Chocolate dipped Coconut macaroons (Godiva macaroon inspired)

I've never really had Coconut macaroons until someone made me try them from Godiva and I was instantly hooked! Lightly crispy on the outside, chewy and soft on the inside, coconutty and the perfect amount of smooth chocolate. Too bad Godiva's are about $100 a cookie. Lol okay just kidding, not really. Luckily I realized how easy these are to make and they turn out amazingly! The ingredients are actually things I almost always have in my kitchen too!

Ingredients:

14 Oz. Bag if sweetened shredded coconut
14 Oz. Can of sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp salt
Some good quality chocolate of choice. I use one bag of ghirardelli milk chocolate chips.

Preheat oven to 325. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together the coconut, the can of condensed milk and the vanilla extract. In another bowl, beat the egg whites and salt with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Gently fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture.

Scoop out tbsp sized balls onto the parchment paper about an inch apart. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the bottoms are brown and the tops are golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring until smooth and melty. When the macaroons are cooled, gently dip the bottoms into. The chocolate and then place back onto the parchment paper until the chocolate sets and hardens.

Eggplant rollatini

This is hearty and filling and so delicious! I was never a fan of eggplant but I fell in love with it in this dish. It's fairly easy but does require a few steps. I made this with eggplant and zucchini.

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
1-2 zucchini
1 pint ricotta cheese
1 egg
Shredded Cheeses of choice, I used:
1/2 cup of mozzarella/provolone mix
1/2 cup parmesan/Romano mix
3 gloves garlic, minced
1 tsp parsley flakes
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Pinch of paprika
Salt and pepper to taste
1 jar of good marinara sauce
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 365. Cut the ends off the veggies, and slice them lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips. Sprinkle salt all over the eggplant and let rest on a rack for 5-10 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the ricotta, garlic, shredded cheeses, egg and spices.

Rinse the eggplant and pat dry. Heat a tiny bit of olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Fry the eggplant and zucchini slices until golden brown and tender but not mushy.

Once the veggies are cool enough to handle, spread a layer of the ricotta mix over the whole slice of an eggplant or zucchini, and roll it up tightly but carefully so it doesn't break. Place in a baking dish. Repeat until all slices are used up. Pour the marinara sauce over the rolls, sprinkle with more cheese and bake for 10-15 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Let rest for 5 minutes before serving.