Nieman-Marcus Cookies

I wanted to make cookies today (a Sunday afternoon tradition)--but felt the need to try a new recipe--partly because I like to try new recipes and partly because I have been getting some flack for not posting any recipes lately (although the 4 I posted today should make up for the slow pace as of late). Thankfully, when I checked my email today, Marc's cousin's wife had sent this recipe to me. Thanks Sandee!

Nieman-Marcus Cookies

(A recipe that has been floating around on the internet. Don't know if it's THE actual NM recipe, but it is good, nonetheless)

2 c. butter

2 c. brown sugar

2 c. white sugar

4 eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

4 c. flour

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

5 c. oatmeal (once measured, blend it in a blender into fine flour)

8 oz. Hershey bar, grated

3 c. chopped nuts (optional) (I used about 1/2 this of chopped pecans)

Cream the butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture.
Mix in ground oatmeal.
Add grated chocolate, chocolate chips and nuts.
Roll into balls and place on greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes.

(recipe can be cut in half...but why would anyone do that?!)

Broiled Soy-Glazed Pork with Rice and Asian Vegetables

We came home from church today and I could hear Marc's stomache rumbling--he was HUNGRY. Seriously hungry. To satisfy this type of hunger, he always wants our typical Sunday dinner...roast & mashed potatoes. However, I already planned on trying this new recipe for dinner. He was not-so-secretly disappointed. However, after all the pouting and eating was over, he said he loved it and thought this meal was great. Hope you do too!

Broiled Soy-Glazed Pork with Rice and Asian Vegetables
(MS EveryDay Food, April 2008)
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=11fb8db237588110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_1&autonomy_kw=broiled+soy+glazed+pork

1 1/2 cups long-grain white rice
8 ounces snow peas, trimmed
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 bunch scallions, ends trimmed, cut crosswise into 3-inch lengths
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, such as safflower
1/4 cup soy sauce
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pork tenderloin (1 to 1 1/4 pounds), halved crosswise
1/4 cup honey

Cook rice according to package instructions; cover, and set aside. Meanwhile, heat broiler, with rack set 4 inches from heat. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss snow peas, carrots, bell peppers, and scallions with oil and 2 tablespoons soy sauce; season with salt and pepper.
Place pork on top of vegetables, and season with salt, pepper, and 1 tablespoon honey. Broil until pork and vegetables begin to char, 6 to 8 minutes. Toss vegetables, and turn pork; drizzle pork with 1 tablespoon honey.
Continue to broil until an instant-read thermometer inserted in thickest part of pork registers 145 degrees and vegetables are charred in spots, 6 to 8 minutes, tossing vegetables once more. Remove from broiler. Cover with aluminum foil, and let rest, 10 minutes.
In a small bowl, make sauce: Stir together remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce and honey. Thinly slice pork, and serve with vegetables, rice, and sauce.

CONFESSION: I used a bag of frozen "Asian Vegetables" which already had some sort of glaze on them--so I omitted the vegetable seasonings. I also used a bag of frozen, streamable white rice--those two cheats made this meal SUPER simple to throw together, but tasted like I spent a bit of time on it!

Cream Cheese Streusel Bars

These are REALLY good. I got the recipe from "Light & Tasty", whose premise is to take a recipe and then use all low/no fat ingredients to make it "light." However, I used good ol' FULL fat ingredients--maybe that's why they were so good.
Wish I would have taken a picture of these--they turn out picture worthy--we just ate them too fast. You can click on the link to see the recipe and picture on it's own site.
FYI: I doubled the recipe and used a jellyroll pan, which worked great!

Cream Cheese Streusel Bars
(Light & Tasty, April/May 2007)
http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Makeover-Cream-Cheese-Streusel-Bars

1-1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold butter
1 package (8 ounces) reduced-fat cream cheese
1 can (14 ounces) fat-free sweetened condensed milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the confectioners' sugar, flour, cocoa and salt; cut in butter until crumbly. Set aside 1/2 cup for topping; press remaining crumb mixture into an 11-in. x 7-in. x 2-in. baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 325° for 8-12 minutes or until set.

In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, milk, egg and vanilla until blended. Pour over crust. Bake for 15 minutes. Top with reserved crumb mixture; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until filling is set. Cool on a wire rack. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 15 servings.

Lemon-Lime Cake

This is super easy & fast--perfect for the last minute dessert I needed to bring with dinner to a family in need.

Lemon-Lime Cake
(I have NO idea--it was just printed on a piece of paper I had in my stack of recipes)

1 lemon cake mix
1 c. water
1 1/2 Tblspn. lime zest
4 eggs
1/2 c. oil
1 small pkg. instant lemon pudding
3 drops green food coloring (optional)

Mix all together adn pour into greased and floured bundt pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and pour glaze over hot cake.

Glaze:
1/3 c. sugar
1/4 c. lime juice

Let cake sit for about 10 minutes, then serve.

Chicken Fajita Tostadas with Cilantro-Lime Rice

Everything I post on this blog we have tried and liked. Some more than others. These recipes I REALLY liked (just imagine me saying "mmmmm, good" with every bite). Once I was eating these, I realized they aren't complicated and should have been something I could come up with on my own....but no, I had to wait for this recipe to show up in Martha Stewart's EveryDay Food. I was sad I wasn't home for lunch today to have them as leftovers........can't wait for tomorrow!

P.S. I took a picture of the rice, but quickly realized that the pictures in the magazine (or online) were MUCH better than mine, so I am not posting the photos I took. If you are a visual person like me, check out the links below for pictures.

Chicken Fajita Tostadas
(MS EveryDay Food, April 2008)
http://www.marthastewart.com/portal/site/mslo/menuitem.fc77a0dbc44dd1611e3bf410b5900aa0/?vgnextoid=5f2c8db237588110VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default&rsc=header_1&autonomy_kw=chicken-fajita+tostadas

2 medium onions, thinly sliced
2 bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), thinly sliced
1 box (10 ounces) frozen corn kernels
1 cup prepared fresh salsa
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
4 corn tortillas (6-inch)
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Cilantro-Lime Rice, for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil. On foil, combine onions, bell peppers, corn, 1/4 cup salsa, and 1 tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are tender and lightly browned, 15 to 20 minutes. Add chicken, stir to combine, and continue to roast until warmed through, 5 minutes more.

Transfer chicken and vegetable mixture to a serving bowl, discarding foil (reserve sheet).

Arrange tortillas on sheet. Dividing evenly, brush with remaining tablespoon oil; top with cheese. Bake until edges are golden and cheese is melted, 5 to 8 minutes.

Dividing evenly, top tortillas with chicken-vegetable mixture and remaining 3/4 cup salsa.

Serve with cilantro-lime rice, if desired


This rice is a great alternative to the more traditional Spanish/Mexican rice. Loved it!
Cilantro-Lime Rice
(MS EveryDay Food, April 2008)
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/cilantro-lime-rice?lnc=861c3358f23ee010VgnVCM1000003d370a0aRCRD&rsc=recipecontent_food

1 cup long-grain white rice
Coarse salt
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add rice and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cover, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until water is absorbed and rice is just tender, 16 to 18 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a blender, combine cilantro, lime juice, oil, garlic, and 2 tablespoons water; blend until smooth. Stir into cooked rice, and fluff with a fork.

Penne with Tomatoes, Pesto & Artichokes (& Sausage)

I had quite a challenge on my hands Friday night. My kids requested "noodles" for dinner (surprise, surprise), I had sausage I wanted to try, and a bottle of pesto I felt inclined to use. The problem: I had no real recipe to cook by. I could have thrown a few things together, but thought I'd go to this trusty site: www.epicurious.com Of course, I found a recipe, and it was good--as usual.

Penne With Tomatoes, Pesto & Artichokes
(Bon Appetite, July 1998)
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/PENNE-WITH-TOMATOES-PESTO-AND-ARTICHOKES-5454

1 6- to 7-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained
3 tablespoons oil reserved
1 large onion, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes in juice
1/2 cup purchased pesto
12 ounces penne pasta, freshly cooked
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Additional grated Parmesan cheese

Heat 3 tablespoons oil reserved from artichokes in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until onion is tender, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juices and artichokes. Simmer until sauce thickens slightly, about 8 minutes. Add pesto; simmer 1 minute longer.
Mix in pasta and ­ cup cheese. Season pasta with salt and pepper.Transfer pasta to large bowl. Serve, passing additional Parmesan separately.

My notes on this recipe are:
I only used a 14oz. can of diced tomatoes and therefore cut the pesto down to about 1/3 c.--there was still enough sauce to coat the pasta, but not be drenched in it.
I also added sausage. I was introduced to this yummy chicken, spinach & fontina cheese sausage by my friend Tamara...it is "Han's All Natural Gourmet Sausage". You can get it at Costco. It is precooked but can be grilled, broiled, microwaved, sauteed, etc. when you are ready to eat it. I sliced mine into 1/4 inch pieces and sauteed it with the onion and garlic in this recipe. Sidenote: Marc ate the other sausage for dinner the next night on a hot dog bun with catsup and mustard and loved it that way, too. It's good stuff!

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells

I am sure most of you already have a recipe similar to this one. It is a Mormon basic. But I make it pretty consistently and always freeze half, so I thought it would be a good post for those reasons. I got this recipe at an Enrichment night on freezer meals--and this definitely freezes well. Amounts can easily be adjusted to make more, too!

Taco Stuffed Pasta Shells
(wish I could remember names, but it was someone in our Boise, ID ward a few years back)

16 jumbo dried pasta shells
1 lb. ground beef
1 pkg. taco seasoning mix
1 can refried beans
1 jar salsa
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. green onion, sliced
sour cream, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook beef in large skillet until brown; drain. Add seasoning mix and follow directions on package; cook over low heat until thickened. Add beans and 1/2 c. cheese; mix well.
Spread 1/4 cup salsa over bottom of two 8-inch square baking dishes. Cook pasta shells according to package directions. Fill pasta shells with beef mixture; place half of the shells in each dish, filled side up. Spoon remaining salsa over shells in both pans.
Cover one baking dish with plastic wrap, then overwrap with foil. Label and freeze for up to 2 months.
Cover remaining dish with foil. Bake for 40 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle with green onions and remaining cheese. Serve wtih sour cream.

TO BAKE FROZEN SHELLS: Store baking dish in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove plastic wrap; recover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Sprinkle with 1/4 c. green onions and 1/4 c. shredded cheese. Serve with sour cream. Makes 4 servings.