2010 Christmas Cookies

This year I made three new cookies for Christmas, two of which I think are total keepers and one that I don't like too much, but you can't win them all. I made some great Chocolate Mint and Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies, Cinnamon Spirals and Orange Cinnamon Biscotti dipped in Dark Chocolate. Yeah...delicious.

The Chocolate cookies are quite delicious. I made some last weekend to make them and get ideas, but I used regular milk chocolate chips, so this time I used Andes Creme de Menthe chips and dark chocolate chips (since I had some leftover from dipping the biscotti). They are mighty delicious and stay chewy when you store them in a plastic baggie rather than a plastic container, I found. And I love some chewy cookies! I found the main recipe here at Food.com and just changed the chips.

Chocolate Mint Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not a big crispy, hard cookie person, but I am intrigued by making biscotti cause they are pretty easy and kinda fun to make. For some reason when I think Christmas flavors I thought of orange and spice, so I went with an orange and cinnamon biscotti and then decided to doll them up and dip the sides of them in dark chocolate. The orange scent alone, even before taking a bite makes these biscotti delicious. Then you take a bite with the dark chocolate and the orange zest flavor and its a winner. I added some sliced almonds in the dough but I think I should have added more or used bigger pieces. These are really yummy cookies and great for Christmas with a mug of hot cocoa! I found the recipe here at Food.com

Orange Cinnamon Biscotti Dipped in Dark Chocolate

The last cookie I made....were a pain my butt! The dough is bland and crumbly and hard to roll out and then roll into spirals...I don't know. I was expecting a lot from these cookies I guess. A lot more flavor, a lot more easier and fun to make and they just made me a little sad and disappointed. I mean, they are alright but not my favorite. The dough is just butter, cream cheese, flour and salt...like I said. Bland. The only flavoring is in the cinnamon sugar filling, but I don't think it's enough. The cookies comes out almost like a shortbread but softer because of the cream cheese I think. They are ok. Try them if you like. They come out looking really cute though! I got the recipe from a friend on Facebook but you can find it here at Good Housekeeping also.

Cinnamon Spirals

So for this holiday season try out some new cookie recipes and you might be surprised what you can make and how delicious they can be!

Eat, Drink and Merry Christmas!

-BellaRosa

Cajun Chicken Smashed Sammies

My Hubsie worked from home today due to the nasty weather out, which is even more fun for me because then I get to make a fun lunch! I usually am just making interesting and fun dinners, but for lunch it's always just leftovers or a can of soup or something. So today I decided to make some chicken sandwiches and potato oven-fries. They were really delicious!!

Cajun Chicken Smashed Sammies

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
4 slices thick-cut sourdough bread
Cajun seasoning (I use Wild Tree Cajun Blend)
2 slices cheese, whatever you prefer
Mayo

Season the chicken with the cajun spice rub and let sit in refrigerator for at least 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a skillet with olive oil over med-high heat. Add chicken top-side down and let brown on that side. Flip chicken over and let brown for a couple minutes. Transfer skillet to oven and let cook for 15-20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and juices run clear. Transfer chicken to cutting board and let rest.

Heat another pan over med heat. Cut your thick bread slices and spread butter on one side of each slice. Spread mayo on the other side of 2 pieces. Cut up the chicken into large cubes and place on the bottom piece of bread, butter side out. Add your cheese, I used pepper jack on one sammie and cheddar on the other, and top with bread spread with mayo.

Place sandwich in skillet and place another heavy pan on top to smash it down. Once browned and crispy, flip sandwich over and smash again with the other skillet. Remove sandwich once brown on second side and serve hot!

So...there is this place Melt near us and normally its a 2 hour wait just to be seated and then another hour and a half or so before you even get your food...I think I can totally rival them with my sammiches! I mean, no, they are not Melt, but just as good and made fresh and I think less greasy. And I could have added another slice of cheese and they would have been even better and gooey.

Also, please excuse my photos, the ONE place in my apartment I get the best light and take all my pictures currently has our Christmas tree, so my photos won't be very good for a little bit. But please enjoy the recipes and ideas!

Eat, Drink and Be Merry!

-BellaRosa