet on the posting front!

We've had our lovely Niece Brittany and our cheeky Nephew Braedyn staying here a couple of days a week, and between having fun with them, housework, baking and catching up on other stuff, I've had very little time to sit at the PC let alone post!

But I have been up to a few interesting things that I will share with you...

First of all, Broc, Brittany and I took a trip out to the lovely Liffey Falls Reserve, staring in awe along the way at all the destruction and mayhem the recent flash flooding had caused, especially to the road surfaces and bridges...

We did the return walk from the main carpark to the bottom of the falls.  Always stunning!



 On the return drive via. Deloraine, we were lucky enough to spot a little Echidna foraging around on the roadside, so we stopped to introduce ourselves.

These made a lovely addition to Gift Bags for friends and family with hairy 4-legged members!

I think this recipe still needs a little more work, but Harry and Abby insist it's good enough to post as is!

Harry Supervises

Ingredients
1 Cup Rolled Oats
1 Cup Plain Wholemeal Flour
1/2 Cup Plain Flour
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda (Bicarb)
3 Tablespoons Natural Sugar-Free Yogurt
1/3 Cup Olive Oil
1/4 Cup Water
1/4 Cup Flavorings (See Note)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 150°C
2. Combine the Oats, Flours, Salt and Baking Soda in a bowl.
3. Add in the wet ingredients, and mix well.
4. Mix through the flavorings.  For a more decorative effect, reserve some to press into the tops of the cookies.
5. Knead dough with a little extra Plain Flour until well combined, then roll out to about 8mm thick (just under 1cm).
6. Cut into whatever shapes you like!  I used a dog-bone shape, and some smaller Star and Heart shapes for smaller doggies.
7. Bake on a cookie sheet for approx. 30 minutes, or until firm.  If they are starting to get a bit too golden on the bottom, turn them over.
8. Cool on racks away from hungry noses!

Note
Flavorings can be any dog-safe treat that will keep without refrigeration.
Examples:
Sugar-Free Yogurt or Carob Drops, Dried Liver, Dried Chicken/Beef/Lamb Jerky, Commercial Dog Treats (Schmacko's etc).  Chop them up roughly into small pieces!

These were a huge hit with all recipients!

Recipe courtesy of The Australian Women's Weekly: Macaroons & Biscuits Cookbok!

Ingredients

• 125g unsalted butter, softened
• 110g firmly packed dark brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 375g plain flour
• 1tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 3tsp ground ginger
• 175g golden syrup

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 180C. Line baking tray with baking paper.

2. Beat butter, sugar and egg yolk in small bowl with electric mixer until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and stir in sifted dry ingredients and syrup in two batches.
   

3. Knead dough gently on floured surface until smooth. Roll dough between sheets of baking paper to 5mm thickness (it may be easier to divide the the dough into halves) Proceed to cut dough into desired shaped and bake about 10 minutes. Cool on trays.

I decorated the cookies with assorted colors of Royal Icing.  I substituted the Lemon Juice in the recipe below with Vanilla Extract, and it was YUMMY.  Note: Do not eat too much Royal Icing...

Ingredients

1 egg white
240g pure icing sugar
4 drops lemon juice
food colouring

Directions

Beat egg in small bowl with electric mixer, gradually beat in sifted icing sugar. When mixture reaches piping consistency beat in juice(/essence). Divide and Colour icing as you desire.

More from my afternoon of baking with Anita!

Neither of us had made Biscotti before, so we weren't quite sure how it would turn out.  And true to form, I changed the recipe to suit myself before we had even started!!

Here's the Original Recipe, and my adaptation is as follows:

Ingredients

• 2 1/3 cups plain flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup sliced almonds
• 1 cup fresh cranberries, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

We followed the rest of the directions as per the original recipe:

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325ºF.
2. Combine dry ingredients in a medium mixing bowl.
3. Beat eggs, egg whites, and vanilla in a separate bowl until frothy.
4. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, mixing just until moist, using an electric mixer on medium speed.

The batter was so thick!!  I thought we were going to blow up the mixer!

5. Add almonds and cranberries; mix thoroughly.
6. On a floured surface, divide batter in half and pat each half into a log about 14 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide.
7. Place on a cookie sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes.
8. Cool on wire rack.
9. Reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.
10. Cut biscotti into 1/2 inch slices. Stand upright on cookie sheet and bake another 20 minutes.

I think the most important part of making a good Biscotti is to let it cool well, and store it somewhere airy to keep it crunchy - almost letting it go stale-ish.  It was deliciously sweet, and I'll be making this again soon to eat all myself!!

These looked fantastic lined up in cellophane bags, tied with curling ribbon!