Neiman Marcus Bars

Here is an easy dessert recipe that is sure to please!

Preheat oven to 350.

The base
Mix with spoon:

1 box Duncan Hines Yellow Butter Cake Mix
1 stick butter, melted
1 t. vanilla extract
1 egg

Mix together and pat into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Topping:

1 brick cream cheese
1 box confectioner's sugar/powdered sugar
2 eggs
1/4-1/2 t. real lemon extract

Cream all together, and pour over base layer. Bake for 35 minutes. Cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Potatoes Romanoff

3 large russet potatoes (2 lbs.), scrubbed and cut into quarters (don't peel)
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
1 cup sour cream
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
salt to taste
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
paprika (optional)
Cover potatoes with water. Bring to a boil. Cover and boil gently, 20 to 25 minutes, until tender. Drain and cool.Peel potatoes. Cut potatoes into 1/8 inch cubes in a large bowl. Add cottage cheese & sour cream. Add garlic, onions and salt to taste. Mix well.Spoon into shallow 2 to 2-1/2 qt casserole dish, or 8x12 inch oval glass pan. Spread evenly. Sprinkle with cheese to cover top (dust with paprika if desired).

Bake at 350° for 45 to 60 minutes until bubbly hot. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes.

Papa Marco's Eggplant Salad

I found this recipe 'hanging out' in the AELC...and I am not sure whose family this recipe belongs to. But the story was as interesting as the recipe. It was obviously made with love and tradition, and worth copying to this Blog:

A Favorite Dish

My father grew up in Romania, and one of his special memories was of the eggplant salad that his mother used to prepare. My father used to make it in our home, but he said it never quite tasted the same as when his mother made it. She used to use a freshly picked eggplant and cooked it on top of a woodburning stove until it was slightly burned on the outside and soft on the inside. My father said his mouth used to water when he smelled the burnt aroma of that lovely fresh eggplant, and that he could hardly wait for dinner to taste the sharp, smokey flavor. My father made it for us only on the holidays, cooking the eggplant on top of our gas stove, and I can remember when I was a child looking forward to tasting that delicious dish, just as my father did when I was a child.

Papa Marco's Eggplant Salad

Select a firm eggplant, purple in color, weighing about 1 1/4 pounds. Wash it and put it directly on top of an oven burner over a very low flame. As it starts to burn, turn it so that every part of it is blackened and softened by the flame. This should take about 45 minutes. While the eggplant is cooking, chop 1 small onion into small pieces and saute it in a frying pan in oil until it is light brown. When the eggplant is done, remove it to a dish to let it cool. Then peel off the skin and put the vegetable into a bowl. Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil, one tablespoon of apple cider vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, a sprinkling of red pepper, and the sauteed onions. Mash the mixture with a fork until it is smooth. Serve on a large platter on a base of lettuce leaves. Garnish with sliced tomatoes, radishes and green olives.
The soft, middle eastern bread called pita is excellent with this dish and can be used to scoop up the eggplant salad like a dip. I prefer to drink beer with this dish, but a chilled, very dry Greek or Romanian wine is a good accompaniment.

Lemonade Chicken

It's almost here... crockpot time! Here is a great, and easy chicken crockpot recipe!

4-6 pieces of chicken (breasts and legs) * I used only ckicken breasts.
1 (6 oz.) can frozen lemonade, thawed
2 tbsp. brown sugar
3 tbsp. ketchup
1 tbsp. vinegar
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. cold water

Arrange chicken pieces in slow cooker. Combine lemonade concentrate, brown sugar, ketchup, and vinegar; mix well. Pour lemonade mixture over chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-4 hours, or LOW for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken from crockpot, and cover to keep hot. Transfer liquid to a saucepan over medium-low heat. Skim fat; combine cornstarch and cold water, and add slowly to liquid, while stirring. When thickened, serve with chicken, along with hot cooked rice, and a vegetable. Serves 4-6. Enjoy! It tastes a lot like sweet and sour chicken!