December 4, 2025

Neiman Marcus Cookies

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Neiman Marcus Cookies

December 4: National Cookie Day

It is very rare that we eat at fancy-shmancy places like Mariposa, an upscale café in Neiman Marcus department stores for the rich to rest after a shopping spree. Islander earned a gift card for a freelance project she did with a well-off generous friend, so we spent it at Mariposa in the Galleria mall in Houston, Texas. The other time was when Islander’s former boss treated her to an appreciation lunch at Mariposa in Ala Moana Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. 

We have heard of the urban legend associated with the cookies (debunked on Snopes.com). Yet she was excited when her boss ordered them for dessert after such a luxurious lunch. We were too full to eat all the cookies in the presentation box but her boss let her take home the rest so Highlander could taste them, too. 

The cookies are just another delicious chocolate chip version—made exotic with the story behind them and a marketing strategy genius. We made and shared them with family and friends who enjoyed the cookies as well as the legend. Box them up really pretty and give them away on National Cookie Day or as holiday treats with a tale!

Recipe
(Adapted from Neiman Marcus)

Ingredients

  • ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla 
  • 1 3/4 cups flour, all purpose
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 ½ teaspoons instant espresso coffee powder
  • 1 ½ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown and white sugars, egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. 

Gradually add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and beat until well blended. Sprinkle the espresso powder and continue to mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Scoop around 2 tablespoons of dough onto a parchment paper- or greased foil-lined baking sheet at least 2 inches apart. 

Press down to flatten slightly with the base of the hand. Bake in a preheated oven at 300 degrees F for 20-25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit on the baking sheet for 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Stack between small cut squares of wax or parchment paper to prevent the chocolate chips from sticking to the other cookie. Store in airtight containers. 

Notes

  • Islander kept the black box embossed with the Neiman Marcus logo for the final food photo above. It held four cookies from the Mariposa restaurant—and the price was still probably more than enough to cover the entire ingredient list to make these cookies at home. Her other baking friend calls these Neiman MarkUP cookies! 
  • For another rich cookie inspired by a luxury brand, try our Tiffany blue macarons.

 

October 6, 2025

Tallarin Saltado

Posted by HI Cookery under 10 October | Tags: , , , , |
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Tallarin Saltado

October 6: National Noodle Day

We were part of a nine-member U.S. delegation on a goodwill trip to Peru one year to support a friend’s family foundation whose mission is to provide charitable relief to underserved and impoverished villagers. We assisted in building pre-fab homes/wooden shelters for those living in dangerous makeshift conditions, cleaned and stocked the free clinic shelves with medicine and painted the slides and swing sets at an inner city playground to make it safe for the poor children. It felt great to help those less fortunate than us!

Foundation organizers arranged our modest lodgings and made sure us volunteers could also taste authentic Peruvian food, some cooked and donated by their grateful relatives who appreciated our help and hard work. There were so many delicious dishes but one that we really liked is tallarin saltado, a beef noodle stir fry. We like it so much that we often make this for our birthday meals because the noodles symbolize long life. Tallarin saltado was influenced by the Chinese laborers who immigrated to Peru during the late 19th-early 20th centuries; this Peruvian-Chinese culinary style is called chifa. 

For a flavorful fusion food on National Noodle Day, try tallarin saltado. 

Recipe

(Adapted from Guillermo L.)

Ingredients

  • ½ pound pasta noodles (spaghetti), cooked
  • Vegetable oil
  • 1 pound beef/steak, cut into thin strips
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red onion, sliced into wedges then slivers
  • 2 stalks green onion/scallions, green parts only, sliced into 2-inch pieces (reserve some to garnish)
  • 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
  • 1 teaspooon aji amarillo paste
  • 2 roma tomatoes, sliced into wedges
  • 1 orange or red bell pepper, de-seeded and sliced into slivers
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Chopped cilantro to garnish

Directions

Cook noodles al dente, drain and set aside. Mince the garlic, grate the ginger and slice the red and green onions, tomatoes and bell pepper.

Heat a little oil in a large skillet and sauté the beef until browned. Transfer to a plate and keep warm. In the same skillet, stir-fry the garlic, red and green onions and ginger till fragrant (about a minute). Stir in the aji Amarillo paste. Add the tomatoes and bell pepper and saute gently for another minute.

Gently stir in the noodles. Mix in the soy sauce, oyster sauce, red wine vinegar and sesame oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Dish out and garnish with chopped cilantro leaves. Serve hot.

Notes

  • We used beef steak strips, but chicken (pollo) pieces could be used in this recipe as well. Adjust the cooking time for the latter.
  • Search for more noodle recipes under the Theme Menus for Oodles of Noodles.

 

September 2, 2025

Bimini Coconut Bread

Posted by HI Cookery under 09 September | Tags: , , , |
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Bimini Coconut Bread

September 2: World Coconut Day

The flavor of coconut is a distinct taste of the tropics which reminds Islander of her Pacific heritage. But we also like to eat different coconut dishes from around the world to compare and appreciate other cultural cuisines. So we baked a Bahamian delicacy—coconut bread—which is especially popular across the Bimini Islands. The loaf bread is dense and subtly sweet with a hint of coconut (not an overpowering flavor). Though the preparation process is different, it reminds us of the Samoan fa’apapa that Islander’s cousin-in-law would eat. Both are tasty when fresh baked and make the kitchen smell so good! Celebrate World Coconut Day and bake Bimini coconut bread from the Bahamas.

Recipe

(Adapted from Tru Bahamian Food Tours)

Ingredients

  • 2 ¼ cups flour, all purpose
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons dry milk powder
  • 1 1/2t tablespoons sugar, granulated white
  • 1 teaspoon active dry yeast (not instant)
  • 2 whole eggs, divided use
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 ½ tablespoon butter, softened
  • 1 ½ tablespoon vegetable oil
  • ½ cup coconut milk
  • ½ cup shredded coconut flakes, unsweetened or sweetened

Directions

In the stand mixer bowl, combine the flour, salt, milk powder, sugar and yeast.

In a measuring cup or small bowl, beat one whole egg with one egg white. Pour into the middle of the flour mixture. Add butter, vegetable oil and coconut milk.

Use the dough hook to mix the dough, pouring in the coconut flakes until well combined. Transfer the dough into a greased large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and let right in a warm place for about an hour or until it doubles in size. After rising, punch down the dough and deflate it.

Place the dough on a floured surface and knead for 10 minutes. Place dough on a greased loaf pan. Beat the other whole egg in a cup with a little water and brush the top of the dough. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for half an hour. Check to see if the top has browned and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the dough is cooked through. Remove from the oven.

Let the bread sit in the pan for 15 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Slice and serve with butter or tropical fruit jams.

Notes

  • Bimini coconut bread is a nice alternative to johnny cakes when serving with Bahamian main dishes.
  • Toast leftover the bread slices to bring out the flavor of the coconut.
  • Search our blog for more coconut recipes.

 

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