Non-Cooking Club Recipes

 Neiman-Marcus Cookies Jun 8, ’09 8:39 PM
by Eleanor for everyone
Category:     Desserts
Servings:     Approx. 112 cookies
Description:
My friend emailed me this:

THIS IS A TRUE STORY

My daughter and I had just finished lunch at a Neiman-Marcus Cafe in Dallas , Because both of us are such biscuit lovers, we decided to try the ‘Neiman-Marcus cookie’. It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me the recipe. The waitress said with a small frown, ‘I’m afraid not, but you can BUY the recipe. ‘ I asked how much, and she responded;
‘Only two fifty – it’s a great deal!’

I agreed to that, and told her to add it to my bill. Thirty days later, I got my VISA statement, and the Neiman-Marcus
Charge was $285.00. I looked at it again, and I remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two sandwiches and about $20.00 for a scarf. At the bottom of the statement, it said, ‘Cookie Recipe – $250.00′. That was outrageous!

I called Neiman’s Accounting Department and told them the waitress Had said it was ‘two fifty’, which clearly does not mean ‘ Two hundred And fifty dollars’ by any reasonable interpretation of the phrase. Neiman-Marcus refused to budge. They would not refund my money Because, according to them; ‘What the waitress told you is not our Problem.’ and as you have already seen the recipe we absolutely will not refund your Money.’

I explained to the Accounting Department lady the criminal statutes Which govern fraud in the state of Texas . I threatened to report them To the Better Business Bureau and the Texas Attorney General’s office. I was basically told: Do what you want. Don’t bother thinking of how you can get even, and don’t bother trying to get any of your money back’

I said, OK, you’ve got my $250, and now I’m going to have $250 worth of fun.’ I told her that I was going to see to it that every cookie lover in the world with an e-mail account gets a $250 cookie recipe from Neiman-Marcus….. For Free.

She replied, ‘I wish you wouldn’t do that.’ I said, ‘Well, perhaps you should have thought of that before you
RIPPED ME OFF!’ and slammed down the phone. So here it is!

Please pass it on to everyone you can possibly think of. I paid $250 for this, and I don’t want Neiman-Marcus to EVER make another penny from this recipe!

PLEASE KEEP THE RECIPE AND ALSO SEND IT TO EVERY PERSON YOU KNOW WHO HAS AN E-MAIL ADDRESS!

Ingredients:
(Recipe may be halved)
2 (500 ml) cups butter
24 oz. (680 g) chocolate chips
4 (1000 ml) cups flour
2 (500 ml) cups brown sugar
2 tsp.. (10 ml) (Bicarb) soda
1 tsp. (5 ml) salt
2 (500 ml) cups sugar
18 oz (500 g) Hershey Bar (grated). (Cadbury chocolate for Australians & South Africans)
5 (1250 ml) cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. (10 ml) baking powder
2 tsp. (10 ml) vanilla
3 cups (375 ml) chopped nuts ( optional )

Directions:
Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder.
Cream the butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla, mix together with flour, oatmeal,
Salt, baking powder, and Bicarb (soda).
Add chocolate chips, Hershey Bar, and nuts.
Roll into balls, and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes at (180 *C ) 375 degrees.

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Recipe  Honey Lime Fruit Toss Jun 6, ’09 1:32 PM
by Eleanor for everyone
Category:     Salads
Description:
Best served cold. If you wish, you can mince up some fresh mint leaves to top the salad with! :) Bon appetite!!

Ingredients:
1 can (20 oz.) Pineapple Chunks
1 can (11 or 15 oz.) Mandarin Oranges, drained
1 large Banana, sliced
1 Kiwi fruit, peeled, halved and sliced
1 cup quartered Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
1/4 teaspoon grated lime peel (optional)
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon honey

Directions:
Drain pineapple; reserve 1/4 cup juice.

Combine pineapple chunks, mandarin oranges, banana, kiwi fruit and strawberries in large serving bowl.

Stir together reserved pineapple juice, lime peel, lime juice and honey in small bowl. Pour over salad; toss to coat.

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Recipe    Strawberry Spinach Salad Jun 5, ’09 11:39 AM
by Laura for everyone
Category:     Salads
Special Consideration:     Quick and Easy
Servings:     ??
Description:
Super easy yummy spinach salad that even the pickiest eaters will love! All with ingredients straight out of your pantry!

Ingredients:
10 oz bag of spinach (washed and drained)
1/2 small red onion sliced thin and halved
1 quart strawberries (washed and sliced)
1/4 cup slivered almonds

Dressing:
2 TB Sesame Seeds
1 TB Poppy Seeds (Okay, you might not have poppy seeds in your pantry, but this recipe is worth buying them!)
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 Olive Oil
1/2 White Vinegar
1/4 tsp Paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire Sauce

Directions:
Mix all the dressing ingredients together with a whisk or food processor until thoroughly blended.

Pour over spinach, strawberries, red onion, and almonds!

SUPER TASTY!

p.s. the picture isn’t of the exact same salad, but it is close :)

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 The 5 Minute Chocolate Cake Jun 4, ’09 11:28 AM
by Laura for everyone
Category:     Desserts
Style:     American
Special Consideration:     Quick and Easy
Servings:     1-2
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons oil
3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)
A small splash of vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug (MicroSafe)

Directions:
Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well.
Add the egg and mix thoroughly.
Pour in the milk and oil and mix well..
Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts.
The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don’t be alarmed!
Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.
EAT ! (this can serve 2 if you want to feel slightly more virtuous).

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Recipe  Strawberry double layer cake Jun 3, ’09 11:59 PM
by Lacey for everyone
Category:     Desserts
Ingredients:
-1 box for 2 rounds pans =), of either white cake, yellow cake, or golden butter cake.
-1 thing of frosting – Vanilla
-1 can of strawberry pie filling
-eggs
-water or oil (depending of box brand)

Directions:
Bake the cakes for however long the box says.
Then let the cakes cool, and before layering them add the strawberry filling on top of one of the layers, then put the other layer on top, and frost.
You can add strawberries on top of the cake too if you like.

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Recipe  Baked Brie with Preserves Jun 3, ’09 11:55 PM
by Lacey for everyone
Category:     Appetizers & Snacks
Special Consideration:     Quick and Easy
Servings:     depends how many people eat it =)
Ingredients:
1 can of croissant dough
1 thing of brie cheese
1 jar of any fruit preserves
1 box of triscuts

Directions:
-Buy brie cheese, any kind of fruit preserves, and croissant dough.
-Heat oven to 350 degrees, and use a flat cookie sheet.
-Roll out the croissant dough, and place the brie cheese in the middle. (you can leave the skin on or take it off, its up to you.)
-Then pour the entire jar of the fruit preserves over the brie cheese.
-Finally wrap the brie and preserves with the dough and make it look like a big round piece of dough. If it rips and the preserves leak out thats ok.
-Bake for about 30 mins or until golden brown and remove.

I always eat it on top of triscuts. ENJOY!!

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Recipe  Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies May 30, ’09 11:51 PM
by Allison for everyone
Category:     Baking
Style:     American
Special Consideration:     Vegetarian
Description:
An animal-friendly variation to our favorite baked treat! Though not a “health” food, per say, it does offer lots of whole grain goodness and fiber. Try it and you’ll love them!

Ingredients:
1 ½ Cups whole wheat flour (use just a touch less than this so that it isn’t so dry)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
¾ cup Vegetable or Canola oil
2 tbsp. vanilla soy milk
1 1/3 C unrefined sugar
½ to a whole ripe banana (use more for a more banana-y taste. Note that the more banana is in it, the moister it will be)
1 ½ tbsp. Vanilla
2 ½ quick oats
1c walnuts
1c vegan chocolate chips (yes, vegan…if you’re going to make vegan cookies the chips must also be vegan. Otherwise, you won’t taste the joy of a cruelty free cookie)
1-2 tbsp ground flax seed (optional, though a great source of omega fatty acids and fiber)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix banana until it is in a liquid-ish form. I use my magic bullet for this part.
Add oil and sugar and blend until smooth and creamy.
Add soy milk and vanilla.
Slowly mix in the flour and flax meal then add salt and baking soda. Mix in the oats (batter will be pretty dense by this time, so just do what you can. It will at least give you a good
work out before you eat your cookies). Add chocolate chips and walnuts.
Drop onto ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 9-13 mins. Enjoy!
Note about where to get the ingredients: Cost-U-Less has fantastic organic soy milk. It is called Westsoy Vanilla and it is amazing and lower calorie than most other soy milks. Food Express has the vegan chocolate chips. They are the Baker’s brand and they are SO good!! I got my flax meal from Gourmet Marche, Red Mill brand.
If you have any questions or want some more vegan baking recipes or any tips on how to reduce your animal product consumption, I will be happy to help!! Happy baking!

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Recipe    Toasted Pecan, Aplle, and Brie Appetizer May 28, ’09 9:35 PM
by Jenni for everyone
Category:     Appetizers & Snacks
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
4 Granny Smith apple – peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 baguette
2 tablespoons butter
6 ounces Brie cheese, cut into long, even slices
1 pinch ground cinnamon, for dusting

Directions:
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the apples; cook and stir until tender, 7 to 8 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
and pecans and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and set
aside.
Preheat the oven’s broiler.
Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices. Spread the remaining butter on to one side of
each piece of bread. Place slices of brie cheese onto the unbuttered side of each piece
of bread. Top with a generous scoop of the apple mixture. Place the baguette slices onto
a baking sheet.
Broil until the cheese has melted, about 1 minute. Sprinkle with additional cinnamon if
desired.

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 Auntie Anne’s Soft Pretzels  May 26, ’09 4:52 PM
by Jen for everyone
Category:     Baking
Style:     American
Servings:     12 pretzels
Description:
I had a number of people ask me for this recipe from the bake sales this weekend so here it is! My tips are: let it rise for longer than a half hour, they will be fluffier pretzels this way and if you want them browner on top brush some butter on them before baking them. The ones for the bake sale I sprinkled cinnamon sugar mix on some and sea salt on the others. I also made some parmesan cheese and garlic powder ones at home (YUM). Good luck!

Aunt Annie’s Soft Pretzels
CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com

Ready In: 30-60 minutes

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup warm water
1 1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups regular flour

2 cups Warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
to taste coarse salt
4 tablespoons butter (melted)

Directions:
Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar, salt and stir to dissolve; add flour and knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise at least 1/2 hour.

While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 Tbsp baking soda. Be certain to stir often. After dough has risen, pinch off bits of dough and roll into a long rope* (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Dip pretzel in soda solution and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again. Bake in 450 oven for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter and enjoy!

Toppings: after you brush with butter try sprinkling with coarse salt. or for Auntie Anne’s famous Cinnamon Sugar, try melting a stick of butter in a shallow bowl (big enough to fit the entire pretzel) and in another shallow bowl make a mixture of cinnamon and sugar. Dip the pretzel into the butter, coating both sides generously. Then dip again into the cinnamon mixture. Enjoy!

* The longer and thinner you can make the dough rope, the more like Auntie Anne’s they will be.

*Sweet butter, not regular butter, is one of her secrets!

This recipe is from CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com
© 1995-2009 CDKitchen, Inc.

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Recipe         Open-Faced Cucumber Sandwiches                                                                                                                  May 26, ’09 12:57 PM
by Angela for everyone
Category:     Sandwiches
Style:     British
Special Consideration:     Quick and Easy
Description:
Great for brunch, baby showers, anytime!

Ingredients:
Cucumbers (English seedless variety, if you can find them)

1 8oz. package of Philly cream cheese (more or less, to taste)

1 packet of dry italian dressing mix

Just a little bit of mayo (like a teaspoon)

Cocktail sized loaf of rye bread, Pepperidge Farms Very Thinly Sliced white bread, or regular white bread, cut into 1/4′s

Directions:
1. Let the cream cheese soften up a little bit at room temp.

2. Add the italian dressing packet and the mayo (I use an electric mixer to make sure it’s thoroughly mixed).

3. Slice cucumbers (I only peel off a few strips along the length of the cucumber. This just makes it fancy, so when you cut them the edges have a green/white/green/white pattern).

4. Assemble by spreading cream cheese mixture on bread, layer with cucumber slices, add another little dollop of mix and top with dill, if you like. ENJOY!

TIPS: You can get creative with the bread, and cut it into circles or use a cookie cutter to make cute shapes :)

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