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#PartyLikeAMadMan: Beef Wellington

April 3, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 43 Comments

I’ve long been a fan of Mad Men since day one. Every season I’ve committed a Sunday evening to taking a look back at the 50s & 60s “Ad Age” through the eyes of Don Draper, his merry men and the not-so-merry lives of the women in the show. So now that the last season is here, I wanted to celebrate in the same class and style as I was watching on TV. So I’ve joined a few online friends across the world for the #PartyLikeAMadMen Virtual Finale Party as we all serve up something Mad-Men-like at home while we enjoy the premiere of the last season on April 5.

Actually, Mad Men has played a big part on trends over the last few years as fashion, food and lifestyle have all taken a borrow from something Joan Holloway might have worn or something Betty Draper may had prepared for dinner. Dinner back then wasn’t just a meal; it was an occasion and definitely a testament to the kind of life (and money) you were able to spend. Waldorf Salad, Oysters Rockefeller and Beef Wellington are all dishes from the 60s that only those in first-class would be able to serve and enjoy.

Made with a rich pastry crust, I’ve long wanted to make a Beef Wellington. Partly because it seemed so complicated; partly because the ingredients were so costly with pate, filet mignon and fresh mushrooms. However, with a little help from my meatman at the grocery store, I was able to use a bottom round beef roast for about $15 so all together my cost was like $25-$30 rather than $75. And if you were to order it at a restaurant, one plate still looks at around $50. So this recipe with my twist is a much more economical version that still gives you every bit of the indulgent experience that you expect from Beef Wellington.

Photo credit: http://madmen.wikia.com/wiki/Babylon

This recipe is based on the one found in *affiliate link*”The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook: Inside the Kitchens, Bars and Restaurants of Mad Men” by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin. As the part cookbook, part historical backgrounder, part series spotlight, the Beef Wellington makes an early appearance early in the show as part of Season 1, Episode 6, Roger Sterling and Joan Holloway partake in a “private meeting” in five-star hotel. The two spend time talk about royal foods like this entree, named of course after royalty itself, the First Duke of Wellington. While I won’t been eating mine in bed, I certainly appreciate the idea of dining on something so luxurious like Beef Wellington in my pjs.

With just a few of my own modifications, this recipe may not become part of my every Sunday feature, it definitely might make it back if I’m looking for something for a dinner party or better yet, a little tryst of my own with the hubs. Seemed to work for these two for at least a few seasons.

Beef Wellington

Print Recipe

Description

This recipe is also served with a brown sauce. Find the recipe for this in The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook.

Ingredients

Scale

Beef
1 sheet Puff Pastry (you could make your own or use Pepperidge Farms)
1 3-pound beef tenderloin OR 1 3-pound bottom roast
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 teaspoon ground pepper
1 egg with 1 tablespoon water for egg wash

Mushroom Filling

1 pound fresh mushroom, finely chopped
1/2 cop chopped onion
1/2 cup sherry or red wine
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup parsley, chopped
1/2 pound pate (won’t be used in mushroom filling but applied to beef before covering with mushrooms)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Rub filet/roast with butter and seasoning.
Place on a rack in shallow pan and bake for 20 minutes.
Remove filet to cooling rack and let stand still until cool, about 30 minutes. Pat with paper towel.
To make mushroom filling (duxelles), combine all ingredients except pate in small skillet and cook until onion is tender and all liquid is absorbed.
Roll pastry onto aluminium foil into 18×12-inch rectangle. Plate filet top down int he middle. Spread pate in a thin layer all over the beef. Then layer mushroom filling leaving a small margin around the sides.
Draw the long sides up to overlap on the bottom of the filet. Brush with egg wash to seal and brush egg wash over top and sides of pastry.
Reduce oven to 400 degrees. Using foil transfer the beef and place pastry seam side down on baking sheet. Remove foil and bake for 30 minutes until golden brown with a medium rare temperature for the meat.
Allow to cool for 15 minutes and then serve.

You’re invited to with us on Sunday, April 5, the Mad Men final season premiere. Food, cocktail and lifestyle bloggers worldwide will post a blog featuring food or drink from “The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook” or another recipe that has appeared on Mad Men.

Win your own copy of the “The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook” with this giveaway.

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Your New Favorite Brunch Recipes

March 20, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 35 Comments

Easter is always a great excuse to enjoy a big brunch, but who wants to eat the same ole thing? Here are your new favorite brunch recipes – perfect for Easter!

I love Easter for many reason, but one big one is BRUNCH! While there’s never anything wrong with scrambled eggs, there’s something awesome when you take it to the next level…as long, of course, that it doesn’t take 3 hours to make it and with as little clean up as possible.

Inspired by some of the timeless favorite breakfast dishes, here are some of the best and easiest brunch recipes you need to make right now.

Up the ante on the Quiche Lorraine by replacing it with hashbrowns. Now it’s not only low-carb, but a quiche that any man can’t fight.
Take all your favorite breakfast staples like eggs, meat, cheese and croissants and wrap them up in a loop for this Easter Wreath. (The kids will love helping you with this one and it looks real impressive!)
Blueberry Cream Danish? Your mouth is already watering, right? But here’s a shortcut you’ll have them in your mouth, start to finish in less than 20 minutes. REALLY.
Breakfast. Taco. Enchiladas. Two of my favorite recipes come together for one delicious casserole that you can make, freeze, cook and serve. Just look at the presentation. And that’s just the outside of the dish!
While technically this is a dessert, the kids won’t let you wait to make this Easter Egg Fruit Pizza made with cookie dough pizza and fruit to make a beautiful display!

With just a little bit of time, you’ll have some new favorite dishes that you’re family will be raving about for many Easters to come. And you might just have to make some of these a couple of times in between, too. Here’s the lowdown on how to make these as featured on Fox Good Day!

Just click on your favorite for the recipe!

Made for More than Walking: Lane Boots

February 18, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 17 Comments

Like most girls, I can appreciate a pretty shoe.

I don’t care who you are (and what kind of shoe you wear), there’s nothing sexier than a pair of ruby-soled Louboutins.

So when I came across a local boot maker that sported a turquoise sole, I totally appreciated the Texas twist on a pair of their designer cowboy boots. But the blue hue wasn’t the only standout I discovered about Lane Boots.

Like Louboutins each pair of Lane Boots has its own personality complete with unmatched design, first-class quality, and even a unique name to boot (pun intended.)

After lusting after each of the different looks searching for the pair that spoke to me, I decided I’d slide the studded, black calfskin tallboy on just to take a look. After all, this much “pretty” must really mean that comfort was never part of the design plan (and I hadn’t seen anything on their marketing materials that said so either.) But once my heel was in place, I was surprised at how comfortable the boot was. And a little walk around the room showed me that these weren’t your normal boots.

But then again nothing about Lane Boots is normal.

Based in Arlington, Texas, Lane Boots was born out of a business opportunity from entrepreneur Patrick Lane in 2007. After being a boot broker for another line of boots, he wanted to create a boot company that not only celebrated the rich tradition of well-made Western boots but showed “the attitude in your style and a smile on your face” when you wear them; and Lane Boots was born.

Just looking at the more than 300 different styles, each boot had so much detail from the sophisticated embroidery, hand-applied studding, and unique artisan inlay design. Although I don’t know much about how a boot is made, these bench-made beauties are like “artwork for your feet” as each pair is handcrafted from the motherland of fine boot making in Leon, Mexico at the Lane Boot manufacturing facility.

Even though comfort isn’t their selling proposition, like me, once you put a pair on, you know why you’ll be a customer for life. With a four-layer process of heel liner, heel cushion, insole and sole, you can tell these boots can be used for a lot more than a little walking…you’ll be ready to go all day in your Lane Boots.

However, good luck trying to decide on your first pair.

Lane Boots are available online or at several western wear and clothing retailers including 11 Main.

Get social with Lane Boots with Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.

Hello Fresh! Fresh Food Delivery

February 9, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 18 Comments

While people are more busy than ever, we are also much more cognizant of what we are putting in their bodies AND our children’s.

Thankfully, there’s been a resurgence in the concept of farmer’s markets; consumers demanding for fresh and organic groceries. However, with a little help from technology we now can have our veggies and eat ’em, too with fresh food delivery.

Hello Fresh, Plated and others have made it so easy to create delicious meals with fresh ingredients by not only setting your menu, preparing all the ingredients and then sending it straight to your door. All you have left to do is to put it in a pan and in about 20 minutes, dinner is served.

But here in DFW, an organization called the Cold Springs Farm isn’t just sending it to your door, but are bringing the farmer’s market directly to you – giving you the choice to purchase exactly what you want by picking your fruits and veggies right off their mobile market.

Photo: Cold Springs Farm

The Veggie Van (#TheFarmacy) offers organic, SEASONAL, local veggies and fruits! Delivery is included in the price. You can order one time, or you can set up automatic weekly, bi-weekly or monthly delivery. In order to shop from the Veggie Van you must be at home, however the Veggie Van driver will also select produce and leave it for you if you’re not available for delivery. The Veggie Van happily delivers to your office if that is better for you…

If someone wants to “shop” the Veggie Van, they place an order using this link: https://squareup.com/market/cold-springs-farm and then they’ll coordinate a delivery location!

No membership is required to shop the Veggie Van, it is a completely different entity than the farm’s CSA. The farm’s CSA is the best value, and membership is required. Cost is $335 for an 8-week session which meets in the cultural district of Fort Worth.

And soon they’ll also allow you to add Heritage poultry and pork from Cold Springs Farm, Grass-fed Natural beef from Grassy Ridge Natural Beef, and grass-fed lamb from Sterling Lamb to your order.

Now that you have all that delicious produce, you have tons of options for meals! I have a super easy and incredibly delicious dressing recipe that will pair well with your salad and roasted vegetables!

Valentine’s Day Crafts for the Kids

February 7, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 13 Comments

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about love, not money or spending countless hours finding the perfect “thing.” Instead spend time together making these Valentine’s Day Crafts for the Kids something that you’ll enjoy creating as much as you will enjoying eating them!

I featured these make-and-dos on Fox Good Day Saturday.

Heart-Shaped Cake

Using two cake mixes and a cookie cutter, make a cake or bread that gets to the “heart” of the matter with a secret heart! What a great way to celebrate the holiday or to give as a gift.

Valentine’s Day Lunch Box

Making a healthy lunch together makes it fun to prepare for the next day’s meal OR you can make it a surprise when they open their lunch box. Best of all it only takes a few minutes to pack this V-day lunch box. Using strawberries, cheese sticks and toothpicks, we’ve created these Cupid’s heart and arrows.

An added bonus: Healthy Valentine’s Day pouches that double as a healthy Valentines for your kids!

Red Velvet Oreo Cake Balls

Red Velvet anything is a win, but when paired with an Oreo cookie, it’s downright heavenly. I may have lost some pounds with Jenny Craig, but these cookies I found at Market Street better find a new home because they aren’t going to last more than a day at the rate they are going right now. With only three ingredients and almost no cooking, your kids will love making these Oreo Cookie Balls with their hands. The most important thing to remember: Buy at least two bags of Red Velvet Oreos – one to make the cake balls and another bag to eat. (Just saying…)

Get the Recipe Here

Love-themed Art

I love any time you can take a memory or personalized moment like using your kid’s hand and foot prints. We’ve used them for all kinds of adorable crafts, but this time we’ve made artwork that you might actually put on your wall all year long using just canvas, paint and a little patience!

Coffee-Filter Flowers

A beautiful bouquet of flowers are normally a #1 choice at Valentine’s Day, but let’s be honest, they die after only a week. Using some left-over coffee filters (remember those things you have in the back of the cabinet after you got your Keurig) and some tape, you can make your own custom-made flowers and they last forever! Add a little food coloring and you can even change colors!

For more Valentine’s Day make and do including BACON ROSES, check out these treats including a free printable!

Or if you’re really out of time, but want to show you love them, you can always pick up a heart-shaped Papa Murphy’s HeartBaker Pizza (now until Feb. 14), stick it in the oven and claim it as your own.

The pizza is made from scratch with fresh dough in the shape of a heart and is topped with traditional red sauce, generous portions of 100 percent whole milk mozzarella cheese and premium pepperoni slices. It’s perfect for busy moms and those who want to celebrate the occasion without a lot of work, but with that ‘extra something’ that’s quick, easy and served fresh to your family. Priced at $7-$8 depending on your Papa Murphy’s location, it’s a steal. Many locations are also offering a ‘Sweetheart Deal’ for $11 which includes the HeartBaker and a S’Mores dessert pizza.

Don’t worry, we won’t tell anyone.

Whatever you do, just remember to love it! After all, it’s Valentine’s Day!

Don’t miss this #mamachallenge moment:

Eggcellent: How to Make the Best Eggs

January 20, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 14 Comments

Want to make eggcellent eggs? It’s not as hard as you thing with these tips on how to make the best eggs!

Want to find out if you’re compatible with someone or get a group of people talking?

Ask them how they like their eggs.

I polled a big group of my friends and we got all kinds of answers and passionate ones at that.

Photo credit: Popsugar

Eggs are SO Good for You

Eggs are among the most nutritious foods on the planet. With Vitamin A, Vitamin B5, B12, B2, Vitamin D, Vitamin E, Vitamin K, Vitamin B6, Calcium, Zinc, Omega 3s and a whole nest of other healthy things your body needs. All from this simple oval that is only around 75 calories and high in protein. Now while eggs have cholesterol, it’s the HDL they raise which is the GOOD cholesterol, which lower the risk of heart disease, stroke and other various issues.

They also are very fulfilling! In one study I read of 30 overweight women, eating eggs instead of bagels for breakfast increased feelings of fullness and made them automatically eat fewer calories for the next 36 hours.

Difference Between Egg Types

One of the biggest questions asked is what is the difference between brown eggs and white eggs. I could give you a really long explanation…but long story short – one is brown, one is white.

However that’s not the only way you can slice and dice your eggs. Nowadays, the store has many options for your egg needs including:

Cage Free
Organic
Vegetarian
Free-Range
Pasteurized

Ways to Cook Eggs

Hard Boiled: An egg cooked in boiling water with the shell intact. Hard boiled eggs are cooked through until both the whites and yolk have completely set.
Omelet (Omelette): Eggs that have been beaten and then cooked quickly in a frying pan. Omelets are often folded over a filling of cheese, vegetables, meat, or a combination of items.
Over Easy: A fried egg that is flipped and cooked yolk side down only long enough to create a film over the top of the yolk, leaving the center of the yolk liquid.
Over Hard: A fried egg that is flipped and cooked yolk side down until the yolk has completely cooked through.
Poached: Eggs that have been removed from their shell and then cooked in a hot liquid. The cooking liquid can be water, broth, or any sauce. Poaching in water is often used as a way to cook eggs without having to use extra fat. Poaching in broth or sauce adds flavor to the cooked egg.
Scrambled: Raw egg whites and yolks are beaten together and then cooked in a skillet. The beaten egg mixture is gently agitated as it sets to create a curdled texture.
Shirred: Eggs that have been baked in a ramekin (sometimes with butter, cream or other sauces) until the whites have set but the yolk is still liquid.
Soft Boiled: An egg cooked in boiling water with the shell intact. Soft-boiled eggs are cooked only to the point at which the whites are set but the yolk is still liquid.
Sunny Side Up: A fried egg that is never flipped or cooked yolk side down. The whites cook until completely or partially set while the yolk remains liquid.
Eggs Benedict: An English muffin topped with ham or bacon, a poached egg and hollandaise sauce.

Tips to Make the Perfect Egg Every Time

Now here’s where it gets really good! You’ve probably fried, boiled, or scrambled an egg, but it didn’t work out the way you intended. While an egg seems so easy to cook, it’s all in the details. I mean there’s a reason most people enjoy eggs benedict when they go out to eat and not at home, right?

1. How to Boil an Egg: Ice water, old eggs and 12 minutes.

2. How to Poach an Egg: Fresh eggs and a mesh strainer not vinegar or salt make these eggs perfect.

3. How to Scramble an Egg: Key here is not to stir them too much.

4. How to Fry an Egg: Medium heat to evenly cook the egg and make sure to not bust the yolk!

5. How to Bake and Egg…in an Avocado!

Baked Eggs in Avocado

Print Recipe

Ingredients

Scale

1 ripe avocados
2 fresh eggs
1/8 teaspoon pepper
fresh herbs

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Slice the avocados in half, and take out the pit. Scoop out enough from the avocado to fit egg.
Place the avocados in a small baking dish.
Crack an egg into each avocado half.
Place in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the eggs set.
Remove from oven then season.

Other Great Ways to Eggs

Thanksgiving Leftovers English Muffins

Hatch Chile and Chorizo Breakfast Pie

Make Ahead Breakfast Casserole

Mini Quiches

Start Your Family Dinner Project with Healthy Comfort Favorites {Recipe}

January 7, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 12 Comments

At the bar. Standing next to the fridge. In stages throughout the night.

Is this the way your family eats dinner?

With all those busy family schedules – work, school, play and all that in between – it keeps us from being what we are supposed to be – a family!

The Family Dinner Project seeks to help all of us to get back to the things that matter like food, fun and conversation at mealtime. A program led by Project Zero at Harvard, the FDP is full of recipes, conversation starters and research to back up the basic concept that a family meal is good for the spirit, brain and health of a family. Actually 15 years of research shows families that eat together experience:

Better academic performance
Higher self-esteem
Lower risk of substance abuse
Lower risk of teen pregnancy
Lower risk of depression
Lower likelihood of developing eating disorders
Lower rates of obesity

So now that you know that you know that dinner time together is a good thing – give them something they can’t resist at dinner…fried chicken and macaroni and cheese!

But since it is a new year and a new you and you want to help your whole family be healthier, here are a few twists we’ve made to make sure that dinner doesn’t just taste a-mazing, but is also healthy, too!

I’ve taken fried chicken to new heights with this gluten-free oven fried chicken that uses gluten-free cereal for a crispy crust. And don’t worry, I didn’t forget the sauce either! Paired with this copy-cat signature recipe from a certain chicken spot that has an affinity for cows, you will be making this recipe again and again – and finding new reasons to put this sauce on everything. Add a little (or a lot) gluten-free mac n cheese (with a little healthy twist of winter squash), you will love your time together – eating, talking and just being together.

New Year New You with Weight Loss Helpers

January 2, 2015 By Autumn Rose Reo 3 Comments

None of these are endorsed by GMT or MamaChallenge as diet remedies, but the newest trends in support that viewers and readers have shared for weight management. Check with your doctor before starting any regimen or weight loss program.

The Cabbage Diet. The Hot Dog Diet. Or my personal favorite from The Devil Wears Prada, I Don’t Anything Diet Until I’m About to Pass Out and Eat a Cube of Cheese Diet.

PerezHilton.com

None of them sound good, but certainly have worked to help anyone have long-lasting weight loss. The reason why of course, is diets don’t work.

The last time I was on Good Morning Texas I shared the secret of a long marriage. Today I’m going to share the secret to losing weight: Eat healthy food, practice healthy lifestyle with exercise. Period.

But for many of us that’s a lot harder than it sounds!

However, people are realizing it’s about a lifestyle change; a mindset; a shift, to a healthier version of you!

So we asked our viewers and MamaChallenge.com readers to tell us what they are doing to lose or maintain weight and here’s what we found!

SKINNY STIX BY ZANTREX3

Actress, Host and Ex-Playboy bunny Jenny McCarthy is the spokesperson for Skinny Stix, a proprietary blend you add to 16 oz. water. 1-3 times a day.
SkinnyStix formula was originally designed for weight loss, but it’s been benefitting everyone for powerful appetite control, mood elevation, increased energy, fat burning, stamina, and improved focus.
Starting yesterday you can find Skinny Stix at Walmart for a pack of 21.

DAILY GREENS

Juicing is not a way to lose weight but help you to get in those fruits and vegetables you might not be getting in your regular diet. Take a look – this one bottle has 6 lbs of produce!
Austin-based Daily Greens is a raw, cold-pressed juicing company with products available for sale at Whole Foods and other specialty stores as well as online for nationwide, overnight delivery.
Shauna Martin created this company after being diagnosed with breast cancer at 33 and discovered juicing was her way to restore her health.

ADVOCARE

A locally based company, Advocare has a strong reach – I bet many of our viewers have tried it or know someone who sells the products.
It’s an overall wellness program to kick start a healthier lifestyle and designed to help you feel better, look better and perform better.
The 24-Day Challenge™ is a comprehensive supplementation and nutrition program. Give your body the jumpstart it needs to help you reach your goals.* There’s something for everyone: weight management, energy, overall body composition or overall wellness.

PLEXUS

Plexus Slim is a natural drink that contains a variety of plant extracts helpful in balancing blood sugar, hormones, cholesterol, and lipids.
Plexus Slim was originally designed to help patients with diabetes regulate blood sugar, but when it was noted that all test participants lost weight, it was then decided to market it as a weight loss product.
Many have had success with relief from auto-immune issues in addition to weight management.

PERSONAL TRAINER FOOD

Successful weight loss is about 20 what you do and 80 what you eat. So if you can’t afford to have one of those celebrity trainers to watch your every move and thing you put in your mouth, you have Personal Trainer Food!

Personal Trainer Food is a direct home healthy meal service based in Fort Worth!
It’s just real food without the processed fillers – that makes it easy for you to eat right because it’s easy to do. No grocery shopping, cooking or cleaning, no calorie counting – just a way to learn to eat right.
The food truly tastes great. Many people are afraid of trying the food because they’ve tried Nutrisystem, Lean Cuisine, Jenny Craig, etc. However, it really is restaurant-quality food.
It is realistic on this program to lose 2-4 pounds per week just by eating right and walking 15 minutes/day. They also offer weight loss coaching with all programs.

RISE

There are tons of apps that can help you stay on target, but you have to find the right one for you.

One of the ones that is getting a lot of praise is Rise, an app that is highly endorsed by Good Morning America contributor Tory Johnson.
Rise connects people with their very own nutrition coach – all registered dietitians – with one-on –one, 24/7 access.
She talks about how Rise helped her in her new book, Shift, a book about how she was able to find the SHIFT within in her to change her life for good to a healthier living and lose 65 lbs. in a year.
Just for Good Morning Texas viewers, you can visit Rise.us and use the code SHIFT for 20% off your first payment!

Have you used any of these products? What do you do to lose or maintain a healthy weight?

Gift Ideas for Caregivers and Service People

December 13, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 76 Comments

It’s important to make sure to say thank you, but at the holidays it’s especially important to go the mile to let people who make your world rock like your kid’s teacher, postal worker, hairstylist and the nice neighbor down the street.

After much feedback from service works and caretakers, I’ve learned a lot about what is right and what is wrong about gifting at the holidays.

Rules of gifting:

No candles or lotion with fragrance

No food

Love things that are homemade like something you or your child has made.

Doesn’t have to be expensive to be thoughtful!

It’s all about the presentation.

NEIGHBOR/HOSTESS

Breakfast basket (More great basket ideas using baked goods from your grocery store!)

Cookies from Tiff’s Treats warm cookie delivery (Download Free Printable/Editable Chalkboard Labels from LifeYourWay.net )

TEACHERS

Amazon gift card template Amazon gift card template (link to printable)

Target gift card template (Target gift card template (link to printable)

MAILCARIER

All gifts must be under $20 rule (Per USPS)

Chick-Fil-A Calendar (Only $10 on sale right now) Millionaire candy (with printable)

HAIR STYLIST/SALON

Sanitizer (printable)

Merry & Sprite (printable)

DOGWALKER/LAWNMOWER/HANDYMAN
Gloves (printable)

Starbucks gift card

BABYSITTER

“Mistle Toes” nail kit

Cash card (how-to video fold dollar bill into a tree)

Rule on Tipping: You can either be a tipper each time for your services at 20% or a full-cost of service at one time.

Win $25 gift card from Bakery Because to make your own bakery-themed gift basket at your local grocery store and share your creation at #givebakery!

The Give Bakery Because it’s Gifting Made Delicious program encourages people to visit the bakery department of their local grocery store to find a variety of treats that can be gifted to all the special people in their lives. With simple creative packaging, a baked good can become a personalized (and delicious) gift. It’s simple, easy and affordable—no baking required!

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Follow Autumn Reo {mamachallenge.com}’s board HOLIDAYS: Gift Ideas on Pinterest.

Best Dallas Bloggers Online Holiday Cookie Exchange

December 9, 2014 By Autumn Rose Reo 4 Comments

A holiday cookie exchange is the ideal way at the holidays to reconnect with friends while stocking up on your own buffet of cookies! While I’ve hosted many exchanges, large and small, over the years, I think there are only a few guidelines to hosting the best cookie exchange. However, if you want the real lowdown on how to hand to do it by the book I suggest you the official website for cookie exchanges.

Unfortunately, as busy as many of my friends are, we decided to host an online cookie exchange featuring the tastiest recipes from some of the best bloggers in Dallas.

Since I am talking Dallas, you have to include the infamous Neiman Marcus cookie. If you’ve ever heard the myth, there was a woman who ate lunch at one of Dallas’ legendary luxury retailer. She enjoyed eating the cookie so much, she asked for the recipe. However, when she finally got her credit card bill that month she saw she had been charged $250 for the recipe. So out of revenge, she shared the recipe with everyone.

Neiman Marcus says it didn’t happen, however, the folklore is so popular, even they have put the story on their website. Funny enough I’ve actually come across multiple recipes for “the official” NM cookie recipe. However, I’ve tracked down the real one recipe – at least the one that NM claims to be the original. While basically a chocolate chip cookie recipe, it’s the special espresso powder that really give it the special something that makes you understand why you’d also pay $250 for a recipe…

Neiman Marcus Cookies {Real Recipe}

Yield: 2 dozen cookies 1x

Print Recipe

Description

Whether or not the story of this recipe is true or not, the recipe is the real deal. While you can make modifications, start with this recipe for the best cookies. Ever. At least worth $250. (Thanks to the Neiman Marcus for the recipe! http://www.neimanmarcuscareers.com/index.shtml)

Ingredients

Scale

1/2 cup butter (one stick), softened
1 cup light brown sugar
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg, large
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, semi-sweet or darker
1 1/2 teaspoons instant espresso

Instructions

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds). Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips. Using a 1-ounce scoop or 2-tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart.
Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2-inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie. – See more at: http://goodtaste.tv/recipes/showrecipe/display/neimans-authentic-chocolate-chip-cookie#sthash.I0XA6sMC.dpuf