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There are some things that just trigger memories in all of us. These cookies (called cuccidati) remind me of the days of going to St. Joseph altars with my family, and since it was recently my dad’s birthday, I thought it would be fun to surprise him with some happy mail. We aren’t seeing family very much with the pandemic, so mail has been so much help for us to send loved ones little bits of happiness.

Cuccidati may seem intimidating, but it’s really approachable. You make the dried fruit/nut mix and dough in advance, and assemble/bake/ice another day. The results? A delicious cookie that is a showstopper!

Since these were made to share with a loved one, I thought they would be perfect to share with y’all for this year’s Good Cookie Food Bloggers’ Valentine’s Event. This is the fifth year for our event, and we want to continue to make a difference in the fight against pediatric cancer.

Cancer is the #1 cause of death of children by disease in the U.S. There are 40,000 U.S. children actively battling cancer right now. The National Cancer Institute’s budget for childhood cancer is less than 4%. It’s such a small number and that’s why I got involved. And with the ongoing pandemic, children are still being diagnosed with cancer.

It’s imperative that we raise awareness and continue to raise funds to fund the ongoing pediatric cancer research! Help us make a difference by donating to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer! Our goal is to raise at least $3000. Because these three companies: OXO, Mediavine and Dixie Crystals have each pledged to match our donations raised through this campaign up to $3000! That means when we raise $1, it turns into $4!

Thank you to so many of you who have already donated, please help us reach our goal so we can get the full matching donations and help us make an even huge difference! Donate here today. Donations are being accepted through March 1st – thank you SO much for your support!

Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies)
Source: Epicurious

Ingredients:
For the filling:

• 1 cup packed so dried Mission figs (8 oz), hard tips discarded
• 3/4 cup raisins (3 3/4 oz)
• 3/4 cup mild honey
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1 1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh orange zest
• 1 tsp. finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 1 tbsp. ground cinnamon
• pinch ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 cup whole almonds (4 oz), toasted and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup walnuts (3 oz), toasted and coarsely chopped

For the dough:

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. finely grated fresh orange zest

For the icing:

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 to 2 tbsp. fresh orange juice
• Garnish: multicolored nonpareils

Directions:

1. To make the filling, pulse the filling ingredients in a food processor until the filling is finely blended together. Cover the mixture and allow it to chill in the fridge for at least 8 hours (no longer than 5-7 days).
2. To make the dough, pulse the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter chunks and pulse the mixture in a food processor, until most of the mixture resembles a coarse meal with some small butter lumps. Place the mixture in a medium sized bowl, and add in the eggs, milk, vanilla extract and zest. Stir the mixture with a fork until a dough forms. Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a ball. Between sheets of plastic wrap, flatten each ball into a 4×6 inch rectangle. Wrap each dough half with plastic wrap then foil, and chill the dough in the fridge for at least 8 hours (no longer than 3 days).
3. When the dough and filling are well chilled and you are ready to form the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
4. Remove one rectangle of dough from the fridge, and on a well-floured surface, roll out the rectangle into a 15×14 inch rectangle. Trim the dough to an even 13×10 inch rectangle, and chill the leftover trimmings – then cut that rectangle into 4 10-inch strips.
5. Using a mini scoop or spoon, add/spread the filling (about 1/3 cup) in a 1-inch wide log lengthwise down the center of each strip. Then, fold the sides of each strip over the filling to enclose it, and pinch the edges together to seal the cookies. Turn the rolls seam-side down, and lightly flatten the top of the logs. Cut the logs with a floured knife into 1 1/2 inch wide slices & place them 1/2 inches apart on a silicone mat or parchment lined baking sheet. Repeat the process in the same way with the rest of the chilled dough and filling.
6. Bake the cookies one sheet at a time on the middle rack of the oven until golden around the edges, 16-20 minutes. While the cookies are baking, make the icing. In a small bowl, whisk together the confectioners sugar, vanilla extract and orange juice. If it isn’t pourable, add in more orange juice 1 tsp. at a time. Set aside.
7. Once the cookies are done baking, transfer the baked cookies to cooling racks and allow them to cool until warm, about 10 minutes.
8. Once the cookies have reached a warm temperature, brush icing onto each cookie and sprinkle with nonpareils (if using). Allow the cookies to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!

Be sure to visit the other bloggers participating in the Valentine’s Day event and check out their recipes!

Heart Shaped Chocolate Cake from Julie of The Little Kitchen
Easy Chocolate Mousse from Allison of Celebrating Sweets
Chocolate Marshmallow Cookies from Sheila of Life, Love, and Good Food
Lemon Biscotti from Jenn of Ever AFTER IN THE WOODS
Easy Cream Cheese Candies from Kelly of Live Laugh Rowe
Cornflake Cookies from All The Good Cookies from Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm
Strawberry Mochi Cookies from Heather of Delicious Not Gorgeous
Red Velvet Valentine Brownies Recipe from Jennifer of The Rebel Chick
Red Velvet Cupcakes Recipe from Faith of An Edible Mosaic
Chinese Five-Spice Snickerdoodle Cookies from Bridget of Bake at 350
Chocolate Molten Lava Cake from Ashley of Spoonful of Flavor
Double Chocolate M&M Cookies from Melissa of Persnickety Plates
Raspberry Lemon Macaroons from Sue of It’s Okay to Eat the Cupcake
Raspberry Curd from Holly of A Baker’s House
Red Velvet Brownies from Kelly of Kelly Lynn’s Sweets and Treats
Toffee Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches from Audrey of That Recipe
Creamy Raspberry Sherbet Pandemic Punch from Laura of Untwisted Vintage
Chocolate Dipped Strawberry Cake Balls from Lindsey of Lindsey Loo’s Bakery
Chocolate Covered Oreo Pops for Valentine’s Day from Heather of Totally Tailgates
Amaretto Cherry Swirl Cake from Samantha of Haute Pepper Bites
Gluten Free Double Chocolate Bundt Cake from Elaine of Small Farm Big Life
Easy Strawberry Mousse from Caroline of Caroline’s Cooking
Cornflake Cookies from All The Good Cookies #HelpingCookies from Wendy of A Day in the Life on the Farm
Vanilla Bean Cherry Chocolate Kiss Cookies from Colleen of Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
Neapolitan Cookies Recipe from Lisa of Blogghetti
Small Batch Almond Thumbprint Cookies from Lauren of Healthy Delicious
Kahlua Truffles from Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla
Red Velvet Brownie Cups from Nikki of Soulfully Made
Triple Chocolate Trifles from Coleen of The Redhead Baker
Cast Iron Skillet Cookie For Two from Aimee of Aimee Broussard
Festive Puppy Chow from Erin of The Speckled Palate
Chewy White Chocolate Raspberry Cookies from Jessica of A Kitchen Addiction
Hot Chocolate Bombs for Valentine’s Day from Anna-Marie of Beauty and the Beets
Chocolate Sandwich Cookies from Lisa of Taste Cook Sip
Peanut Butter Snickerdoodles from Betsy of The JavaCupcake Blog
Cherry Blossom Cookies from Carolann of Apron Warrior
Chocolate Mint Frappuccino Cookies from Peabody of Sweet ReciPEAs
Mini Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cheesecakes from Kate of Kate’s Recipe Box
Almond Flour Peanut Butter Cookies from Shashi of Savory Spin
Funfetti Cookie Bars from Becca of The Salted Cookie
Grapefruit Poppyseed Cake from Michelle of Cold Weather Comfort
White Rabbit Candy Cookies from Linda of Ketchup with Linda
Baby Yoda Valentine’s Day Cookies to Support Cookies for Kid’s Cancer from Jenn of justJENN recipes
Salted Peanut Butter Pretzel Cowboy Cookies from Bree of Baked Bree
Red Velvet Hot Chocolate Bombs from Erin of The Spiffy Cookie
Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix from Gwynn of Swirls of flavor
Cherry Chocolate Chip No Bake Cheesecake from Stefanie of Stef’s Eats and Sweets
Valentine’s Day Homemade Ding Dongs from TammyJo of The Chocolate Cult
Guava Macarons with Coconut Buttercream from Lindsay of Anchored Baking
Valentines Pink Dessert Charcuterie Board for Kids from Nicole of For the Love of Food
Hot Chocolate Cookies from Amanda of A Cookie Named Desire
Cóctel de Camarones from Rebekah of Kitchen Gidget
Cuccidati (Italian Fig Cookies) from Amy of The Nifty Foodie

Disclosure: Mamma Chia provided me with free samples, and they are also providing the prize pack for the giveaway, in exchange for a post. All opinions are 100% my own.

This has been one of the craziest years of my life, thus far. I know I haven’t been around much to share, but between a full time job and this new potential change in our lives, well…I just hope you understand. And of course, I’ll explain it all at a later date (no worries, it’s all potentially positive…I just don’t want to jinx anything!).

Lately, with so many hectic things going on, I’m all about quick and easy meals and snacks. Also, with it being ridiculously hot and humid outside, I’m avoiding my stove and oven as much as I possibly can.  One of my favorite breakfasts lately is something fruit-related. Whether it be a smoothie, yogurt, or fresh fruit, I just can’t get enough of it.

So, when the folks at Mamma Chia reached out to see if I’d be interested in reviewing their new Mamma Chia Vitality Granola, I didn’t hesitate. 🙂 I love granola, but chia granola was completely new to me. I immediately opened the wild blueberry clusters when I got my samples in the mail, and I had to get the bag away from me. Oh man…I think the first morning I ended up having yogurt with my granola (instead of granola with my yogurt, haha). It’s SO tasty. It’s perfectly crunchy, has great flavor, and it makes me happy knowing that this granola is full of nutrients.  

 

Each serving of Mamma Chia Vitality Granola has 1500 mg of Omega-3s, 10 grams of protein (soy-free and dairy-free) and 5 grams of fiber. They’re available in three flavors: Wild Blueberry, Vanilla Almond, and Cinnamon Pecan.

While I enjoy it for breakfast with yogurt, it’s also perfectly good on its own. I imagine it would be especially tasty on top of frozen yogurt or smoothie bowls, as well.

The generous folks at Mamma Chia are offering one lucky reader of The Nifty Foodie a prize pack, which includes their new Chia Vitality Granola, as well as other great Mamma Chia product coupons!

Enter the giveaway using the Rafflecopter widget below (continental US readers only):

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Note: This giveaway is supplied by Mamma Chia, and is open to readers in the continental US only. Entries will be accepted until July 23th, 2015 at 11:59pm (central standard time). Winner will be emailed (make sure you leave an email address in the form), and will have 48 hours to respond or another winner will be chosen.

 

Back in 2013, I was so proud of myself. I was dropping weight like crazy, and I was 25 measly pounds away from 199 for the first time in years (like seriously…we’re talking middle school).

This past holiday season, I saw my before weight on the scale (plus a few). The 300s. I wanted to cry. In fact, for a good two hours, I looked at my weight loss milestones with so much regret. How did I let myself go this far? I thought about where I would be if I just kept going, and after staring at pictures and my motivation swimsuit that I bought a couple of years ago (I won some credit to the website and figured…why not?), I told myself to stop sulking, and it’s time to do something about it.

Left side: March 2013, Right side: December 2014

I can absolutely think back to the series of events that led to my current weight. At my lowest in April of 2013, I was in the 220s. I went from the 220s to the 230s and stayed there for a while. Then, half marathon training happened in the fall, and I started justifying foods for the amount of exercise I was doing. The longer runs were the hardest days, because I felt like my stomach was a bottomless pit, and whatever was easiest to grab, I’d buy it. I figured if I was burning 1000+ calories, I could eat whatever I wanted. Wrong. I easily gained 10 lbs. from half marathon training. Yep…GAINED.

After the half marathon, I still had those horrible eating habits, even though I wasn’t running nearly as much. I was pretty beat up after my half, so I completely lost motivation to go to the gym, to eat better, etc. In the meantime, my 16 jeans went to 16W, then 18W, and now, a snug 20W. I kept telling myself that I would get back in the swing of things soon…the diet would always start on a Monday. Then, Monday would happen, and of course, I’d eat something terrible and say, “Next week…”.

I had to wait until I was ready to get back in the swing of things. I knew the moment would hit me at some point, like it did the time before. Stereotypically, enough was enough right after Christmas. I’m not going to say that I’m starting all over again, because everything contributed to my journey thus far. The 70 lb. loss, the gain…it’s all a part of the journey. I may not be the quintessential before/after weight loss story, but to me, my journey is everything. I’ve learned some valuable lessons along the way and cannot wait to see the numbers on the scale go down again. While I could keep beating myself up over the weight gain, I’m just going to view this as a moment in my life where I’m going to be stronger from this and appreciate my weight loss that much more.

I’m currently doing a DietBet, and the weight is steadily going down. I’m fairly sure I’ll just do DietBets like last time, until 4% is no longer feasible for me. Also, I’ll be writing monthly updates on here, and sharing weekly weigh-ins on Twitter/Instagram/Facebook. 🙂 I’m also on MyFitnessPal (niftyfoodie).

Happy New Year’s Eve! I hope everyone has had a happy holiday season so far. 2014 has been a different year for me. While weight loss didn’t really happen this year, one of my biggest priorities was getting comfortable with my day job. I can’t believe I’ve been at my new job for almost a year now. This year has really flown!

While this blog hasn’t been updated as often as I would like to, I’m so thankful for those of you who still visit and comment/email. Here’s the top 10 recipes that you all have loved this year. They aren’t necessarily from 2014, but they are favorites on here.

10. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies – These cookies are just perfection. Reese’s cups baked in a huge peanut butter. Seriously awesome.

9. Banana Nutella “Ice Cream” – This is a great option if you’re craving ice cream, but don’t want the calories. You just throw frozen banana slices in a food processor or blender, and process until it’s the consistency of soft serve. I swirled in nutella for an extra treat.

8. Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Tacos – These are so simple to make and tasty. Pretty darn tasty, actually.

7. Grilled Corn Grits – This is a copycat of Zea’s famous grilled corn grits. It called for cream, butter and more butter. These aren’t diet friendly in the least, but they are fantastic!

6. Holiday Spritz Cookies – This recipe makes a bunch of cookies, and they’re so fun to make. I made these without a cookie press (before I had one). They taste better with lots of fun sprinkles…not really, but they certainly are more fun!

5. Taco “Cupcakes” – This is such a great recipe to make ahead and freeze. It makes quite a few of them, but you could pop a few in the oven for an easy lunch or dinner anytime. I love these!

4. Whipped Chocolate Pudding Frosting – This recipe is for the butter lovers. It’s the consistency of the whipped frosting you find in the grocery store bakeries, but it does tend to lean towards a more buttery flavor than classic buttercream. It reminds me a little of swiss meringue buttercream…delicious!

3. Homemade Strawberry Lemonade – I plan on making a large pitcher of this once strawberry season happens in a few months. I love this drink, and um…a little bit of booze never hurt this drink either.

2. 20 Minute Pressure Cooker Beef Stew – With only 20 minutes of cooking time (not including time to reach pressure or time to release pressure), this dinner is quick, but it tastes like it’s been in the oven all day.

1. Spinach, Strawberry, Pecan and Feta Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette – This is y’all’s favorite (and mine). It’s inspired by a local restaurant, and the combination is just perfection. I wish strawberries were in season during the holidays, because it’s sort of festive, too.

Thanks so much for a fabulous year, y’all! I hope y’all enjoy the New Year with your family and friends! Here’s to 2015!