My “flair” begin to show when I was five. This was when HBO first started as a brown box on top of the TV. It played only two movies which you changed with the switch on top of the box and there the whole thing began, Urban Cowboy. Day in and day out, I sat on the arm of sofa pretending to ride that mechanical bull. As the year went on so did my “flair”, I would only wear jeans, a plaid, ruffle shirt and cowboy boots…everyday, all day. My dad told me he was going on a business trip to Houston and I begged him to bring me a Gilley’s tank top. That year, my photo with Santa featured yours truly dressed like Sissy (Debra Winger). 

On Friday nights, my parents would settle in to watch Dallas and I would sit on the stairs, peering through the railing and watch Pam go to work at ‘The Store’ in that little red Mercedes. One Christmas, when I was in college, I asked for Sue Ellen glasses. She drank her cocktails out of tall skinny glasses, it was fabulous. Some would say this was a fascination more than “flair” but it grew. I loved all things Texas, Dallas, Southfork, Neiman Marcus, Gilley’s and Urban Cowboy, which to this day I can recite line by line.

So I followed my flair and after college, moved to Texas. It was like seeing the ocean for the first time, magic! I soaked it up and cultivated my “flair”. I made friends that I still consider family, learned about true Texas food and made my trips to ‘The Store’, of course only in Texas could Neiman Marcus be referred to as ‘The Store’. Texans take pride in being bigger and better in everything they do. So, in the biggest, best store why would you not find the most perfect cookie? 

Here’s my version of the Neiman Marcus cookie:

The Famous (not Amos) Cookie

2013-12-15 08:54:34

My version of the Neiman Marcus cookie. Oatmeal, pecans, dark and semi-sweet chocolate.

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Ingredients

1. 2 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2. 1/2 cup oatmeal, coarsely ground
3. 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
4. 1 tsp salt
5. 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
6. 3/4 cup sugar
7. 3/4 cup light brown sugar
8. 2 eggs
9. 1 tsp vanilla
10. 1 tsp espresso powder
11. 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
12. 1 cup dark or bittersweet chocolate chips
13. 1 cup pecan pieces

Instructions

1. In a small bowl combine flour, coarsely ground oatmeal, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, use a mixer, to cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in two eggs, vanilla and espresso powder.
3. Pour the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients and gently mix until ingredients are combined.
4. Stir in pecan pieces and chocolate chips.
5. Place dough in the fridge for about 30 minutes to firm up the dough.
6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper.
7. Form about a one inch ball for each cookies and place on cookie sheet.
8. Bake for 12-14 minutes. I like a softer cookie so I take them out around 12 minutes. If you like a crunchier cookie just bake a bit longer.
9. Transfer baked cookies onto a wire rack to cool.

Notes

1. Chilling the dough makes a bit thicker cookie and they seem to hold their shape better. I always use parchment paper for cookie baking. It helps the bottom of the cookie from getting too brown and clean-up is way easier!

http://lolleighcooks.com/

 And one last thing…

It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? I’ve been working on updating lolleighcooks! It seems when you go through major life changes, you want everything to look different…brighter and better. There’s still some work to be done here, well really everywhere, but I just couldn’t wait to get back to cooking, writing and reconnecting with my roots. Take a look around, read about me, the hilariously true stories and really good food (that is most of the time on the healthy side).

Take a gander, if you missed the latest…The Pie To End All Pies

 Oh, how my Nana loved Thanksgiving. For her, it was quite the affair and each year she would out do her self from the previous year. Of course, there were the ever evolving cheese balls to snack on, one year she sent formal invitations to us all but the year of all years was a doozie!

See Nana loved a good casserole and there would easily be a half dozen different varieties at the Thanksgiving table. As usual, I bounced into her kitchen to see what assortment of casseroles were in the line up. She whispered quietly to me…”Darrrrling…I do believe I lost a straight pin in one of these casseroles”. So everyone gathered around a lovely table, ready with plates full of those casseroles, when Nana graciously informed her guest to keep an eye on their plates for that missing straight pin. That may have been the most scrutinized Thanksgiving meal ever eaten.

So in lieu of sharing a casserole for your Thanksgiving table, I’m giving you the pie of all pies (straight pin not included). The first time I ever tasted this pie, it was delivered hot to my door in a pie box, yes a pie box, by a dear friend and she kindly shared the recipe. The only other person I have shared this recipe with is my sister. She routinely brings it to Thanksgiving claiming all the glory of this pie. So it will be just between us if you do the same thing. Like I said, it’s the pie to end all pies. Enjoy!

Coconut Derby Pie

2013-11-26 21:01:30

The pie of all pies. Chocolate chips, pecans and coconut.

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Ingredients

1. 1 stick margarine, melted ( yes margarine)
2. 1 cup sugar
3. 2 eggs
4. 1 tsp vanilla extract
5. 1/2 cup all purpose flour
6. 1 cup chocolate chips
7. 1 cup pecan pieces
8. 1 cup coconut

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Melt margarine in a large bowl
3. Add sugar, flour, eggs and vanilla then combine until smooth
4. Stir in chocolate chips, pecans and coconut
5. Pour into a pie crust and place on a cookie sheet
6. Bake for 40-45 until pie is golden brown and the center is set

Notes

1. I almost always use a frozen pre-made pie crust for this recipe. I let the pie crust thaw a bit while I am getting the filling ready.
2. Since two pie crusts come in a package, you can easily double the recipe.

http://lolleighcooks.com/

Thanks for reading and sharing. It’s been fun getting lolleighcooks back up to speed and I look forward to sharing stories and recipes with y’all. We’re still a bit under construction with the site but I just couldn’t resist a Thanksgiving post!

The first time I ever had tart frozen yogurt was on a mother-daughter trip to New York City. Mama and I had shopped till our feet were numb, there was some brief crying on Broadway in Midtown Manhattan but we were determined to make it to Bloomingdale’s. Like all Southern women, we forged ahead for the greater good, which was shopping the shoes at Bloomies!

We landed ourselves in Forty Carrots for an iced tea break and discovered tart frozen yogurt. As we sat, swollen feet and all, going on and on over this delicious treat. Out of the corner of my eye, not staring of course because that’s rude, I noticed a lady enjoying her iced tea and tart yogurt. She looked so familiar, all I could peg is that she was a Southern mama.

For the next few days, mama and I found ourselves at Forty Carrots enjoying our new-found gem, that tart frozen yogurt. Low and behold that same lady would be sitting right there minding her manners and enjoying that yogurt too! It was Celia Weston, an actress that has built a career on playing Southern mama’s.

Recipe:

1 1/2 cup 0% Fage Greek yogurt

3/4 cup 2% Fage Greek yogurt

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup buttermilk

2 tbsp light Karo syrup

In a small bowl, stir together sugar and water. Microwave for 1 minute then stir to make sure sugar is dissolved. Add buttermilk, stirring well and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine yogurts, simple syrup mixture and Karo syrup. Whisk until well blended and smooth. Pour directly into ice cream maker and follow instructions for maker.

This Cuisinart Ice Cream Maker is one of my favorites. It is around $50 and you can usually find it at Macy’s or Williams-Sonoma. The best part is that it makes ice cream in just 20 minutes!

Best if served immediately.

I usually end a post with a few notes about the recipe but instead here are a few words of wisdom from my Southern mama:

Put some lipstick on, you need to brighten up your face.

Never wear white before Easter or after Labor Day.

It is never too soon to write a thank you note for anything.

No matter what, always keep a pleasant look on your face.

Always mind your manners no matter where you are.

]]> http://lolleighcooks.com/?feed=rss2&p=856 2 http://lolleighcooks.com/?p=808 http://lolleighcooks.com/?p=808#comments Thu, 21 Jul 2011 13:22:01 +0000 http://lolleighcooks.com/?p=808 Peach-Blueberry Bread Pudding

I’m not talking beauty queens y’all, these beauties are Chilton County peaches! One of my most treasured southern landmarks is just off 65 south right in the heart of Alabama. Clanton may be proud of their peach queens but the Peach Park is the real crown jewel!

Every year as we make our way to the white sands of the gulf coast, the stop at the Peach Park is almost more important than getting to the beach. You don’t eat breakfast, hop in the car, and make a beeline for exit 205, all the while planning what you’re gonna eat first and what you’ll take for later.

Recipe:

5 cups french bread, cubed into 1″ pieces

2 tbsp butter

3 cups low-fat buttermilk

2 eggs

1/3 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups fresh peaches, sliced

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

2 tbsp light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cube or tear French bread into 1″ pieces to make 5 cups and place in a large bowl. Pour buttermilk over cubed bread, gently toss to make sure buttermilk is evenly soaking into bread and let sit for about 2o minutes.

Slice about 3 large peaches, enough for 2 cups then add blueberries. Toss with brown sugar and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar and vanilla and set aside. Then put 2 tbsp of butter into a 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish and place in the preheated oven. Once butter melts, remove dish from oven.

While the butter is melting, add egg mixture to buttermilk soaked bread and combine gently. Then fold in peaches and blueberries.

Pour mixture into baking dish with melted butter and bake for 1 to 1 1/2 hours until center is set and the edges have pulled away from the baking dish.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.

Notes:

I used an 8×8 baking dish because I like a thicker bread pudding, so it will require about an hour and a half of baking time.

You won’t need the entire loaf of French bread, just enough for 5 cups. Do what any good southern girl would and spread pimento cheese on the leftover bread!

Life is a funny thing – full of ups and downs, great joy and sorrow, heartache and love. A mother’s greatest gift to her child are roots and wings to navigate this sometimes bumpy life and I find myself using these tools more than ever these days.

I am grateful to be a mother today but I am even more grateful to the woman who taught me how to be a mother. It’s funny that at age 36, I need her just as much today as my 14 month old needs me.

We love you to the moon and back – Happy Mother’s Day!

Recipe:

1/2 cup almonds, dry roasted and unsalted

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp cinnamon

3 tbsp butter

1 – 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk, fat free

2 eggs, separated

1/3 cup lemon juice, fresh

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp sugar

strawberries and whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Grind almonds in a food processor until finely ground. Combine almonds with graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.

Press mixture into a tart pan with a removable bottom. Make sure to firmly pack the crust down with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 5 minutes and then let cool.

In small bowl, whisk together condensed milk, egg yolks, lemon juice and lemon zest and then set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.

Fold egg whites into the condensed milk mixture and the pour into the tart pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until center is set. Let cool for an hour on a wire rack and then transfer to fridge and let chill for another hour before serving.

Serve with whipped cream and a strawberry.

“It’s not that chocolates are a substitute for love, love is a substitute for chocolate. Chocolate is, let’s face it, more reliable than a man.”

- Miranda Ingram

For better or worse, in sickness and in health, these little gems are tops on my list of comfort foods. Since I can remember, a batch of this 5 minute miracle can make even the worst day seem a bit more bearable.

Next time you are faced with a broken heart or a bad case of PMS, head straight to the kitchen and in 5 minutes you’ll be on your way to a happier place!

Recipe:

2 tbsp butter, unsalted

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp cocoa powder

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla

2 tbsp peanut butter

1 1/4 cup oatmeal, quick cooking

Over medium-high heat, combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Stir well until butter is melted. Stirring occasionally, allow to come to a rolling boil. Once a rolling boil starts, let cook for exactly 2 minutes.

After the mixture has boiled for 2 minutes, remove from heat and immediately stir in vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal.

Quickly drop spoonfuls of mixture onto wax paper. The cookies will harden as they cool.

Notes:

In the event of a chocolate emergency, don’t even bother dropping onto wax paper, just dive in with a spoon.

If you can wait until the cookies cool, top one with a spoonful of peanut butter.

Need more chocolate, this recipe can easily be doubled.

When the temperature drops, my visits to Starbucks increase significantly for my daily dose of chai lattes. In the summertime, the southerner in me wants iced tea but since I am southerner living in Ohio – it’s cold and I need a hot drink!

So on my frequent trips to Starbucks, I stumbled upon a new obsession – petite vanilla scones. Bite size and buttery, I knew I needed to figure out a way to lighten these babies up or I would have a little extra ‘winter padding’ to work off.

Recipe:

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 cup sugar

2 tbsp butter, unsalted and at room temperature

1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk

1 egg

1 whole vanilla bean, use half for scones

In a large bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt and sugar. Drop in room temperature butter cut into small cubes and combine using a fork or pastry cutter. The mixture will become crumbly when the butter is incorporated.

Cut a whole vanilla bean and cut in half. Take one half of the bean and cut a slit down the center. Fold back the sides and then run a knife down the inside of the bean to scrape away the vanilla bean paste.

In a small bowl combine beaten egg, buttermilk and vanilla bean paste from half of the vanilla bean. Pour the mixture into the flour and lightly mix together. Batter will still be a little crumbly.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly a few times until a dough ball forms. Then roll out to 3/4″ thickness, creating a rectangle shape with the dough. Cut into 24 small triangles.

Place scones on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Transfer scones onto a wire rack and let cool a few minutes before topping with vanilla glaze.

For vanilla bean glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

3 tbsp low-fat buttermilk

other half of vanilla bean

In a small bowl, add powdered sugar and vanilla bean paste from other half of vanilla bean. Add buttermilk one tablespoon at a time, whisking after each addition making sure glaze doesn’t get too thin.

Dip the top of the scone in glaze and place back on wire rack to let harden. There will probably be some leftover glaze, wait until the first layer of glaze has hardened and then drizzle remaining glaze over scones.

Notes:

I always try to use some whole wheat flour when baking. It seems to be a bit drier than regular flour so a little extra liquid may be needed especially when making muffins or breads.

Curious about the calorie content of these little gems, I used the recipe builder on My Food Diary, each scone was roughly 80 calories and 2 grams of fat.

“The cure for anything is salt water – sweat, tears or the sea”

-Isak Dinesen

This is one of my mom’s favorite quotes, she uses it often and I always think of her when I run across it but I like to think that chocolate should be included as a cure-all. Having a bad day, PMS, happy, sad – chocolate covers all the bases. Even the smell or a little nibble can perk you right up.

I have never understood people who don’t like chocolate. To me that sounds just crazy but I am a self-admitting choc-a-holic, always have been, always will be and after all Valentine’s Day is the one holiday that promotes eating chocolate.

Enjoy!

Recipe:

4 egg whites

3 cups powdered sugar

5 tbsp cocoa powder, unsweetened

3 oz good quality dark chocolate, unsweetened and melted

1 tsp espresso powder

1/2 tsp salt, kosher

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt and espresso powder and set aside.

Beat egg white to soft peaks with a mixer on medium-high, about 2 minutes.

Add a third of the sugar mixture to egg whites, mixing on medium speed, about 30 seconds until just incorporated. Repeat two more times.

In a small bowl, melt dark chocolate in microwave. Let cool for a minute then slowly add to the batter, mixing on medium speed until just combined.

Gently fold in chocolate chips. At this point, the batter is very light almost like a mousse.

Drop spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 16-18 minutes.

Let cool on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Notes:

These are a flourless chocolate cookie that I first discovered at Whole Foods. It probably took 5 attempts before I figured out a recipe that was close to the chewies at Whole Foods. I added espresso powder and dark chocolate for a richer cookie.

I found the espresso powder at Williams-Sonoma. It’s a great addition to any chocolate recipe, adding a richer taste to the chocolate.

Everyone should have a signature color! Julia Robert’s character Shelby in Steel Magnolias proclaimed hers to be blush and bashful. My mom says hers is taupe and peach…she sent me and my sis for a pedi in this off the beaten path nail salon while sitting there we realized why she raved about this place – the decor – taupe and peach!

And of course there’s me. I love orange. This is not because I was raised a Tennessee Vol. It’s a beautiful, bright and chic color. Take a look… 

Recipe:

4 oz. neufatchel cheese or reduced fat cream cheese, softened

1 cup 0% Fage greek yogurt

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1/4 c. sugar

1 egg white

1 tbsp. flour

1/4 tsp. orange zest

Vanilla Wafers

Muffin Cups (I like the no pan needed kind)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Cream together cream cheese and yogurt until smooth. Add in the next 5 ingredients. Blending well.

Place a vanilla wafer in the bottom of each  muffin cup and place them on a cookie sheet. Fill cups with about a 1/4 cup of the cream cheese mixture. This will yield about 8 mini cheesecakes.

Bake in oven for 25 minutes  – the center should be set. Place cup on a wire rack and cool completely before putting in the fridge.

Notes:

I love the organic vanilla wafers at Whole Foods – they are delicious and super crunchy. You could certainly substitute a reduced fat vanilla wafer.

This recipe can be easily doubled. I like to make small batches of sweets so I don’t over indulge!