From dkulp@gdb.org Tue Apr 5 11:46:22 1994 To: Alumni@cs.wm.edu, redmon@media.sra.com Subject: Re: Re[2]: Happy cookie making > From redmon@media.sra.com Tue Apr 5 14:24:17 1994 > Regardless of the recipe's origin, does anyone know how the cookies taste? > (I have a recipe for "Neiman-Marcus" brownies that is fantastic, so I'm > hopeful about the cookies) delicious. when this notice went circulating through our office, someone brought a batch in the next day and they proved to be mighty tasty. -david. From WILLARDF@WMAVM7.VNET.IBM.COM Tue Apr 5 11:53:32 1994 To: alumni@cs.wm.edu Subject: I heard this story a ways back...and in fact got the recipe and tried it. The cookies are dense (it's the oatmeal) but really good. It even works well without grating the chocolate. WARNING: BEWARE of the recipe size...I've broken several wooden spoons and a hand-held mixer on this! Frank '88 MS (a chocolate chip cookie lover from way back) From dkulp@gdb.org Tue Apr 5 09:20:06 1994 To: alumni@cs.wm.edu, bilge@east.delfin.com Subject: Re: Happy Cookie Making ummm, flame me if filippo's forwarded note was posted with a thick spread of sarcasm (which i wouldn't find hard to believe), but Neiman-Marcus never scammed their customers with pricey cookie recipes... from alt.folklore.urban FAQ (what other reason is there to read news?): F.*Cook cheated into buying Mrs Fields' recipe, gets revenge by spreading it. ["The Mrs. Fields Cookie Recipe" in CBA. This is probably a descendant of the "Red Velvet Cake" UL in TVH. Another version involves Nieman-Marcus and many other noted retail establishments.] The "F" stands for false. CBA for "Curses! Broiled Again". TVH for "The Vanishing Hitchhiker". (both written by HJ Brunvand.) -david. > From bilge@east.delfin.com Tue Apr 5 11:58:58 1994 > Filippo Morelli > > Original Poster: timl@visionware.com (Tim Linerud) > Original Location: wheeltowheel@abingdon.eng.sun.com (wheeltowheel@abingdon.Eng.Sun.COM) > > ----- Begin Included Message ----- > > > I am passing this along to everybody on wheel to wheel. > > My daughter & I had just finished a salad at Neiman-Marcus Cafe > in Dallas & decided to have a small dessert. Because our family > are such cookie lovers, we decided to try the "Neiman-Marcus > Cookie". It was so excellent that I asked if they would give me > the recipe and they said with a small frown, "I'm afraid not." > Well, I said, would you let me buy the recipe? With a cute > smile, she said, "Yes." I asked how much, and she responded, > "Two fifty." I said with approval, just add it to my tab. > > Thirty days later, I received my VISA statement from > Neiman-Marcus and it was $285.00. I looked again and I > remembered I had only spent $9.95 for two salads and about $20.00 > for a scarf. As I glanced at the bottom of the statement, it > said, "Cookie Recipe - $250.00." Boy, was I upset!! I called > Neiman's Accounting Dept. and told them the waitress said it was > "two fifty," and I did not realize she meant $250.00 for a cookie > recipe. I asked them to take back the recipe and reduce my bill > and they said they were sorry, but because all the recipes were > this expensive so not just everyone could duplicate any of our > bakery recipes....the bill would stand. I waited, thinking of > how I could get even or even try and get any of my money back. > > I just said, "Okay, you folks got my $250.00 and now I'm going to > have $250.00 worth of fun." I told her that I was going to see to > it that every cookie lover will have a $250.00 cookie recipe from > Neiman-Marcus for nothing. She replied, "I wish you wouldn't do > this." I said, "I'm sorry but this is the only way I feel I could > get even," and I will. > > So, here it is, and please pass it to someone else or run a few > copies....I paid for it; now you can have it for free. > (Recipe may be halved.): > > 2 cups butter 4 cups flower > 2 tsp. soda 2 cups sugar > 5 cups blended oatmeal** 24 oz. chocolate chips > 2 cups brown sugar 1 tsp. salt > 1 8 oz. Hershey Bar (grated) 4 eggs > 2 tsp. baking powder 3 cups chopped nuts > 2 tsp. vanilla (your choice) > > Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix > together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and soda. Add > chocolate chips, Hershey Bar and nuts. > > Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheet. > Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 112 cookies. > > ** measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder. > > Have fun!!! This is not a joke --- this is a true story.. > ************************************************************ > That's it. Please, pass it along to everyone you know, single > people, mailing lists, etc..... > *********************************************************** > > > ----- End Included Message ----- > > From redmon@media.sra.com Wed Apr 13 18:20:42 1994 To: alumni@cs.wm.edu Subject: Recipe for Neiman Marcus Brownies Due to the large demand and my natural laziness towards typing bunches of email addresses, Im posting the recipe here FOR EVERYONE (gasp) _________________________________________________ Recipe for Neiman Marcus Brownies _________________________________________________ Ingredients Directions ---------------------------------- 1 Chocolate Cake Mix 1 stick of Margerine (Melted) 1 Egg Mix and press in 9X13 pan 12 oz (-: or more :-) Chocolate chips 1 1/2 c. pecans, chopped (OPTIONAL) Sprinkle on top of cake mix mixture 8 oz cream cheese (soft is easier to work with) 1 box 10X powdered sugar 2 eggs Beat & Spread on as second layer Bake 45-55 min at 350 degrees (top layer should be chesnut brown when finished) Allow to cool (or at least try) before serving ----- Bruce sez: Your cholesterol level is exponentially proportional to the number of Neiman Marcus Brownies brownies you eat. :) Date: Thu, 14 Apr 1994 10:46:00 PDT From: Jeff Rollosson Halbhuber Subject: Urban Legends... ------------------------------ [A fairly good response for a new rash of the "overcharged for cookie recipe" from Mrs. Fields/Neiman-Marcus/etc. --spaf] A few years ago I was touring the Jet Propulsion Lab and they showed me a prototype of the Hubble Space Telescope. "Pretty cool machine, guys," I said, "but is there anyway us amateur astronomers can get in on this kind of action?" They said yes, plans for the HST were available through the gift shop. "How much?" I asked. They said "Fifty." I said "Great! Here's my American Express Plutonium Card!" I picked up the plans and went home, happy as a clam, until I got my American Express bill. The total amount due was $50,119.00! I figured the $119 must have been from one of these Northwest student ticket vouchers, but where was that $50,000 from? Only then did I realize that JPL had charged me, not fifty dollars, but fifty THOUSAND dollars. Boy was I mad. But it was too late to return the plans and get my fifty thousand dollars back, so I just chalked it up to experience. But now I'm getting my revenge... I asked the folks at the JPL copyright office if I could give the plans out to all my friends and they said, "Heck, why not? What do we need with royalties? Tell the world!" So I've written up the key steps here. Please post them to every bboard you can think of and mail them to all your friends. Remember, if you break the chain you'll get seven years of bad sunspot interference. You will need: 1 launch vehicle. 126 "Master Constructor" Erector Sets(tm). 1 Radio Shack(tm) Pro-2001 scanner. 1 2-meter block of glass. 1 box of aluminum foil. 4 sheets of #20 (coarse) sandpaper. 4 sheets of #150 (fine) sandpaper. 2 children's magnifying glasses. (optional) filters and instrumentation as needed. Instructions: 1. Using the erector sets, construct a superstructure capable of supporting a 2-meter mirror and whatever instrumentation you will be using. Make sure that the superstructure can survive the G-forces during launch. Don't be tempted to skimp on the nuts and bolts here. 2. Using the #20 sandpaper, grind the block of glass until it takes on the shape of a convex mirror. Be very careful in this step because if you get the shape wrong you'll have to start over again. Use the #150 sandpaper to smooth out any irregularities and fix any minor problems with the focus. Then melt the aluminum foil and vacuum deposit 1-2 atomic layers of aluminum on the surface of the mirror. Mount the mirror in its place in the superstructure. 3. Mount the children's magnifying glasses at the focal point of the mirror. These will serve as an eyepiece for your instruments. 4. Open the back of the Pro-2001 scanner. There will be a 16-pin chip on the upper left of the circuit board labelled 1Y1169AV. Carefully clip out the fourth pin on the left and remove it from the chip. This will convert your Pro-2001 scanner into the usually much more expensive Pro-2010 scanner with orbital transceiver capabilities. Close the back of the scanner, check that the batteries are in place, mount it in the superstructure, and connect it to your instruments. 5. Make one last check of everything and you're ready to launch! This is a true story, every bit of it, I swear on my father's sister's grave. Even if it isn't, I hope that you get as much use and enjoyment out of your home-built Hubble Space Telescope as I have from mine! ***