Recipe By :

Serving Size : 2 Preparation Time :0:00

Categories : Beverages

Amount Measure Ingredient — Preparation Method

——– ———— ——————————–

1 c Milk

1 c Orange juice

1 x Sugar to taste

1 x Egg is optional

Mix infredients in a blender & blend until frothy or looks good to you

and wala…..

1 sponge cake (10-12″) – about 3″ tall

3 oz strong black coffee

3 oz brandy or rum

1? lbs mascarpone – room temp

1? cups superfine/powdered sugar

unsweetened cocoa powder

Cut across middle of sponge cake forming two layers,

each about 1?” high. Blend coffee and brandy.

Sprinkle enough of mixture over bottom half of cake to

flavor it strongly. Don’t moisten cake too much or it

may collapse on serving. Beat room-temperature cheese and

1 cup sugar until sugar is completely dissolved and cheese

is light and spreadable. test for sweetness during beating,

adding more sugar if needed. Spread cut surface of bottom

layer with half of the cheese mixture. Replace second layer

and top this with remaining cheese mixture. Sprinkle top

liberally with sifted cocoa. Refrigerate cake for at least

2 hours before cutting and serving.

It’s amazing how many lousy clones for this delicious

chili-like soup from Olive Garden are floating around on the Web.

Some are shared on message boards, others are displayed on sites

in a collection of “actual restaurant recipes” (yeah, right!).

But they all leave out obvious ingredients you can see, like the

carrots, ground beef, or two kinds of beans. Others don’t get

the pasta right — it’s obviously ditali pasta (short little tubes).

Then there’s the recipe that really squeezed the seeds from my

gourd — one that’s floating around in MasterCook format that

lists “Top Secret Recipes” as the source. But, wait a minute!

I’ve never before created a clone for this dish — not here on

the site, and not in any book. So, after logging some time over

a chopping block, an open flame, and a couple tasty glasses of

Merlot, out popped this puppy. And this is the one, kitchen cloners!

If you want the taste of Pasta e Fagioli at home, this is the

only recipe that will fool in a side-by-side taste test. Accept

no other imitation imitation!

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion, diced (1 cup)

1 large carrot, julienned (1 cup)

3 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans (with liquid)

1 15-ounce can great northern beans (with liquid)

1 15-ounce can tomato sauce

1 12-ounce can V-8 juice

1 tablespoon white vinegar

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon basil

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/2 pound (1/2 pkg.) ditali pasta

1. Brown the ground beef in a large saucepan or pot over medium heat.

Drain off most of the fat.

2. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic and saut? for 10 minutes.

3. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour.

4. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook the pasta in 1 1/2 to 2

quarts of boiling water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes or just

until pasta is al dente, or slightly tough. Drain.

5. Add the pasta to the large pot of soup. Simmer for 5-10 minutes

and serve.

Serves 8.

4 ounces Chicken breast; bone — skin

1 tablespoon Olive oil

2 tablespoons Onions — dice

1 cup Tomatoes; drain — dice

1 teaspoon Garlic — chop

1/8 teaspoon Salt

1/2 teaspoon Dried basil

1/2 cup Fontinella cheese — shred

1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese — shred

1/2 cup Mushrooms — slice

1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese — shred

1 12″ pre-baked pizza crust

Preheat oven to 450~F. Saute or bake chicken breast. Cool.

Cut into 1/4″ wide strips. Spray or grease a 12″ pizza pan.

Saute onions and garlic briefly in the olive oil and add them

to the tomatoes,salt and basil.Spread the tomato mixture over

the top of the crust. Lay chicken strips down over the tomatoes.

Top with fontinella and mozzarella cheeses. Add the sliced mushooms

and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 8

minutes, or until cheese is melted and crust is piping hot.

1 Loaf unfrozen bread dough – (if frozen, thaw in bowl at room temp)

Pam or oil

Garlic powder

Dry oregano leaf — rub between fingers

When dough is soft enough to knead, spray your fingers with Pam

or oil and knead just until you can shape into cigar-sized pieces

(about 8 to 10). Place these 3″ apart on Pam-sprayed cookie sheets.

Let rise in warm place until doubled – about 1-1/2 hours. Then

holding Pam about 8″ from sticks, lightly spray top of each and

then dust with garlic powder and oregano. Bake at 375~ about 20 to

25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pan on rack to serve

within a day or two.

Olive Garden Breadsticks are just brown and serve soft breadsticks.

Brown in the oven and spread liquid margarine over them, then

sprinkle with garlic salt.

To dispel the urban legend of the $250 recipe, as told in the

text of the infamous chain letter recipe, Neiman Marcus created

an actual recipe for chocolate chip cookies and displayed it on

the Neiman Marcus Web site…for a limited time only. I recently

went to take another look at the recipe, and it was gone. Georgia

Christiansen, Neiman Marcus Creative Director, told me that the

recipe will no longer be featured on the site. But she did send

me a copy. Since I get so many request for the recipe, and because

I get even more e-mail copies of the bogus chain letter, I will

post the recipe here. Maybe this will help put an end to the myth.

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons instant coffee, slightly crushed

8 oz. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Cream the butter with the sugars until fluffy.

2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract

3. Combine the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture.

4. Stir in the chocolate chips.

5. Drop by large spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet.

6. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, or 10-12 minutes for a

crispier

cookie. Makes 15 large cookies.

Nabisco SnackWell?s Banana Snack Bars

In 1996, Nabisco built up its growing line of SnackWell?s

baked products with the introduction of low-fat snack bars

in several varieties, including fudge brownie, golden cake,

apple raisin, and the chewy banana variety cloned here. The

secret ingredients that help us keep the fat grams under 2

grams per serving is banana puree to help keep the cake moist

while adding real banana flavor, egg whites rather than whole

eggs, some molasses and just a little bit of shortening. Whip

it all up, pour it into a pan and bake. Soon you’ll have 21 tasty

little low-fat snack bars to get you through the week.

2 egg whites

1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons molasses

1 1/2 cups banana puree*

3 tablespoons shortening

1/4 cup whole milk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a large bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer

until they become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this.

3. Add the sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until

the mixture forms soft peaks.

4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree, shortening, milk

and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture, beating after

each addition.

5. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients.

6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly add the bowl of dry

ingredients.

7. Lightly grease a 9×14-inch pan with a light coating of non-stick

cooking spray. Be sure to coat the sides as well as the bottom of

the pan. Dump about 3 tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt

and shake the pan so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire

bottom of the pan, and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the

excess sugar.

8. Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the

inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar — about two

tablespoons — over the entire top surface of the batter. Gently

shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the sugar over

the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake begins to pull

away from the sides of the pan.

9. Remove the cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack.

When cake has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting

board and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices.

Next cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total

of 21 snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them

in a resealable plastic bag or an airtight container.

*Puree whole bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender

until smooth and creamy.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size ? 1 bar

Servings ? 21

Total fat (per serving) ? 1.8g

Calories (per serving) ? 118

Nabisco Snack Well’s Banana Snack Bars

Servings: 21 Snack Bars

Nutrition Facts Serving size ? 1 bar Servings ? 21 Total fat

(per serving) ? 1.8g Calories (per serving) ? 118

INGREDIENTS:

2 egg whites, 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons sugar,

2 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons molasses,

1 1/2 cups banana puree* , 3 tablespoons shortening,

1/4 cup whole milk, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla butter nut extract,

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt,

1/4 teaspoon baking soda.

*********

Preparation Instructions: 1. Preheat oven to 350°. 2. In a large

bowl, whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until they

become thick. Do not use a plastic bowl for this. 3. Add the

sugar to the egg whites and continue to beat until the mixture

forms soft peaks. 4. Add the brown sugar, molasses, banana puree,

shortening, milk and vanilla butter nut flavoring to the mixture,

beating after each addition. 5. In a separate bowl, combine the

remaining ingredients. 6. While beating the wet mixture, slowly

add the bowl of dry ingredients. 7. Lightly grease a 9×14-inch

pan with a light coating of non-stick cooking spray. Be sure to

coat the sides as well as the bottom of the pan. Dump about 3

tablespoons of sugar into the pan, then tilt and shake the pan

so that a light layer of sugar coats the entire bottom of the pan,

and about halfway up the sides. Pour out the excess sugar. 8.

Pour the batter into the pan, and spread it evenly around the

inside of the pan. Sprinkle a light coating of sugar — about

two tablespoons — over the entire top surface of the batter.

Gently shake the pan from side-to-side to evenly distribute the

sugar over the batter. Bake for 25-28 minutes or until the cake

begins to pull away from the sides of the pan. 9. Remove the

cake from the oven and turn it out onto a cooling rack. When cake

has cooled, place it onto a sheet of wax paper on a cutting board

and slice across the cake 6 times, creating 7 even slices. Next

cut the cake lengthwise twice, into thirds, creating a total of 21

snack bars. When the bars have completely cooled, store them in a

resealable plastic bag or an airtight container. *Puree whole

bananas (approximately 3) in a food processor or blender until

smooth and creamy.

When I first designed the Oreo cookie clone recipe for the second

book, More Top Secret Recipes, I decided that a cake mix would

suit the recipe best. However, the variety and brand I chose —

Duncan Hines Dark Dutch Fudge — became unavailable in many parts

of the country. Now, for all of my faithful readers, it is time

to fix that problem with a cake mix that should be available

everywhere. Many of the ingredients have changed to create an even

more tender, chocolatey cookie that can be the same color as the

real thing if you decide to add some brown paste food coloring.

You will also note that the method has been improved to create

cookies that are more uniform in size by using a spice bottle

lid on the thinly rolled out dough. This will allow you to make

your wafers faster, and they will all be the same size. The

filling recipe remains the same, and can be found on page 68 of

More Top Secret Recipes. For those of you who don’t have the book

(and, of course, for those who do), tune in next week for a

brand-new recipe that requires these wafers. (Hint: T.M.)

1 18.25-ounce pkg. Betty Crocker chocolate fudge cake mix

3 tablespoons shortening, melted

1/2 cup cake flour, measured then sifted

1 egg

3 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons brown paste food coloring (optional)*

1. Combine the cookie ingredients in a large bowl. Add the water

a little bit at a time until the dough forms. Cover and chill

for 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3. On a lightly floured surface roll out a portion of the dough

to just under one 16th of an inch thick. To cut, use a lid from

a spice container with a 1 1/2-inch diameter (Schilling brand is

good). Arrange the cut dough rounds on a cookie sheet that is

sprayed with a light coating of non-stick spray. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove wafers from the oven and cool completely.

4. As the cookies bake, make the filling (recipe in More Top Secret

Recipes on page 68).

5. When the cookies have cooled, roll a small portion (heaping 1/4

teaspoon) of the filling into a ball (just over 1/4-inch in diameter),

and press it between two of the cookies. Repeat with the remaining

cookies. Makes 108-116 wafers; for 54-58 sandwich cookies.

*This is an optional step to help recreate the color of the original

cookie. If you do not use the paste food coloring be sure to change

the amount of water added to the wafer cookies from 3 tablespoons to

1/4 cup. The food coloring gives the cookies the dark brown, almost

black color. The coloring can be found with cake decorating supplies

at art supply and craft stores.

Tidbits

If the dough seems too tacky, you can work in as much as 1/4 cup of

flour as you pat out and roll the dough. Use just enough flour to make

the dough workable, but not tough.

Nabisco’s version of this old favorite cookie may not be as big

a seller as its much-cloned Oreo. Heck, it’s not even close. But

if you’re a ginger snap fanatic, this recipe will give you a

killer clone of the cookie giant’s store-bought version that you

can whip up in a…uh…snap. And if you’re watching the fat,

four of these cookies check in with a total of around 2.5 grams

of fat.

1 cup packed dark brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup shortening

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 egg

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream together the sugars, molasses, shortening, butter, egg,

and vanilla in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until

smooth.

3. In another large bowl combine the flour, baking soda, ginger,

salt, cinnamon, and cloves.

4. Pour the dry mixture into the wet mixture and beat while adding

the water. Continue to mix until ingredients are incorporated.

5. Measure a heaping teaspoon of dough at time. Roll the dough into

a sphere between the palms of your hands then press the dough onto

the cookie. Flatten to about 1/8-inch thick.

6. Bake cookies for 10-14 minutes or until edges begin to brown and

cookies are crispy when cool.

Makes 120 (10 dozen) cookies.