Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Posted on November 22, 2010 by

The Neiman Marcus cookie recipe became famous from a myth started in the mid 90’s. The story goes that a woman and her daughter really enjoyed some chocolate chip cookies they had at a Neiman Marcus Department store cafe. So much so, they asked the server how much it would cost to get the recipe. The server said two fifty. The woman assumed she meant $2.50, later on she received her credit card statement and found that Neiman Marcus had charged her $250.00! Well, naturally she was so angry that she decided to share her $250.00 recipe with the world so that no one would ever have to pay for the recipe again. So countless email forwards and postings later the recipe has become famous. I am so glad it became famous because it is a great recipe! It is our go to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Neiman Marcus now has the recipe on their website for free).
I just finished making 8 dozen of these for a Christmas Tea at my church and they were a hit! The espresso in the cookie really adds a great richness to the chocolate and makes for a great chocolate chip cookie. You will have tons of opportunities to make this cookie over the holidays, or you could just make it because they are yummy and no one should ever be deprived of a good cookie.

Enjoy!

Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

•1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
•1 cup light brown sugar
•3 tablespoons granulated sugar
•1 large egg
•2 teaspoons vanilla extract
•1-3/4 cups all purpose flour
•1/2 teaspoon baking powder
•1/2 teaspoon baking soda
•1/2 teaspoon salt
•1-1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
•1-1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
I also added 1/2 cup of macadamia nuts, you could use any nut you prefer.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)

2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.

3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips and nuts if you add any.

4. Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.
**Note, I pull my cookies out at 16 minutes every time. I like a chewy cookie and this time works perfect for my oven.

Yield: 2 dozen cookies

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Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

Posted on November 19, 2010 by

I love starchy sides. I can’t help it! I find comfort in an awesome pile of fluffy, creamy mashed potatoes. It’s kinda funny though how people get into food habits. We make the same sides all the time! Usually I just roast potatoes or make regular mashed potatoes but I was getting bored with the same old thing. This casserole has the familiarity of mashed potatoes, but I turned up the volume with different cheeses, crumbled bacon and scallions. It’s the best of both worlds! A loaded baked potato and mashed potatoes. This would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving table or for any night of the week!

Enjoy!

Loaded Mashed Potato Casserole

8-10 medium sized red potatoes, washed and cubed
1 tablespoon salt- this is for the water for the potatoes
6 pieces of bacon – cooked and crumbled
1 bar cream cheese cut into cubes
½ cup sour cream
½ stick butter
½ cup milk- I use 2% but whichever you prefer
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon cracked pepper
1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
4 scallions sliced

Pre heat oven to 375
Bring a pot of water with 1 tablespoon of salt to a boil with cubed potatoes in the pot.
Drain potatoes. In a large bowl with a hand mixer or potato masher, begin to mash the potatoes, add in cubes of cream cheese, sour cream, butter, remaining salt and pepper. Continue to mash until creamy. Check potatoes and season to taste with additional salt and pepper.
Spray an 8 by 8 pan with non stick cooking spray
Pour in mashed potato mixture
Top with shredded cheese
bake for approx. 20 minutes until cheese is bubbly and brown
Garnish with crumbled bacon and scallions

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Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

Posted on November 17, 2010 by

There are so many things to love about this dish. I really like the combination of tomato, basil and garlic and then when you add cream, baby you are in business! I am currently obsessed with campanelle pasta so that makes this dish even better. Campanelle means little bells in Italian and I find they are a nice change from bow tie or ziti pasta.They are fun to eat, look pretty and hold sauce really well so they show up often in our meals.
In Italy, the word bruschetta refers to a grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil. Here in the United States, you commonly see bruschetta on a menu as a tomato, basil and garlic medley on top of toasted bread, (although you can top grilled bread with anything and call it bruschetta). Of course, I know that I don’t have any grilled bread in my pasta, but it would be delicious with some on the side, so that should count for something!
Properly named or not, this is a really delicious dish that only takes two pots and less than 30 minutes and I am all about that!
Hey by the way if you are vegetarian or are looking for a way to make this a fast lunch, omit the chicken and swap the stock for vegetable stock and you still have a great pasta dish!
Enjoy!

Chicken Bruschetta Pasta

Chicken

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed into bite sized pieces
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper for chicken
½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon Mrs. dash

Sauce

2 cloves of garlic minced
zest and juice of one large lemon
½ cup chicken stock
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup cream
½ teaspoon dried dill
6-8 basil leaves (2 tablespoons chopped)
1 pint grape tomatoes (cut in half lengthwise)
1 lb short pasta (I used campanelle, you could use ziti, bow tie or any pasta of your choice)

Boil pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, in a large non stick skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken, and season with salt, pepper, mrs.dash and garlic powder. Stir occasionally until chicken is cooked through and golden brown.
Once chicken is cooked, add chicken stock, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, Mrs. Dash, salt, dried dill and cream. Allow to reduce slightly (1-3 minutes while simmering) Next add tomatoes and basil, stir and allow to reduce further, 2-3 minutes. Add cooked, drained pasta to pan and toss to combine. Season further with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with grated cheese, if you desire.

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Posted in Chicken Dishes, Quick and Easy Recipes | 3 Comments

Pesto Fish (in 15 minutes!)

Posted on November 12, 2010 by

Sometimes I just don’t have the time to make a long and involved dinner. This pesto fish is a really easy and fast dish to make on the fly. In fact my husband, who doesn’t cook often, usually makes this if he has to make dinner.
Ordinarily, I would totally support making your own pesto and I do plan on showing you a great recipe for it later on. However, I have somewhat of a black thumb and kill all herbs I try to grow. Also, unless you are at the peak of the season, the price for fresh basil can sometimes be ridiculous. I found a great deal at my local “big box store” on pesto and it is super fresh. It works perfect for a quick dinner!
If you have never had pesto, you should give it a try. Pesto is a combination of basil, garlic, olive oil, parmesan or romano cheeses and pine nuts. It is really flavorful and has a beautiful green color. When I make this meal I usually serve it with a quick cooking rice and vegetable. You can count on the fish taking 10 minutes or less to cook, so I start my rice and veggie first and time when to start my fish accordingly.
Pesto is so versatile, it really works great on just about anything. If you aren’t a fan of seafood, try this on chicken or pork! (be sure to adjust your cooking time for chicken or pork).

Enjoy!

Pesto Fish

4-4oz Tilapia fillets (use any fish you like, it goes well on almost anything mild)
1/4 teaspoon Mrs. Dash or you could use Italian Seasoning
1/4 teaspoon dried dill
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons of olive oil
4-6 tablespoons of pesto sauce
4 thin lemon slices

Sprinkle Mrs.Dash, dill, salt and pepper evenly over fish. Heat oil in a large non stick skillet over medium heat and add fish fillets. There is no need to turn the fish, just gently lift the edges of the fish with a thin spatula once or twice while cooking to ensure the fish won’t stick to the pan. Keep fish covered while cooking, around 6-7 minutes depending on thickness. During the last-minute of cooking top each fish fillet with about a tablespoon of the pesto (more or less to your tastes) and a slice of lemon.

Serve immediately.

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Warm Asian Noodle Salad

Posted on November 10, 2010 by

I would place this dish among my top 5 favorite meals to make and eat at home. Kevin and I both really love how incredibly flavorful this dish is (and it’s almost healthy)! We make this so often, we stopped calling it by its original name and now refer to it as WANS. When you create an acronym or a nickname for your dish, you know it’s good!
WANS is also a pretty quick dinner. By the time you prep the vegetables (which can be done in advance) and whisk the sauce together, all you are waiting on is for the pasta to finish cooking. Next it’s a quick toss in the bowl and dinner is ready! I like meals that I can make in about half an hour or less, especially on a school or work night, and this fits the bill! I have adapted this from the original recipe which you can find here .

If you are unsure of whether this will be too hot for you, start by adding small amounts of the chili sauce in. Starting with a 1/4 of a teaspoon at a time, or omit entirely! If you aren’t a fan of shrimp, try tossing in grilled chicken or just go the vegetable loving way! Either way, this dish is still a rock star.

Enjoy!

Warm Asian Noodle Salad

SAUCE:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
3 teaspoons dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons hot chili sauce with garlic
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 scallions thinly sliced
1/2 pound of shrimp

SALAD:
1 pound uncooked linguine
3 cups shredded carrot
1 cup of Asian Stir fry blend vegetables ( snow peas, carrots, peppers, water chestnuts…)
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

To prepare sauce, combine first 9 ingredients (peanut butter through scallions) in a very large bowl; Whisk well to combine.

Cook linguine according to package directions (do not salt the water! The soy sauce has enough salt). Add in your vegetables to the pasta during its last three minutes of cooking. Also add in your shrimp.
Before draining pasta reserve about 3/4 cup of the pasta water, set aside.
Microwave your sauce for one minute, this helps thin out the sauce. 
Drain pasta, vegetables and shrimp. Toss together with the sauce, thinning out to your desired consistency with the pasta water. Be sure to toss the pasta well enough so that the sauce evenly coats everything.  

Serves: 4-6 (Depending on how hungry those 4-6 people are) 🙂

Serve immediately. 

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Pumpkin Bars with Maple Cream Glaze

Posted on November 7, 2010 by

Generally, I am not a fan of pumpkin. Although it seems lately I am coming around to it. After making a pumpkin cheesecake last week, I had one cup of pumpkin puree left. I had heard from several friends that pumpkin bars were great, so I looked around and found this recipe.
Let it be known that 80% of the reason I am going to cooking school is so that I can learn how to bake. I mean sure, I have tons to learn about cooking and it’s processes but baking is my nemesis. When your husband and father-in-law can play air hockey with your biscuits – something is WRONG! These were easy, even for me and they were really delicious and cozy, perfect for a fall day!
You can find Martha’s original recipe here. I added a quick maple glaze to them and changed a few ingredients. (I couldn’t leave well enough alone)

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars with Maple Cream Glaze

Makes 24

2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 tablespoon pumpkin-pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
6 ounces butterscotch chips
6 ounces chocolate chip

Maple Glaze
1 cup confectioners sugar
1/2 bar of cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
3-4 tablespoons of milk
1-2 tablespoons of maple syrup ( add this to your personal taste)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with foil, leaving an overhang on all sides. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pie spice, baking soda, and salt; set aside.
2. With an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar on medium-high speed until smooth; beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in pumpkin puree (mixture may appear curdled). Reduce speed to low, and mix in dry ingredients until just combined. Fold in both butterscotch and chocolate chips
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until edges begin to pull away from sides of pan and a toothpick inserted in center comes out with just a few moist crumbs attached, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool completely in pan.
* Glaze with maple cream cheese glaze
4. Lift cake from pan (using foil as an aid). Peel off foil, and use a serrated knife to cut into 24 squares.

Maple Cream Glaze
In a bowl, using your mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth, slowly mix in confectioners sugar, milk and maple syrup. Add more milk to your desired consistency for the glaze, you can also add more maple syrup to taste. Spoon or spread over cooled bars.

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Mexican Shrimp Burgers

Posted on November 4, 2010 by

Have you ever eaten something so amazingly good, that you got mad at yourself for not thinking of it first? I wish I could take the credit for the brilliance that is this recipe. This sandwich reminds me of a really good crab cake (only much less expensive), the flavor is fantastic, there isn’t a lot of filler, and then you top it with a creamy avocado garlic mayonnaise. IT’S GENIUS. Although at first glance the recipe looks daunting, it is really easy. It is basically using your food processor to mix up two batches of food. The first, being the burgers themselves. After the burgers are prepped, you are just combining a few more ingredients for the aioli (garlic mayonnaise). Don’t let the peppers in this recipe scare you, the poblano is relatively mild and the serrano pepper, once the seeds are removed, is pretty harmless.Throw away any misconceptions you may have about fish on a sandwich, this is truly a work of art!

You can find the original recipe here. I only adjusted one or two ingredients, but mostly I changed preparation and cooking methods within the recipe.

Enjoy!

Mexican Shrimp Burgers

1 pound medium shrimp, shelled and deveined (fresh is best but I have used frozen uncooked shrimp-must be defrosted)
1 egg
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
2 garlic clove, peeled
3/4 cup plain bread crumbs, plus more as needed
1 poblano chile, roasted, peeled, stemmed, seeded, and diced (never roasted a pepper? see bottom of page for directions)
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Avocado Aioli:
1 Hass avocado, halved, pitted, and peeled
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 medium garlic cloves, peeled
1 serrano chile, stemmed, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 hamburger buns, split in half
2 medium tomatoes, sliced
6 lettuce leaves or a mixture of baby lettuce leaves

Directions

Burgers:
In a food processor, combine the shrimp, egg, cilantro, garlic, 3/4 cup bread crumbs, poblano chile, salt, and pepper. Process until the mixture is a coarse puree. (If the mixture is too wet, add additional bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the mixture can be molded easily). Form the mixture into 6 patties and put on a plate and store in the fridge to firm up while you make your aioli.

Avocado Aioli:

Scoop the avocado pulp into the bowl of a food processor. Add the mayonnaise, lime juice, garlic cloves, serrano chile and cilantro. Process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Heat the oil over medium-medium high heat in a non stick skillet. (because the shrimp doesn’t have a lot of fat, the oil will help develop a nice crust). Add burgers to pan, gently sear until golden, about 3 minutes per side, depending on the thickness. I covered my burgers while cooking to ensure that the shrimp would cook through. Once the burgers are done you can assemble your sandwich. I usually leave them covered off the heat while I prepare any last-minute details for dinner. Do not over cook the burgers! Like anything using shrimp, it will taste best when the shrimp are just cooked through.

To assemble:

Serve the shrimp burgers on buns, topped with a dollop (shovel full, truckload, bull dozer what ever your preference :)) of avocado aioli, sliced tomato, and lettuce. Well, I say lettuce, but apparently we were out of lettuce so instead I justified my lack of greens with the fact that both the cilantro and avocado could count towards my green-stuff category!

Tips on roasting peppers:
I only use two methods for roasting peppers, that I know of there aren’t too many other options. Over an open flame in my opinion is best because of the flavor but I have used the broiler method many times!

Grill (Gas stove or outdoor grill)
1. Wash and dry pepper
2. Place pepper on grate (flame should not be touching pepper)
3. Using tongs, rotate peppers as the skin chars and blisters.
4. Once charred, remove to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap to cool and loosen the skin (approx 5-10 minutes)
5. Once cooled, using your hands or a paper towel, peel off the outer charred skin, cut off the top stem and scrape out seeds.

Broiler

1. Preheat broiler to high setting
2. Wash and dry pepper
3. Place pepper on a foil lined cookie sheet or sheet pan on the top rack of your oven
4. Using tongs rotate the pepper as the skin blisters and chars ( this may take 5-15 minutes depending on the size of the pepper)
5. See steps #4 and #5 of grilling instructions

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