Dark Chocolate and Mint Chip cookies :)

Thinking about a last minute cookie recipe to make for Santa? Forget someone to give a gift to? How about making these amazing dark chocolate and mint chip cookies? I just made 4 dozen of these cookies and they are amazing. To me, they taste just like thin mint cookies from the Girl Scouts. Without further delay, here is the recipe!

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups unsweetened baking cocoa
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 2/3 cups (10-oz package) Nestle Toll House Dark Chocolate and Mint Morsels

Heat oven to 325*F

Combine flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels. Drop by well-rounded tablespoons onto ungreased baking sheets.

Bake for 11 to 13 minutes or until cookies are puffed and centers are set. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

For this recipe I liked my baking sheet with tin foil to avoid sticking and a mess. These are delish! You can buy the morsels at Target but hurry! I believe they are a limited holiday edition. If you can't find them, try substituting crushed Andies mints.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Christmas is near!

A bit about me:


Eggnog or hot chocolate? Both! Eggnog is probably first, considering you can't really get it at any time of the year


Does Santa wrap the presents or leave them open under the tree? Santa ALWAYS wraps presents :) usually with bright pink wrapping paper :D


Colored lights on a tree or white? Right now I have white lights on my tree but I'm not apposed to colored lights, which I have hanging everywhere else. 


Do you hang mistletoe? No, I never have but I'd like to. Most people thing of Holly when they are actually thinking of mistletoe 


What is your favorite holiday dish? I would have to say anything on Thanksgiving but I think that we are talking about Christmas here so probably cinnamon rolls which we usually have on Christmas morning, then the ham. Oh yummy ham. 


Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Sometimes, it depends if my family is working on Christmas day or not. My mom is from Germany and it's traditional to open gifts on Christmas Eve night. And then of course sometimes I bug my parents so much that they give in and we dive in :)


How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I live in a small apartment so I have a mini 3 foot Christmas tree that is pink with white lights, silver tinsel, red, purples and silver ornaments and also small white snow-ball looking ornaments and silver ribbon. Still searching for a tree topper! 

Snow: love it or hate it? I have a serious love/hate relationship with snow. I love when it falls and everything is white and glittery, but then when I go outside and spend 15 minutes digging my car out of a foot of snow I really start to hate it. Can you blame me?


What is your favorite holiday dessert? German gingerbread :)


What is your favorite holiday tradition? Spending Christmas with my parents and usually going to my Uncles for Christmas brunch, seeing him and my aunt and my little cousins 


Candy canes: yum or yuck? Yum! Though I haven't had a single one this year! :(


Favorite Christmas show? I don't have a favorite SHOW but A Christmas Story is my all time favorite Christmas movie. I've seen it twice already this season and it is playing 24 hrs on Christmas Eve!


What is everyone doing for Christmas?
XOXO

Product Review

Hello all! I said I'd be back so here is another blog, this time reviewing a product that I am excited to share. I just had a birthday 2 weeks ago and my boyfriend bought me Benefit Cosmetics' "She Laq" makeup sealer :) I have hooded eyes and couldn't wear eyeliner on my top lids near the lash line. It would always smudge off onto my upper eyelid and form like a mirror image of the liner on the lashes. This makeup sealer was stating that it would seal liner, shadow, blush, lipstick, you name it and it comes with different brushes for different things. When I got it at first I wasn't too sure. It looked like a bottle of nail polish top coat and smelled almost like it too. But after trying it out, I have to say that I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! It does exactly what it says and I am so excited to finally be able to wear eyeliner! I have used it almost every day without any reaction whatsoever and I do not have any bad things to say about it at all. I have so far tried it with gel liner, pencil liner and the almost creamy liners like the ones from Urban Decay that I really love. The product is around $30 and you can get it at Sephora. It is worth the money in my opinion and it seems like it will last a long time :)

Enjoy!

I can breathe again!

I AM SO SORRY that I have left you all high and dry lately! The past 2 weeks have been insane. I had tests and papers and everything else out there to do. Just a quick update in case anyone is interested. I got a new car :) I used the money the insurance gave me from my accident and then my parents paid the rest. I am so grateful to them! The car isn't my dream car but it is a great car none-the-less. And it is great to have something different to drive, ya know? But then as soon as I got it my tire went flat and it turned out that there was a nail in the tire when i bought it, the whole tire had to be replaced. figures! Then yesterday my classes FINALLY ended for the semester. It felt like a super long semester! Turns out that I only have a few more classes left until I get to graduate :) And my boyfriend just got accepted to an awesome medical internship at a great hospital. I'm so proud of him! My parents just got a puppy yesterday, a little Chihuahua boy that we named Harley. He is a sweet heart. he's a great addition to our already 3 dog full family. he is 10.5 weeks old and is already practically paper trained. Also it was my birthday on the 10th, I turned 22 :) I got some great presents from my best friend (nail polish and makeup! Whoohoo!) and some pjs from my parents. My boyfriend got me makeup as well. Anywho, I just wanted to let everyone know that I didn't disappear and that I will be posting some fun stuff asap :) I hope everyone is well and that they are getting super pumped for Christmas!!

XOXO

Surrounding myself

I've been thinking about it and the best way I have found that I think is going to keep me on track to lose weight is to surround myself with weight loss and healthyness. I'm talking about using healthy cookbooks for cooking, reading nutrition books or success stories on my down time, watching The Biggest Loser, reading fitness magazines, etc etc. By doing this I will not only educate myself but I will also be constantly reminded of my task. Yep, thats my plan and I'm sticking too it. I'm still reading Jillian Michaels book but I'm short on time. I really want to join the gym again. I really liked the gym that I was in last year and I really took it for granted. It was literally a 5 minute or less drive from my apt and it was never crowded and I loved it. If I could have one wish it would be to have my membership back, even if it means driving 10 minutes a day or so to get to it. I wouldn't mind. Alas, I need money for that, so I guess I better work hard. But guess what my readers, I am now on my way out the door to go for a walk/run :)

XOXX

Recipe of the Week #3!

Hey there everyone! Sorry I'm late on the recipe of the week but, trust me, it will be worth it! For everyone who is looking for a great new taste that is packed with a ton of flavor, this Curried Beef dish for you. I have made it both with meat and vegetarian and both times I was not disappointed. As always I will first post the recipe and then the things that I have changed. Enjoy! Feedback is appreciated!

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 pound beef top round steak, cut into thin 3-inch strips
• 3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 cups sliced onions
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon beef bouillon granules
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1/2 cup tomato juice
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• Hot cooked noodles or rice

Directions

• In a large resealable bag, combine the flour, salt and pepper; add beef. Seal bag and shake to coat. In a large skillet, brown beef in 2 tablespoons oil; drain.
• Add the onions and remaining oil; saute until onions are golden brown. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Sprinkle with curry. Dissolve bouillon in boiling water; pour over beef and onions.
• Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender.
• Add tomato juice and paste; cook for 5 minutes or until heated through. Serve with noodles or rice. Yield: 4 servings.

The first time I made it I made it exactly as the recipe said to. And it was great. The 2nd time I made it I decided to try vegetarian, so I added cauliflower florets. So to make the cauliflower curry you follow the directions as specified but skip the entire step having anything to do with the meat. Put the florets into the saucepan BEFORE putting in the tomato paste/juice and put the lid on for about 6 minutes on until the cauliflower is tender. The first time I used egg noodles and the 2nd time I used brown rice. I prefer the egg noodles, use yolkless noodles for a healthier alternative, you can't taste the difference! 

Enjoy!!!

Thanksgiving

I, Pucciola, would like to know what my readers are thankful for this Thanksgiving. Many bad things happen in the span of a year. I've seen bad things happen to good people, good things happen to bad people, I've seen things fall apart and people get hurt. But in the end, there is always something to be thankful for. This is the time of year that I like to take a minute to stop and think about what is most important in my life.

I am thankful for:

- My family
- My friends
- My boyfriend
- My pets
- My health (what's left of it :P)
- My job
- Being able to go to a university and get an education
- To have a place to live
- Waking up every day
- many many other things

I am thankful every day that I am given, though I may go days of even weeks without thinking about how thankful I am or how fortunate I am to have certain things in my life.

What are you thankful for?

XOXO