Yumm.com life, health, fitness and other yummy things

I stumbled upon this Cookie Recipe from Neiman Marcus, and it also had a story that was included with it. So here’s how the story goes, there was a woman who had dined at the Neiman Marcus cafe and really liked the Chocolate Chip Cookies they served. When she asked the waitress for the recipe the waitress said she could buy it for “two fifty.” Assuming she meant two dollars and fifty cents, she told her to go ahead and put it on her Visa. A few weeks later when she got her Visa bill , Neiman Marcus had charged $250.00 dollars on her card for the recipe. Assuming is was a mistake she tried to get Neiman Marcus to refund her the money, they said no, $250.00 is the price for the recipe. She explained the situation and still asked for a refund, because she felt the waitress had misled her. Neiman Marcus refused, so as a way to get back, she started posting the recipe on the internet.

Regardless of the story being true or a myth, it’s a great cookie recipe, so if you want it enjoy, and if it really is a true story enjoy an expensive recipe!

The Neiman Marcus $250.00 Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
• 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet.
2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and espresso powder; stir into the creamed mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
3. Drop dough by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheet. Cookies should be 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. For crispier cookies, bake 2 minutes longer. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Banana bread is a staple in my house. It’s quick, it’s delicious, and it’s easy as pie (which is very easy even though people are scared of making pies from scratch - so silly, it’s the simplest thing. I’ll tell you how in another post.) And what better way to get rid of those gross old brown bananas stinking up your kitchen? Your kids sure aren’t going to eat them, or so they think - toss them into a bowl with some sugar and flour and they will eat those dying bananas without a second thought.

Banana Bread
2 very ripe bananas
1 cup sugar
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 Tablespoons melted butter
2 Tablespoons milk
1 beaten egg
1/2 cup nuts (optional)

In a large bowl, mash the peeled bananas with a fork. Add the sugar and continue mashing with the fork until everything is all mixed together. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl and stir with the fork until everything is just mixed. Don’t overmix it and don’t use a handmixer or a stand mixer - that will overdo it. Just use a fork.

Pour the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan. Bake at 350 for about 50 minutes (or until a knife inserted comes out clean.)

For an extra treat, add a couple of handfuls of frozen blueberries to the batter and bake it about 10-15 minutes longer.

If you’re anything like me, and I’m not saying you are, but you never know who is reading these things and maybe you are like me and have a seriously outsized sweet tooth and are looking for ways to satiate it. If that’s the case then I can help.

Anyway, if you are anything like me, you might have thought that one type of pudding is pretty much like another and that they all resemble that Jello-brand stuff that can be whipped up with a whisk, some milk, and a healthy dose of nostalgia. Well you would be as wrong as I was.

Just about anywhere they speak English (except here in the US), “pudding” is just another word for dessert. I favor the cake-like style of pudding and that’s what this recipe is for. The recipe is 1) SUPER easy and 2) SUPER yummy. The pudding comes out very dark and moist, is best when served at room temperature, and will keep for days. Best of all, the recipe is very versatile so if you don’t like persimmons and would prefer to use apples or something altogether outlandish like say, chocolate, it will still turn out perfectly delicious.

A caveat: You’ll need a steamer, which can be hard to find. Basically it’s a small straight-sided bunt pan with a lid that clips on. You pour the batter in, clip on the lid, and then steam it (like in a pasta pot or using a vegetable steamer.) You can probably find one online or at a secondhand store.

Also, I can’t claim full ownership of this recipe as I got it from my aunt and I really have no idea where she got it, but I haven’t been able to find another one like it in any cookbook or recipe database and I’ve looked. Anyway, hope you like it!

Persimmon Steamed Pudding

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
1 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup persimmon pulp (or applesauce or cocoa or plum pulp or whatever sounds good. FYI, fruit seems to work the best as it’s wet. Melted chocolate might be a better bet than cocoa, but cocoa should work too.)
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix flour, soda, salt, and cinnamon together and set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, including the flour mixture, and beat it until everything is well incorporated.
Butter your cake pan. Pour in the batter and steam the pudding for an hour and a half. Cool and remove from the mold. Slice and serve with sweetened whipped cream.

Açaí (ah-sigh-ee) is the high-energy berry of a special Amazon palm tree. Harvested in the rainforests of Brazil, it tastes like a vibrant blend of berries and chocolate.  Açaí is packed full of antioxidants, amino acids and essential fatty acids.

Some of the health benefits associated with the acai berry are the following: an increase in sustained energy, help with healthy cholesterol management, improvement of digestive system and strengthening of the immune system.

Acai is known to be a rich source of compounds called anthocyanins. The berry is also a source of protein and dietary fiber, in addition to high levels of both omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, thought to have a protective effect on the heart and cardiovascular system.  It has been recognized as one of the foremost superfoods for anti-aging. The amino acids and trace minerals that are found in acai help slow down the destructive effects to the skin which cause the signs of aging.

The acai berry is widely acknowledged to have the highest nutritional value of any fruit in the world and is packed with several other ingredients including fiber, protein, vitamins B, C and E, potassium, magnesium, calcium and iron.

There are many great recipes when it comes to the Acai fruit.  Pick and choose ingredients to mix together until you find a dish that suits your tastes.

When our immune system is run down, we run the risk of catching a cold, or worse, the flu. Getting plenty of rest is key to getting well.  Remember also that what you eat may help prevent or treat these common illnesses.  Try one of these seven ideas below, and you just may avoid getting sick this season.

1. Chicken soup: It’s been called nature’s penicillin and is at the top of the list for its curative powers. Hot chicken soup helps clear clogged airways, and the nourishing broth will give you more energy.  Chicken soup does a body good!

2. Hot and spicy food: Go ahead and break up congestion with a bowl of chili.  Hot Mexican or Indian foods are also good congestion busters.

3. Garlic: Garlic contains a flavoring agent called alliin which acts as a decongestant.  When garlic cloves are eaten raw they have anti-viral, antibacterial, and immune boosting benefits.

4. Fluids: Stay hydrated with plenty of liquids!! Hot beverages work better for some people, so consider chamomile or peppermint herbal tea, or sip on hot water with a slice of lemon.

5. Citrus fruits: Citrus fruits like orange and lemon is highly effective to fight common cold. Lemon is considered a cough suppressant and can help ease a scratchy or sore throat.

6. Ginger: Ginger root helps treat the coughing and fever that often accompany colds and flu.  Try making a ginger tea: Pour a cup of boiling water over 2 tablespoons of freshly grated ginger and let it steep for 5 to 10 minutes.

7. Vitamin C Sources: Vitamin C is a very good for the relief of cold symptoms and to help the body fight infection. The best source of vitamins is always fresh fruit and vegetables.  Stock up on fresh oranges, strawberries, grapefruit, pineapple and peppers.

Think of nutritious foods as part of your cold-and-flu armour, and you’ll be ready to do battle whenever illness strikes!

Ok, so we already covered how to deep fry a turkey, but no matter how you cook your turkey you have to carve it. And as you may know, any man whose job it is to carve a turkey immediately feels the pressure of living up to all the great turkey carvers that came before him.

So don’t be a wimp, watch this video from WashingtonPost.com’s food staff and get to carvin that bird!

With Thanksgiving coming up, I have been thinking a lot about turkey. One time on a ski trip to Mammoth we deep fried a turkey in our cabin’s driveway. Thankfully it was snowing so we didn’t worry too much about the fire hazard. I want to try it again with my family this year, but wanted to make sure to do it safely and properly. Who else to turn to but Food Network guru Alton Brown?!?! Watch these three videos and you will be fryin up in no time. Gobble Gobble.

There is a great scene in the movie Spanglish where Adam Sandler’s character is making a sandwich,a kind of over the top BLT. He is just finishing up and there is a great shot of him slicing it in half and you get to see the fried egg go running all over, fresh tomatoes, it’s insane. So anywho, it was originally designed by Thomas Keller, who apparently is like some kind of crazy man-genius because this sandwich is a must have. Make it at home, here is the recipe or you can just take the laptop to the kitchen and watch this video:

Remember on the last episode of The Next Food Network Star, where Adam had some dumb show where people would email in questions and like videoconference or something lame? Where he ended up making that AWESOME beer can chicken? Yeah, it was awesome. Here’s the recipe:

First make the rub:
1 cup kosher salt
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup smoked paprika
1/2 cup chili powder
1 tablespoon dried rosemary (crushed slightly with spice mill)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1/2 cup granulated garlic

Throw all that in a mixing bowl and mix with your hands. Yeah, that’s right your hands

Then take the beer (I’m pretty certain any beer would do, he used Old Chubb) and pour half in the roasting pan. Add some garlic cloves, rosemary and about a tablespoon of rub to the beer IN the can. Situate the bird on top of the can and transfer to the roasting pan. Tuck the wings so they are behind the bird and put on the lowest rack in your oven. Cook like you would any other roaster at 350 ‘ for probably about 1 & 1/2 - 2 hours depending on the size.

Wasn’t Adam going to get his own show even though he lost? He’s not on the little scroller thingie on the front of FoodNetwork.com, guess his tapings in LA didn’t go so well.

No more mess no more burning your hands flipping bacon in a pan. No more cleaning the microwave. Be sure to use tin foil on the pan and you don’t have to do any dishes at all. Best thing is, you can get the rest of your breakfast going while your bacon is cooking to perfection. Set it and forget it, ready?