My grandmother has chickens and they live a fabulous Disney-esq life full of table scraps, grain, and white bread complete with a fancy chicken coop and a big grassy area to run around in. In general these chickens probably have a quality of life similar to your pet cat.

If you spend the night at my grandmother’s house you are woken up by the crowing of a large rooster. Sometimes the brave little chickens get out of their pen and run around the neighborhood. Now that’s what I call “free range.” Gram keeps in her neighbors good graces by making them incredible batches of peanut butter fudge and by also bestowing upon them dozens of amazing eggs that her pampered chickens lay.

When I go home to Maine I always request eggs to take back with me. They are fabulous beyond belief. Case in point: they are almost twice the size of normal extra-large organic eggs that you buy in the grocery store. The yolks are a bright orange color as opposed to the much paler yellow that you see above. In fact the yolks are so orange that everyone in my family has learned not to use them in white foods as we’ve all ended up with bright orange lasagna and funky colored cakes due to Gram’s delicious (but neon) eggs. In general I treat these eggs like culinary diamonds. They are reserved for weekend omelets and fluffy scrambles on lazy Sunday mornings. We’ll seriously get into a fight if you try to use one of these to make anything as mundane as a boxed corn muffin mix. I’m not kidding!

Since discovering this recipe for Cranberry Orange Dark Chocolate Chip cookies last Christmas on Slashfood these delicious treats have become my culinary wingman of sorts. I’ve made them probably a dozen times and received rave reviews with each bite. They’re unique enough to give as a gift and easy enough to make on a whim. The flavors of dark chocolate, cranberries, and orange are quintessentially Christmas. I highly recommend whipping up a batch of these as soon as the opportunity presents itself and please report back with your stellar results. It’s been very lonely lately being the only Christmas Cookie addict on the block.

Light & Fluffy	Zest, Zest, Zest!
Mix, Mix, Mix!	Scoop
Bake & Take Random Pictures of Decorations	Prepare to Thank the Cookie Academy

Cranberry, Orange & Dark Chocolate Chip Cookies (Originally Published on Slashfood)
Makes about 4 dozen.

2 cups all purpose flour*
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup white sugar
1 large egg
zest of one orange (about 2-3 tsp)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar, beating with an electric mixer until light. Beat in egg and orange zest. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour mixture, stirring only until just combined. Stir in the cranberries and chocolate chips.

Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls (about 1 1/4-inch balls) onto prepared cookie sheets and bake for 9-12 minutes, until edges are very lightly browned.

Cool for 3-4 minutes on baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

*Note: For chewy cookies (which is what I like) reduce the flour by 1/2 cup.

I’d only baked a chicken once before, last year on Easter, but it came out fine so I figured when I decided to roast another chicken (using the same recipe I might add) that I’d be an old pro by now. Unfortunately, overconfidence in the kitchen is not a good thing. It all started out well. The best kitchen “disasters” usually do. I seasoned and stuffed the bird without incident. Then I popped it in the oven for an hour. I even tented it so that it wouldn’t brown too quickly, and basted it religiously with the Citrus and herb glaze.

It took me 3 hours to realize that I was cooking the chicken upside down. Yes, I basted the underside of the chicken. The breast was sitting “face down” in the pan the entire time. I finally clued into this fact when I noticed that the little white “I’m done” button seemed to have disappeared. And by disappeared, I mean was actually on the bottom of the roasting rack.

Of course it was all down hill from there. While divulging my kitchen shame to CK I ended up burning the aromatics for the stuffing and had to throw them out and start all over again. By the time we sat down to eat I was just grateful to have a plate of food. Thankfully the meat was still tender and tasty, but I felt like a complete fool. So please enjoy my “Upside Down” chicken in all its glory! Maybe I’ll start a new trend…

Right Side Up (Note Button)	Garlic, Oranges, and Lemon Wedges
The Balancing Chicken Act	Where it all Went Wrong
Add Stock to the Pan	Prep the Glaze
Combine	Baste, Baste, Baste
Tent with Foil	Melt Butter for Stuffing
Saute the Onions & Celery	Crumble in the Muffins
The Unveiling	What Happens in the Kitchen…