My daughter  and  I  had  finished a salad at the Neiman-Marcus cafe in
    Dallas and decided to have a small dessert.  Because our family members
    are such 'Cookie monsters', we decided to try the Neiman-Marcus Cookie.
    It was so good that I asked if they would give me the recipe.  She said
    with a frown, "I'm afraid not".   "Well", I said, "Would you let me buy
    the recipe?" With a cute smile, she  agreed.  I asked how much, and she
    replied "Two Fifty".  I said with approval, "Just add it to my tab".

    Thirty days later I received my statement from Neiman-Marcus and it was
    $285.00.  I looked again and remembered I had  only spent $9.95 for two
    salads and about $20 for a scarf.  As I  glanced  at  the bottom of the
    statement, it said "Cookie Recipe - $250.  Boy, was I  upset!  I called
    Neiman's  accounting office and told them the waitress said it was "two
    fifty",  and  did  not  realize she meant $250 for a cookie recipe.   I
    asked  them  to  take back the recipe and reduce my bill, but they said
    they were  sorry,  but all the recipes were this expensive, so not just
    anyone could duplicate the bakery recipies...the bill would stand.

    I thought of how I could get  even  or  get my money back.  I just said
    okay, you folks got my $250 and now  I'm  going  to  have $250 worth of
    fun.  I told her that I was going  to see to it that every cookie lover
    would  have  the  $250  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 can get even and I  will".    So  here  it is,
    PLEASE PASS IT ON TO SOMEONE ELSE OR FUN A FEW COPIES..  I paid for it,
    now you can have it for free!

         2 cups butter                       1 tsp salt
         2 cups sugar                        2 tsp baking powder
         2 cups brown sugar                  2 tsp baking soda
         4 eggs                              24 oz chocolate chips
         2 tsp vanilla                       1-8 oz Hershey bar, grated
         4 cups flour                        3 cups chopped nuts
         5 cups blended oatmeal*

    Cream 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 min at 375.  Makes 112 cookies.  (recipe can be halved)

    * Measure oatmeal and blend in a blender to a fine powder.

    Have fun!  This is no joke - it is a true story!
--