White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened

• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts

• 1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 


In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then stir in the vanilla and almond extracts. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Mix in the macadamia nuts and white chocolate. Drop dough by teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. 

Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown. Serve and enjoy!

Pin It Now!

The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Sandwich

Championship Chicken Sandwich
ESPN Club
Disney's Boardwalk Inn
Orlando, FL

So if I just tell you what is in this sandwich, you will definitely think it is very boring.  But trust me I have dreams about this it was so good!  It is a grilled piece of chicken breast on rosemary focaccia with sun-dried tomato pesto, goat cheese, and arugula.  The chicken breast has some kind of herbs on it like time and rosemary and it perfectly grilled.  I can't even begin to tell you how juicy it was.  It was juicier than any piece of fried chicken I have ever had, yet it was grilled! It was perfectly tender and delicious.  The bread really made this sandwich special because it was lightly toasted and still soft in the middle.  It had the perfect balance of filling to bread and the rosemary wasn't overpowering in the focaccia.  The sun-dried tomato pesto was slathered all over the bread and added a creamy texture that was amazing against the crispness of the bread.  It also added another layer of flavor the the chicken breast.  The arugula was also perfect because it was crispy and peppery, while also lightening up this sandwich.  My favorite part was the smear of goat cheese on top of the chicken.  It was perfectly tangy and creamy and was my favorite part of this sandwich.  You have a choice between cucumber salad and french fries (I obviously got the fries).  I ordered mine extra crispy and they were some of the best fries I ever tasted.  Tender inside, hot, salty, and crispy on the outside.

I know this sandwich's ingredients sounds boring, but trust me you will never taste anything like it!

Pin It Now!

The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Pasta

Gnocchi with Pesto and Roasted Vegetables
Mama Melrose's Ristorante Italiano
Disney's Hollywood Studios
Orlando, FL

Gnocchi has always been one of my favorite pasta dishes because it is made with my favorite ingredient, potatoes, and I absolutely love pesto cause of its strong flavor.  So when I saw this I knew I had to get it! The roasted vegetables I thought would be a little weird, but they were honestly the best part of this dish!

The gnocchi are like little pillows sitting in your dish. Light, airy, and incredibly flavorful.  They are perfectly salted and creamy inside.  The pesto sauce was one of the best I have ever tasted.  It was such a bright green color and wasn't too garlicky.  You could taste every bit of fresh basil put in and the high grade olive oil used. The perfect amount of sauce was used so it wasn't swimming in a pool of sauce.  Now to the vegetables.  It came with plump mushrooms, broccolini, roasted eggplant, and cherry tomatoes.  The mushrooms were probably my favorite because they were so meaty and tender.  The broccolini was perfectly cooked and added an extra layer of flavor to the entire dish.  I usually am not a fan of eggplant, but this eggplant was amazing.  It had a sort of nutty, roasted flavor that I have never tasted before.  Since I hate tomatoes, I was not willing to give them a try, but they looked beautiful!

This dish was everything you could want in a pasta dish and more!

Pin It Now!

The Best Thing I Ever Ate: Meat

Braised Lamb Shank with Potato Gateau
The Wave
Disney's Contemporary Resort
Orlando, FL

If you are in Disney World and are looking for a more upscale restaurant without being too fancy, this is definitely the way to go! Everything that is cooked is completely fresh and homemade.  There is hardly any deep frying and definitely no microwaving in this restaurant.  All ingredients are seasonal and some even come from Disney World's own gardens.  Because of this the menu always changes, but it is always fantastic.

Let me get down to the meat though.  When I saw this lamb shank come to my table I felt like a caveman!  It is enormous, I think it may be 14 ounces.  The waiter said it was slow cooked for 9 hours and you can absolutely tell.  I didn't need a knife at all, only a fork to pull away the tender meat from the bone.  The sauce is absolutely delicious because it tastes like its been cooking in meet juices for days! Then the side dish of the potato gateau is one of the best thing I ever ate.  It is tender potatoes mixed with a cream cheese sauce using tangy goat cheese and baked until crispy.  The tanginess of the goat cheese really cuts through the big meaty flavor of the lamb.  If you are in Disney, definitely try this restaurant!!!

Pin It Now!