A Treat For You!

You may or may not know that I was raised in a big Italian family. I grew up spending all my free time with my fraternal grandparents, both of whom emigrated from Italy as children through Ellis Island.

My Nana (Rose) was an amazing cook. Her gravy (Italian for meat sauce) was TO DIE FOR, as were many of her other classic recipes. Sadly, most of the recipes were never written down; she was more of a feel/look type of cook. My mom does make a few of her classics, and I’ve tried a few myself. Nothing will compare to watching my Nana cook a meal for 30 people….in her garage, on her antique stove. Yep, that’s where she did all her cooking and baking. In fact, she only used the stove & oven in the house to warm things.

One thing I have perfected (at least according to her son, my dad) is her homemade biscotti. Nothing fancy, but always perfect, each and every time.

As my Christmas treat to all of you, I’m happily sharing her recipe. They freeze great and although she never deviated from the recipe, I have once or twice. I’ve added cranberries, orange zest, and even dunked one end in chocolate. And I always, always, make sure to burn a batch for my dad. ;-)

NANA’S BISCOTTI

4 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

4 eggs

¾ cube butter, melted

1 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

½ cup butter flavored Crisco (melted)

2 cups (less or more as you desire) toasted chopped almonds