Ricetta Riuscita!! (Recipe Success, more or less)

Italian biscotti-which are actually called Cantucci (kantuchi)- is one of those things I always loved, but NEVER thought I could make. They are actually so easy to make, if a little messy. And I'm happy to say that I was a little worried at first because the original dough was pretty sticky, but with the encouragement of my roommate (whose fantastically talented mother gave me the recipe) Success! Here's the recipe-all measurements are metric, one of the challenges of Italian cooking...

Almond Cantucci-
500 g Flour
350 g White Sugar
250 g Almonds
5 eggs
1 package yeast ( I used a solid yeast for bread, pizza and desserts, but I'm sure the powder would be fine)

Pre-heat oven to about 350°-375°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients together, it's better if you use your hands to get the egg and yeast mixed into the flour as well as possible. The dough will be very sticky, add small amounts of flour until the dough holds together enough to roll, it will be a bit like sugar cookie dough consistency.
Lightly flour a cookie sheet and flour a flat surface to roll on. You can roll the cantucci to whatever size you want, I like them bite sized. Once you've separated the dough and rolled them into long strips set them on the cookie sheet and press down very slightly. Put the dough in the oven until it begins to get firm. Remove the cookie sheet and cut diagonally into thumb width pieces and return to the oven until they are completely cooked (they will be golden brown on the under side. Cool the Cantucci on a piece of foil until they are completely cool (this will give them the crunchy texture, if you put them in containers before they are cool they will be a bit chewy.

This is the process I followed, as I only recieved written ingredient amounts and verbal instructions!! Good luck :)

I just know this post is going to make me feel old...

So, kids these days! In particular Italian teenagers...I just don't get them. The first thing you notice about Italian teenagers, at least in Rome, is that their clothes are absolutely ridiculous. They have found a way to intertwine 80s style with that of the early 90s, and to do it in such a way that the urge to hold a mirror in front of them and scream "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING???" is overwhelming. Let me paint you a picture...A boy of about sixteen, dirty blonde hair, cut to look like a cross between a mohawk and shag (it sounds weird, but it's the closest I can get, it's shaved on the sides and medium-short on top, standing straight up but not greasy or gelled stiff), unless it's covered by a baseball cap set very precisely on the back of the head so all you can see is the front. His pants are sweat pants, or jeans, they wear them pretty much the same way, baggy on the butt- you can usually read the brand and see the exact shape of their cheeks they are so far down- and tight rolled or hemmed so tight at the bottom it's a wonder they don't cut off the circulation at the ankles- if you're really lucky, you'll see a pair of jeans with rhinstones or some kind of design on them...it's a pretty awesome form of entertainment in and of itself, and untied sneakers on their feet. You sometimes pray they will trip over one so you can laugh. Anyway, the shirts are usually tight, no matter what the style, and short enough to show the elastic of the aforementioned underwear. On their face, they more often than not have some pair of god-awful, huge lensed sunglasses set a little too low on their nose, so they have to lean their head back slightly to get any use out of them whatsoever. This causes their walk to be more of a saunter or a swagger, greatly increased by the fact that they almost always have their hands in their pockets. I'm convinced that this move is in reality to keep their pants from falling all the way down :)
My favorite part of the picture, however hilarious it may be, is not actually their clothing, but the way they relate to each other, especially in a group. I'm rarely able to decipher exactly what they are saying in it's entirety, but it sounds much like I imagine a herd of apes would sound....."AHO...BELLO ZI'....OOO OOO, EEE EEE, AAARRRGH" (the last bit may be an exaggeration, but it's not too far off).
My question is this: do they honestly think this is attractive? I see them checking out girls, and the girls check them out too, and again all I can think is "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING????"