NEIMAN-MARCUS COOKIES (Recipe may be halved)

Ingredients

2 cups butter
24 oz. chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice)

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 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 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies.

Fresh Fig Cake with Butter Pecan Frosting

Ingredientes for Cake:

1 pound butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs, separated
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 cup wheat germ
3 to 4 cups figs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice

Ingredientes for Butter Pecan Frosting:

6 Tablespoons butter, softened
4 cups powdered sugar
4 Tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg yolks and vanilla. Mix together flour, baking powder and salt. Stir into batter alternately with milk. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold into flour mixture. Add wheat germ. Chop figs in blender or food processor and add to batter. Stir in spices. Pour into 2 (9 inch) greased and floured cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until center springs back. Cool and frost. For frosting, beat together first 4 ingredients until smooth and creamy. Add pecans.

Servings: 16 - 18

Chicken Tortellini

Ingredients:

1 (8-ounce) package fresh cheese tortellini
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, sliced
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into
bite-sized pieces
Flour
1/3 cup stick margarine
1 onion, chopped
1 (10- to 14-ounce) can chicken broth
1 (4-ounce) can mushrooms, drained
2 chicken bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon sugar
4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded or cubed
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions:

Place the tortellini in a 9x11-inch baking dish sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Layer with the sliced cheese. Coat the chicken on all sides with flour. Saute the chicken in the margarine in a skillet until light brown. Spoon the chicken over the prepared layers using a slotted spoon, reserving the pan drippings.
Saute the onion in the reserved pan drippings until tender. Add the broth, mushrooms, bouillon cubes and sugar. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shredded cheese and stir until melted. Stir in the sour cream. Pour the mushroom mixture over the prepared layers. Bake, covered with foil, at 275 degrees for 45 minutes. You may prepare up to 2 days in advance and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes.

NOTE: The use of reduced-fat cheese and light sour cream will lower the fat grams and calories without sacrificing the flavor.

Servings: 6

Ragù di carne alla fiorentina (Florentine meat sauce)

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Ingredients

1 onion
1 carrot
One stick of celery parsley
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8 ounces ground beef or pork
4 ounces chicken or rabbit livers
4 ounces red wine
28 0unces canned tomatoes
Salt

Directions

Finely chop the onion, carrot, celery and parsley. Sauté in the oil over a medium heat. Add the ground meat (do not use any which is too lean!) and the washed and cleaned livers, finely chopped. Add salt and cook rapidly for at least ten minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon so that the meat does not stick to the pan. When the sauce has become golden brown in colour, add the wine and leave to evaporate. Lower the heat and add the peeled and puréed tomatoes. Cook over a low heat for half an hour and taste for salt.You could serve this sauce with chili pepper. The method I have described here produces a fairly liquid, but very light sauce. If you prefer it thicker, simply cook it for two hours instead: this produces an entirely different consistency and flavor.

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
12 to 16 ounces finely ground lamb
1 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup currants
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
1 cup cooked rice
1 jar grape leaves, drained, rinsed and stemmed
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Directions:

Mix the garlic and olive oil in a small bowl. Brown the lamb in a skillet, stirring until crumbly; drain. Combine the lamb, garlic mixture, onion, currants, 1/4 cup lemon juice and parsley in a bowl and mix well. Stir in the rice.
Lay the grape leaves on a hard surface and place approximately 1 to 2 Tablespoons of the lamb mixture in the center of each leaf. Bring 2 opposite points of each leaf to the center and fold over the filling. Roll tightly as for a jelly roll into a roll about 3 inches long.
Arrange the stuffed grape leaves seam side down in a single or double layer in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Drizzle with a mixture of 1/2 cup lemon juice and water. Bake, covered, at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Check periodically to ensure enough moisture is present to steam the grape leaves and add water if necessary.
Note: Referred to in Greece as dolmas, the flavor of the pickled grape leaves in these authentic Mediterranean tidbits permeates each bite. The filling should be very smooth, so ask the butcher to grind the lamb twice. Fresh mint may be substituted for the parsley.

Serves: 12

Stuffed Baked Catfish

Ingredients:

2 pounds catfish fillets
1 pound crawfish
1 stick butter
1 cup chopped green onion
1 –2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese
Tabasco
Salt, pepper, parsley, onion tops to taste

Directions:

Season to taste and bake catfish uncovered on a Pam coated layer of foil until golden brown in a 500 degree oven. In a separate pan, melt butter and saute whole crawfish and green onions for about 10 minutes. Melt cream cheese into crawfish mixture and cook until bubbly. Add other seasonings. Pour on top of each fillet.

Servings: 4

Asparagus Roll-ups

Ingredients:

24 slices sandwich bread
1/2 cup softened butter
1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese
4 ounces softened blue cheese
24 fresh asparagus, parboiled, or
frozen asparagus, partially cooked and well drained
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions: Asparagus Roll-ups

Ingredients:

24 slices sandwich bread
1/2 cup softened butter
1 (8-ounce) package softened cream cheese
4 ounces softened blue cheese
24 fresh asparagus, parboiled, or
frozen asparagus, partially cooked and well drained
1/2 cup melted butter

Directions:

Trim crust from bread slices. Flatten each slice with a rolling pin. Mix softened butter with cheeses. Spread cheese mixture on each bread slice, and top with an asparagus spear. Roll bread around the asparagus, and dip in melted butter. Cut each roll into fourths and freeze. When ready to serve, bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Amount: 96 pieces


Trim crust from bread slices. Flatten each slice with a rolling pin. Mix softened butter with cheeses. Spread cheese mixture on each bread slice, and top with an asparagus spear. Roll bread around the asparagus, and dip in melted butter. Cut each roll into fourths and freeze. When ready to serve, bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Amount: 96 pieces

Shortcut Spinach

Ingredients:

20 ounces chopped frozen spinach
1 2.8-ounce can french fried onion rings
1 can cream of mushroom soup
8 ounces grated Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup almonds, toasted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook and drain spinach. Put spinach into a medium mixing bowl and add remaining ingredients, except almonds. Turn all ingredients into a greased covered casserole. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with toasted almonds.

Note: A classic that continues to please

Serves: 4