A former Senator, Biscotti and Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

Good evening all! Right away, look who I got a photo with!!




Senator Hagel and I.

Senator Hagel is a visting lecturer at UNO, and comes every few months to discuss politics, community service and education. I am not ashamed to say I really admire Hagel and have always enjoyed his speeches. He spoke for an hour and a half and I was able to sneak in and get this picture with him!
Today was one of those days where you just want to curl in a ball at your best friend's house, drink coffee and bake. Jean made chocolate orange and cranberry almond biscotti from scratch. I was the official "time keeper quality control" helper :) They were AMAZING.

They were light, fluffy, perfect delicious. I would share the recipe, but Jean is very protective of her baked goods, and quite rightly. We also had americanos with italian espresso...so delicious! My meals up until this point were pretty solidly sweet; a piece of my banana bread for breakfast, a croissant with Nutella for a snack, and a few tiny pieces of biscotti. I was eager for something savory for dinner. And I scored big time with a delicious Sweet Potato and Coconut Milk soup, the recipe for which I will put in my "Food" section.

It was pretty righteous. I got to try it out on my in-laws, who stopped by to admire Jason's poker table. It was creamy, rich and nutty. I also left the skins on all the potatoes for an extra bit of texture and nutrients. Accompanying the soup was sauteed zucchini, corn and garlic with olive oil, pepper and sea salt. I ate them all myself! :) It was a perfect meal for chilly day.