Christmas Biscotti

A Maryland man makes holiday baking a cherished tradition—especially by the lucky recipients on his Christmas list.

Gene Peters forgets he's not Italian. A first generation Polish-American, he married into a warm Italian family in 1951. Widowed in middle age, he found a second love and married into another warm Italian family.

Always a good cook, the now 86-year-old from Potomac, Md., started baking biscotti as a Christmas treat for family members. The more praise he got, the more he baked: for extended family, friends, and friends of friends, for baby showers, birthdays, hospital visits and the occasional memorial service. Gene's biscotti have graced the tables of CEOs and housekeepers; they've been served in church halls, college dorms and homeless shelters. We hope they find a place in your home too.

By Ann Cochran.