Ingredients
Greek Christmas Cookies
For the cookies
- 1/3 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2.5 TBSP Sugar
- 1 TBSP Cognac or brandy optional
- 1 TBSP Orange juice
- 1 tsp Orange zest from 1 orange
- 1/8 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Ground cloves
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/3 tsp Baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Baking soda
For the syrup
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
For the topping
- 2 TBSP Walnuts finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp Ground cinnamon
Croutons
- 1 slice Crusty bread cut into cubes 1/4" thick
- 1/2 TBSP Extra-virgin olive oil
Caesar Salad
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp Lemon juice fresh-squeezed
- ½ tsp Red wine vinegar
- 1 TBSP Extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ TBSP Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
Seasoning
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Chicken
- Nonstick spray
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese grated
- 8 oz Chicken breast boneless skinless butterflied
- ½ cup Seasoned panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil for frying
- ½ cup Marinara sauce use as needed
- ¾ cup Mozzarella cheese shredded (use more if needed)
- Fresh basil for garnish
Pasta
- 4 oz Egg noodles
- 2 TBSP Butter
Lemon Sparkling Water
- 24 oz Sparkling water cold
- 1 Lemon sliced
- Ice cubes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350F (176C).
- In a large bowl mix the olive oil, cognac or brandy, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, ground clove and orange zest.
- In another bowl, sift flour and mix with the baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour gradually to the olive oil mixture, while stirring with a wooden spoon. Do not add all of it at once, stir with the spoon and add flour until you have soft and shiny dough, it should not be dry. Knead the dough just a bit until it comes together. Do not over knead. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough in little balls about the size of a walnut. Using your fingers press one side of the ball on a grater flattening like a small pancake or pierce with a fork and then fold over so that the cookie is in an oval shape, with the top having the design of the grater. (This is done so that the honey will be better absorbed as opposed to just shaping the cookie in a solid oval shape).
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake for about 25-28 minutes. Once baked, transfer to a large casserole dish and flip them so that the bottom part is facing up, let them cool down completely.
- For the syrup, bring to a boil the honey, syrup, water, cinnamon stick and slice of lemon and let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove the foam. Once the syrup is boiled, while it is hot, pour it over the cold cookies, making sure all cookies are covered with syrup. Let the cookies sit for at least 2-3 hours with the top side facing down so that they absorb the syrup
- Mix the walnuts with cinnamon, turn over the melomakarona right side again, sprinkle over the melomakarona.
- Prep ingredients per instructions above.
- For the Croutons: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Drizzle oil over the bread cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer over the baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp (about 10 - 12 minutes). Then set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil while whisking constantly. Whisk in parmesan. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- For the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Whisk together eggs, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add chicken into the egg, rotating to evenly coat in the mixture. Then dip into the breadcrumbs coating both sides very well, pressing the breadcrumbs on.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Fry chicken until golden and crispy (about 4 - 5 minutes on each side). Set aside.
- Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet and top each breast with about 1/3 cup of sauce. Top each chicken breast with slices of mozzarella cheese.
- For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the water and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Then drain well. Add back to the pot and toss with butter.
- Bake chicken for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted, and the chicken is completely cooked through to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) using a thermometer.
- Prepare the Caesar salad by tossing Romaine lettuce with dressing and croutons.
- Mix the ingredients for the sparkling lemon water. Serve over ice if desired.
- Serve the chicken with pasta garnish with basil, salad, sparkling water, and the greek christmas cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 2179kcal | Carbohydrates: 228g | Protein: 66g | Fat: 114g | Saturated Fat: 27g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 16g | Monounsaturated Fat: 64g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 346mg | Sodium: 1556mg | Potassium: 1318mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 105g | Vitamin A: 5365IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 614mg | Iron: 10mg
Chicken Parmigiana
Ingredients
Greek Christmas Cookies
For the cookies
- 1/3 cup Extra-virgin olive oil
- 2.5 TBSP Sugar
- 1 TBSP Cognac or brandy optional
- 1 TBSP Orange juice
- 1 tsp Orange zest from 1 orange
- 1/8 tsp Ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp Ground cloves
- 1 cup All-purpose flour
- 1/3 tsp Baking powder
- 1/8 tsp Baking soda
For the syrup
- 1/3 cup Honey
- 1/3 cup Sugar
- 1/3 cup Water
- 1 Cinnamon stick
For the topping
- 2 TBSP Walnuts finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp Ground cinnamon
Croutons
- 1 slice Crusty bread cut into cubes 1/4" thick
- 1/2 TBSP Extra-virgin olive oil
Caesar Salad
- 1 clove Garlic minced
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
- ½ tsp Lemon juice fresh-squeezed
- ½ tsp Red wine vinegar
- 1 TBSP Extra-virgin olive oil
- ½ TBSP Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 cups Romaine lettuce chopped
Seasoning
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
Chicken
- Nonstick spray
- 2 Eggs beaten
- 2 TBSP Parmesan cheese grated
- 8 oz Chicken breast boneless skinless butterflied
- ½ cup Seasoned panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Extra-virgin olive oil for frying
- ½ cup Marinara sauce use as needed
- ¾ cup Mozzarella cheese shredded (use more if needed)
- Fresh basil for garnish
Pasta
- 4 oz Egg noodles
- 2 TBSP Butter
Lemon Sparkling Water
- 24 oz Sparkling water cold
- 1 Lemon sliced
- Ice cubes optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350F (176C).
- In a large bowl mix the olive oil, cognac or brandy, orange juice, sugar, cinnamon, ground clove and orange zest.
- In another bowl, sift flour and mix with the baking powder and baking soda. Add the flour gradually to the olive oil mixture, while stirring with a wooden spoon. Do not add all of it at once, stir with the spoon and add flour until you have soft and shiny dough, it should not be dry. Knead the dough just a bit until it comes together. Do not over knead. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- Roll the dough in little balls about the size of a walnut. Using your fingers press one side of the ball on a grater flattening like a small pancake or pierce with a fork and then fold over so that the cookie is in an oval shape, with the top having the design of the grater. (This is done so that the honey will be better absorbed as opposed to just shaping the cookie in a solid oval shape).
- Place the cookies on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Bake for about 25-28 minutes. Once baked, transfer to a large casserole dish and flip them so that the bottom part is facing up, let them cool down completely.
- For the syrup, bring to a boil the honey, syrup, water, cinnamon stick and slice of lemon and let it boil for 5 minutes. Remove the foam. Once the syrup is boiled, while it is hot, pour it over the cold cookies, making sure all cookies are covered with syrup. Let the cookies sit for at least 2-3 hours with the top side facing down so that they absorb the syrup
- Mix the walnuts with cinnamon, turn over the melomakarona right side again, sprinkle over the melomakarona.
- Prep ingredients per instructions above.
- For the Croutons: Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Drizzle oil over the bread cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Toss until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer over the baking sheet and bake until golden brown and crisp (about 10 - 12 minutes). Then set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil while whisking constantly. Whisk in parmesan. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- For the Chicken: Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C). Lightly grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray; set aside.
- Whisk together eggs, parmesan, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add chicken into the egg, rotating to evenly coat in the mixture. Then dip into the breadcrumbs coating both sides very well, pressing the breadcrumbs on.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot and shimmering. Fry chicken until golden and crispy (about 4 - 5 minutes on each side). Set aside.
- Place chicken on the prepared baking sheet and top each breast with about 1/3 cup of sauce. Top each chicken breast with slices of mozzarella cheese.
- For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to the water and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Then drain well. Add back to the pot and toss with butter.
- Bake chicken for 10 - 15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbling and melted, and the chicken is completely cooked through to an internal temperature of 160°F (71°C) using a thermometer.
- Prepare the Caesar salad by tossing Romaine lettuce with dressing and croutons.
- Mix the ingredients for the sparkling lemon water. Serve over ice if desired.
- Serve the chicken with pasta garnish with basil, salad, sparkling water, and the greek christmas cookies.
Nutrition
Calories: 2179kcalCarbohydrates: 228gProtein: 66gFat: 114gSaturated Fat: 27gPolyunsaturated Fat: 16gMonounsaturated Fat: 64gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 346mgSodium: 1556mgPotassium: 1318mgFiber: 11gSugar: 105gVitamin A: 5365IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 614mgIron: 10mg
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