HASTY TASTY MEALS BLOG

February 3, 2016 · 1:41 pm

Stop the Rumors!

Legendary Cookies

Long before the Internet or social media, an urban legend circulated about a woman charged $250 when she asked Neiman Marcus Cafe for its cookie recipe. Her revenge was to circulate the recipe worldwide. Neiman Marcu s is innocent of gouging anyone for a recipe and now prints it online for all to enjoy, but this urban legend persists. You’ll find it in Facebook posts and emails. In fact, I saw it again today on Facebook.

Stop the rumors! Share this post with your friends.

The cookie recipe is a good one, although I reserve baking these cookies for the holidays. Too rich with calories for me! The first time I baked these, I took them to a covered dish Christmas party at our church. They disappeared quickly, and I had numerous requests for my secret recipe.

Here it is typed from my tattered Xerox copy I got in my Atlanta office in 1991. A tin of these cookies makes a terrific gift.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
4 cups flour
5 cups oatmeal (blended to a fine powder)
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
24 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 8 oz.-Hershey chocolate bar, grated
3 cups chopped pecans (or walnuts)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°.
Cream butter and both sugars.
Add eggs and vanilla.
Mix in flour, blended oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
Fold in chocolate chips, Hershey bar, and nuts.
Roll into balls (approximately 3/4″ diameter) and arrange two inches apart on a cookie sheet.
Bake for 10 minutes.

Yield: 100+ cookies

Note: This recipe is neither hasty nor healthful, but it sure is tasty!

2 Comments

Filed under Cookies, desserts, Healthful Eating, pastries

Tagged as Neiman Marcus cookies, Recipes

December 28, 2015 · 8:19 am

Individual Pot Pies

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I look for ways to make my post-holiday dinner life easier, and one of those hasty tasty meals is individual turkey pot pies. These are great make-ahead dishes made easier by using a can of crescent rolls dough. It’s also a great use-up of leftover side dishes. Use whatever vegetables you have. Here is how I made mine:

Recipe

Individual Turkey Pot Pies
(makes 4-6, depending on the size of your oven proof dishes. I used Corningware)

Ingredients:

3 cups cubed cooked turkey

2 carrots, diced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup beans

1 cup whole kernel corn

1 cup mushrooms

1 cup green beans

1½ cups leftover gravy (or use cream of chicken soup)

1 can refrigerated crescent rolls or similar prepared dough product

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a large skillet, saute the carrots, celery, and onion. Cook for ten minutes.

Meanwhile, prep individual baking dishes with cooking spray, and roll out the crescent roll dough. Cut portions of dough to fit the tops of each dish. (Note: Dough shouldn’t completely cover the dish unless you cut several vent holes)

To the skillet, add garlic and stir. Then stir in the turkey and all other vegetables. Cover and simmer until all vegetables are tender but don’t overcook.

Stir the gravy into the skillet mixture. Add water if mixture is too tight or stiff. Cover and remove skillet from heat.

Spoon pie filling in equal portions into each baking dish. Top with the dough.

Place all baking dishes on a baking sheet and place on the center rack of the oven. Time for 40 minutes.

Check pot pies. If dough is browned, remove the baking sheet carefully from the oven and allow the pot pies to cool for ten minutes.

Serve on a plate to protect your dining table and to allow guests to add sides such as leftover cranberry sauce or dressing. Enjoy!

Spaghetti Squash

Vegetable Impastas

Lately we’re reading or hearing a lot about spiral vegetable slicing, such as zucchini noodles using the SpiraLife or Spiralizer gadget. But don’t forget the spaghetti squash. It may not make perfect noodles–in fact, its flesh more closely resembles rice–yet it’s a good substitute for your favorite pasta.

Cooking spaghetti squash is easy, especially with a microwave oven. Using a sharp knife, puncture the skin in five or six places. Put the squash in a microwave-safe dish and cook on high for six minutes (Times vary depending on the model of your oven). Slice open, remove seeds and pulp, and then pull the flesh into “spaghetti” using a fruit spoon. Top and serve!

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In this slideshow, I topped with scallops scampi and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Spaghetti squash offers a delicious way to sneak a serving of vegetables into the meal no matter what toppings or sauce you use.

1 Comment

Filed under Healthful Eating, pasta dishes, scallops, Vegetables

Tagged as cooking, Recipes

November 22, 2015 · 4:35 pm

Share the Pot

(No, no, no. This isn’t a post about passing around a marijuana joint. This is a food blog, remember? LOL)

When preparing your dinner, especially a large meal for entertaining, minimize your clean up by cooking foods with similar cooking times together. For instance, I often steam broccoli in the skillet with my salmon fillet.

The key is similar cooking time. You can control cooking time by the sizes of your food. For instance, a whole potato takes much longer to cook through than a diced potato.

Today I served green beans and carrots as my two sides. I prepped the green beans and placed them in the bottom of my pressure cooker pot, along with the recommended amount of water. Then I added my rack and basket. I keep my carrots above the liquid yet in the same pot. (I season each vegetable separately)

After bringing my pressure cooker to pressure, I timed for eight minutes, quick-released the pressure, and served. (Cooking time varies depending on your pressure cooker. Mine is 10 psi. Some are 15 psi.) If you don’t use a pressure cooker, you can still share the pot. Just triple your cooking time.