• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 cups white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 3 egg, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon almond extract

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a baking sheet.
2. In a large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, almonds, and orange zest. Make a well in the center and add the eggs oil, and almond extract. Stir or mix by hand until the mixture forms a ball.
3. Separate dough into 2 pieces and roll each one into a log about 8 inches long. Place logs on prepared baking sheet and flatten so they are about 3/4 inch thick. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool slightly, and remove from baking sheets. Slice diagonally into 1/2 inch slices with a serrated knife. Set cookies on side back onto the cookie sheet and bake for 10 to 15 more minutes, turning over after half of the time. Finished cookies should be hard and crunchy.

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 cups white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup blanched slivered almonds

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the almonds; mix well with a spoon. Stir in the almonds until well blended; the dough will be thick and sticky.
3. Place half of the dough on a 10 x 15 inch rimmed cookie sheet that has been coated with nonstick baking spray. Form a slightly rounded 4 x 12 inch loaf that is about 3/4 inch thick. Repeat with the remaining dough on a second cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Remove from the oven and reduce the temperature to 325 degrees F (170 degrees C). Allow the loaves to cool for 20 to 25 minutes, then cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Lay the slices cut side down on the cookie sheets and bake for 15 more minutes. Turn the cookies over and bake another 15 minutes or until very crisp. Allow to cool, then store in an airtight container. Will keep several weeks.

Cappuccino Flats

2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate
2 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 T. instant coffee crystals
1 T. water
1 egg
1 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
3 T. shortening

In pan, heat chocolate till melted meantime mix together flour, cinnamon and salt. Mix 1/2 cup shortening and butter till softened. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Stir coffee crystals into water till dissolved. Add coffee, melted chocolate and egg to butter mixture and beat well. Add flour mixture and beat well. Cover and chill about 1 hour. Shape into two 7 in. rolls, wrap and chill for at least 6 hours or overnight. Cut into 1/4" slices. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until edges are firm and lightly brown. Remove and cool. Melt chocolate chips and 3 T. shortening. Dip one half of each cookie in the melted chocolate. Place on waxed paper to cool till chocolate is set. Makes about 55.
Here's my dough ready to be cut and baked later. Maybe today!

It's all things cookies this week at our house. Tuesday Shane, Arel and Liam headed up into the mountains with our partners to visit our Quechua friends for the day. While they were gone Dane and I made cookie dough while Heidi played. We also managed to clean the bathrooms and do a mountain of laundry. And when our feet were too tired to stand Dane showed me how to make a character on his favorite computer game right now. He was a big help not only with the cookie making and housework but he also entertained Heidi and even got her to sleep at one point! We even managed to fit in some time with the Easy Grammar book. Dane has finished the first section on verbs and about 6-8 pages of review!
A nice quiet and yet productive day at home while the rest were off visiting and getting dirty on the dusty mountain roads.
They had to stop part way up the mountain because of road construction. They are chipping away part of the old road (above) to make a wider less steep road (below). They had the road completely blocked but they only had to wait about 40 minutes before they had cleared all this away with the little bulldozer.

Arel made the comment to Shane that he had never seen a bulldozer at work before. This was a little guy but just the right size for working in the tight spaces on the narrow road. I wonder if they'll eventually make the road wider all the way up the mountain. That would be nice! Did I mention it's very narrow!

They got to eat lunch with our Quechua friends who have a sweet little fat baby. His mom made them a  spicy guinea pig dish with rice and potatoes on the side. And apparently sweet hot tea which Liam really enjoyed and couldn't stop telling me about.   And the kids in the village all have a name for Liam. "Mashwa" which is a kind of little sweet potato that grows up in the mountains. Yesterday a friend of our told us it was probably because Liam was wearing his camoflage jacket. They Mashwa plant looks like that. And I guess they are calling Heidi "Heidi waita". Waita means flower.

On the way down the mountain they saw this Mama and baby in a field. So sweet.

We look forward to going back up as a family very soon!
Off to bake cookies now! Have a great day!