Hello there and happy Friday! Apologies for no recipe post this week. Like you, I’ve been busy preparing for Christmas, making cookies, attending holiday parties, and dealing with some scary and disappointing personal stuff, but hey! I’m still here, and still in love with life. I have you guys, and that’s pretty damn amazing. I’m grateful for YOU!
On that note, life can get tough sometimes, and it’s okay to be sad for a little bit. It’s imperative to recognize and accept that life won’t always be filled with chocolate and roses. Don’t keep your emotions bottled up, and don’t stuff them down into oblivion only to surface with a vengeance later on. Allow yourself the time to sit with whatever is going on in your life, feel those not-so-pleasant emotions, but don’t dwell on them too long! Make a plan to help you move on. What can you do to make it better? What can you change in your life right now to make things better? Focus your thoughts on all the positive things in your life, because they do exist. Writing a gratitude list really helps, and it’s a great habit to get into – it’s like positivity exercises for your brain! They will get you in the routine of focusing on the positive things in your life automatically when you’re faced with adversity.
On a lighter note, I visited Melissa’s Produce earlier this week for their Holiday Party, and a whole bunch of my blogger friends brought goodies! We’ll start today by feeding our brains with all these lovely goodies, and then get on with my internet finds for the week! This list is great if you’re stuck with what goodies to bake for your family for this holiday. Without further ado:
Delightful Christmas Cookies
Clementine Gingersnap Cheesecake Bars from The Jolly Tomato
Creamy, gingery, tart and sweet with that juicy pop of clementine; these were to DIE FOR!
Bittersweet Chocolate Date Nut Baklava by California Greek Girl
Super flaky, and bittersweet is a winning combination! I love desserts that aren’t sickeningly sweet, and have great texture. You can’t help but giggle when you bite into these. That phyllo dough is crunchy, papery goodness!
Christmas Gingerbread Bon-Bons by She Paused For Thought
Delightfully chewy and sweet!
Spiced Orange Caramels by My Imperfect Kitchen
These caramels were easily one of my favorites! The orange flavor was very prominent and the spicy, candied ginger complimented everything perfectly.
Cranberry Rosemary Pine Nut Shortbread by Shockingly Delicious
Another favorite of mine. I’m a forever fan of shortbread, and combining what would be savory herbs with something sweet. The pininess of the pine nuts are fantastic, and a sweet, tart burst from the cranberries is just what the Christmas Elves ordered!
I hope you enjoy these cookie recipes! I sure had a fun time sampling all of them. I also made some spicy cookies for this event, and the recipe will be up tomorrow, just in time to finish them before Christmas.
As promised, here are my links for the week:
Internet Finds For The Week
- Stone Brewing released their 2016 Beer Release Schedule today! Craft Beer Lovers, rejoice!
- Three Simple Steps to Making Money From Any Passion
- Magical Thinking Crystals For Beginners
- Leah from See Jane Drill explains the many uses for a tape measure you may not know!
- You’ve got to check out the 5 Love Languages for Couples. It provides a bunch of insight to what you expect out of a relationship!
- How to survive your first pint of Guinness (in Ireland).
- How Drinking Alcohol Affects Your Exercise Sessions
- Our Addiction To Technology Is Taking Over Our Lives
- A guide on how to best use your herbs in your cooking.
*Thanks Justin!
Merry Merry Love To You,
I am grateful for friends like you! Merry Christmas Natalie. Looking forward to a wonderful 2016.
Very grateful for you too Cathy! My very first food blogger friend, and loyal reader! Merry Christmas to you too. Cheers to a prosperous 2016!
Taking your advice…am writing a gratitude list. I loved your tiny little spicy-frosting cookies! I am a huge fan of little cookies, and yours were not only cute, but the surprising kick in the frosting was great. Lovely to see you at the party!
Thank you so much Dorothy! Yes, the gratitude list definitely helps me remember that I don’t really have it so bad. 🙂 Glad you liked the little cookies! <3
Nice post Natalie. Loved the surprise heat in your cookies.
Natalie, nice post about our fun event at Melissa’s this week. Loved the surprise heat in your cookies.
Thank you Patricia. So good to see you!
Keep bringing the HEAT!!!
You know it!