What are Clone Restaurant Recipes?

Ever wonder what clone restaurant recipes are and whether they are really as good as the real thing?  As a personal chef I have.  They are supposed to be an exact duplicate or copy of the dishes you order from your favorite restaurant. My conclusion is that some are like the creations they represent and some are not.

Many home cooks replicate clone restaurant recipes in their own kitchens.  They are able to make the food taste like the real thing.  There are secret recipe cookbooks that are written by personal chefs or commercial cooks who have researched and tested various methods to come up with their own versions of dishes from famous eateries.

I, myself wondered about recipe secrets, so I invested in a couple of cookbooks that contain clone restaurant recipes from some of America's most popular establishments.  For the most part, they are simple and easy to make in your own kitchen.  Others are more complicated for new home cooks and take a great deal of time to prepare.

Even for more established cooks and personal chefs, demystifying these copycat recipe secrets can be a challenge.  However, there is great joy in having prepared a menu that includes a clone restaurant recipe that tastes like you would expect when you order it.

Do you have some favorite restaurant dishes you wish you could have without going out?  Maybe it is the Tequila Lime Chicken from Applebee's or the Olive Garden Sangria or T.G.I. Friday's Mocha Mud Pie.  Ready to try your own clone restaurant recipes at home?  Click the image below and order the Secret Restaurant Recipe cookbooks now.

Molasses Crisps (Cookies) for Spring

Not all chefs are professionally trained in culinary schools.  Most of us are self-taught or a least, learned at home.  Personal chefs, for example, are not all formally educated in a cooking school.  Most of us just have a passion for food.  We love taking wonderful ingredients and transforming them into a magical performance.  We learned at home from family or just always had a desire.  Some, to our surprise, never had the desire, yet found that we enjoyed creating masterpieces for ourselves and others to eat.

I learned cooking at home as a child even though I never did the cooking until I got married.  I realize that I have always been inspired by the cooking from my childhood in Annapolis.  The tastes and smells of the kitchen come back to me often.

Today, I was thinking of crispy molasses cookies Mom made in the springtime.  These would be the last of the season, because summer was coming and it would be too hot to have the oven on.  The cookies have a deeply satisfying taste reminiscent of home.

Molasses Crisps

3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbs sugar
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 cup molasses (I like dark molasses)
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift flour and measure.  Add next 5 ingredients and sift again.

Heat molasses to boiling.  Add butter and stir until melted.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Roll dough in a long roll about 3 inches in diameter and refrigerate over night or at least 4 hours.

Cut dough into very thin slices with a sharp knife.  Place on a greased baking sheet and bake until golden brown.  (10-12 minutes)

Makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies

Hmmm. Yummy!

Do you have a favorite restaurant dessert  you wish you could give your family without having to buy the processed kind?  Maybe it is Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies or Hardee's Peach Cobbler or maybe T.G.I. Friday's Mocha Mud Pie.  Click the image below to order the Secret Restaurant Recipes Cookbooks?

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup

This recipe comes from the Secret Recipes Blog. You can make recipes like this at home. Click here to find more recipes like this one.

Copycat Panera Bread Broccoli Cheese Soup
Posted by: ChefTom in Categories: Panera Bread, Recipes.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 medium onion, chopped
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup melted butter
2 cups half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock
1/2 pound fresh broccoli
1 cup carrots, julienned
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
salt & pepper, to taste
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar

Directions:
Saute onion in butter. Set aside.
Cook melted butter and flour using a whisk over medium heat for about 4 minutes. Be sure to stir frequently.
Slowly add the half-and-half, continue stirring.
Add the chicken stock whisking all the time.
Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the broccoli, carrots and onions. Cook over low heat until the veggies are tender, about 20 minutes.
Add salt and pepper.
 
By now the soup should be thickened. Pour in batches into blender and puree. Return the puree to the pot and place over low heat, add the grated cheese; stir until well blended. Stir in the nutmeg.

Serve.

Want to know how to make one of the most popular recipes from the America's Secret Recipes cookbook?  The secret recipe for Colonel Sander's Original Fried Chicken from KFC is here. Click the image to the left to get your copy.

Mom's Bread Pudding-The Perfect Comfort Food

One of the all-time comfort foods is bread pudding.  So many things have changed about food since I grew up.  One thing remains--the memories of the smells coming from the kitchen when I came home from school.  And, a favorite was bread pudding.  Now, my mom would make tapioca pudding and rice pudding.  Neither of which ever gave me the kind of satisfaction I got when I ate her bread pudding with what she called "hard sauce."  Way yummy. The smell of cinnamon and nutmeg.  I could hardly wait to finish dinner so I could get to the dessert.  The recipe for  Day 23 is:

My Mom's Fabulous Bread Pudding.

Ingredients


2-3 cups stale bread
1 quart scalded milk
1/2-3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
2 large eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (163 C).  Tear bread into small pieces. Pour milk over bread crumbs and raisins; set aside to cool.  Beat eggs.  Add butter sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla.   Place bread and raisins in a buttered casserole dish.  Pour milk and egg mixture over bread.  Make sure bread is submerged.  Bake for an hour.  Serve warm with hard sauce.



Hard Sauce


1 stick butter (1/2 cup), softened

2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbs hot water

Cream butter, add sugar, vanilla and water and  beat well until creamy.  Put on bread pudding.  Refrigerate unused sauce.

Get your own copycat recipes from some of America's most famous restaurants. Click image for details.

Minnesota Vikings Land Super Easy Wild Rice Recipes

Minnesota Vikings fans bask in the beautiful land of 10,000 lakes.  It turns out that there are really more than 15,000, lakes, rivers and steams.  Minnesotans boast some of the best and most creative wild rice recipes, due to the quality of wild rice that is grown in the state.  Interestingly, wild rice is not rice at all.  It's a water-grass seed actually grown in Minnesota's cold waters and must be harvested in the traditional Indian way.  Here are just a couple recipes that I like, in particular, because they are delicious and SUPER easy

Microwave Wild Rice Casserole

1 cup uncooked wild rice
**2 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1 Tbs butter
½ cup butter
½ lbs sliced mushrooms
2 Tbs minced onion
2 Tbs minced green pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup chopped pecans

Wash and soak wild rice 1 hour in boiling hot water or soak 2-3 hours covered with tap water.  Use a 3 quart covered casserole.  Cook broth, salt and 1 Tbs butter on high for 6-7 minutes.  Then add rice and cook on defrost for 50 minutes.  In 1 quart casserole melt remaining butter.  Add mushrooms, onions, pepper and garlic.  Cook on high 2-3 minutes until tender.  Stir each minute.  Add the pecans and cook on high for 1 minute.  Add to  the rice and cook on defrost 10-15 minutes until liquid is absorbed Let stand, covered, 5 minutes after cooking.

Serves 6-8

**To keep this vegetarian, I use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth

Shrimp and Wild Rice Loaf

1 cup wild rice
1 green pepper, chopped
3 ribs celery, chopped
½ can pimiento, chopped
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1can shrimp, deveined and rinsed in hot water
OR 1 can tuna, drained and rinsed
½ pound American cheese

Prepare rice. Heat mushroom soup and add cheese, stirring until smooth. Sauté celery, onion and green pepper in butter. Combine all ingredients with cooked rice and stir gently. Pat into greased loaf pan. Bake in 375° oven for 45 minutes. Cool for 10-15 minutes. Turn loaf out on platter. Serve with sauce as given below.

Shrimp Sauce

I can shrimp, rinsed and deveined
1 can cream of shrimp soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Heat together.
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Super Bowl Defense Buffalo Wings

Everybody loves Buffalo wings at football game parties.  Here is a favorites.  I posted this before.  Use a heavy pan in which you can add a lot of oil. Just make sure to pat dry the wings and drop them carefully in the oil.

Ingredients:

Peanut or vegetable oil for deep frying
12-24 wing pieces (Whole wings cut in half or buy frozen "wingettes.") I love that word, "wingettes." :-)
4 Tbs margarine
1 Tb vinegar
5 Tbs hot sauce (I use Louisiana, Uncle Brutha's or whatever I have. You can use Tabasco also)
Garlic salt and pepper to taste        

Blue cheese dressing
Celery sticks

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet to about 375 degrees F. (190.5 degrees C.)   Add enough to cover wings-about an inch or two deep.  Sprinkle wings with garlic salt and pepper if you like.  

Drop thawed chicken wings gently into the hot oil, one batch at time.  Do not crowd.  Fry until golden. About 10-15 minutes depending on wing size.  Remove the wings from the oil and drain on a rack or paper towels.

While wings are cooking, melt margarine in a saucepan, add hot sauce and vinegar.  Stir and put in a large mixing bowl. Add the wings and toss them in the sauce.  Place in a bowl or platter

Serve with blue cheese dressing, celery sticks and lots of napkins.

Find easy to cook chicken wing recipes from Applebee's, TGI Fridays and Chili's. Make them in your own kitchen for the Super Bowl or anytime from America's Secret Recipes.

Day 3. Super Bowl Copycat Cheese Biscuits- Red Lobster

Red Lobster recipes are some of the most popular favorites of customers featured prominently in America's Secret Recipes.

Try these out on your Super Bowl guests and you will get comments like, "WOW, I Can't Believe You Made This Yourself!" Serve them with Tex Mex Turkey Stew from America's Secret Recipes. You won't be able to stop the requests for your cooking, believe me.

Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits

2 cups biscuit mix (Bisquick)
1/2 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
2/3 cup milk
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Parsley flakes, for sprinkling

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Stir together the biscuit mix, cheddar, and milk until a soft dough forms. Beat with a wooden spoon for about 30 seconds.
3. Spoon onto a greased cookie sheet. Smooth down the tops to prevent hard points from forming.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the tops are brown.
5. While the biscuits are baking, melt the butter in a pan and stir in the garlic powder.
6. Once the biscuits are done, brush the butter on tops, sprinkle with parsley flakes, and serve hot.

Makes 10 biscuits

Click the book cover and get your own recipes.

My Version of Buffalo Chicken Wings

Here is one of my favorites for my version of Buffalo chicken wings. You can use a deep fryer if you have one. I don't, so I use a heavy sauce pan or my trusty cast-iron skillet, because it gets nice and hot. A Dutch oven also works. Anything you can put a quantity of oil in. Please note that I also don't use flour to coat the wings, so make sure to pat dry the wings and drop them carefully in the oil.

Ingredients:                                              

Peanut oil for deep frying
12-24 wing pieces (Whole wings cut in half or buy frozen "wingettes")

4 Tbs margarine
1 Tbs vinegar
* 5 Tbs hot sauce (I use Louisiana, Uncle Brutha's or whatever I have. You can use Tabasco also)
Garlic salt and pepper to taste
Blue cheese dressing
Celery sticks

Directions:

Heat oil in skillet to about 375 degrees F. (190.5 degrees C.) Add enough to cover wings-about an inch or two deep. Sprinkle with garlic salt and pepper if you like. Drop thawed chicken wings gently into the hot oil, one batch at time. Do not crowd. Fry until golden brown. About 10-15 minutes depending on wing size. Remove the wings from the oil and drain on a rack or paper towels.

While wings are cooking, melt margarine in a saucepan, add hot sauce and vinegar. Stir and put in a large mixing bowl. Add the Buffalo chicken wings and toss in the sauce to coat each wing. Place in a bowl or platter.
Serve with blue cheese dressing, celery sticks and lot of napkins.

*If the wings are for children, start with a Tbs hot sauce. Serve the kids first, and then add more hot sauce to the bowl.

Find chicken wing recipes from Applebee's, TGI Fridays and Chili's you can cook at home.

Warning Tips for Cooking Vegetable Meals for Non-Vegetarians

Just the word, vegetables, causes some people to have the same reaction as if they were eating a lemon. Especially when you first learn to cook, you may shrink in horror at the thought of having to a meal of just vegetables. There was a time when the thought of serving a dish with no meat was unappealing. Meatless meals were for those "weird" friends who all of a sudden became vegetarian..

Vegetables were a mostly lowly unnoticed addition to a meal. There was no variety.  They were there so you would have three things on your plate and, you could say you ate something nutritional. Primarily the green stuff was ignored and not just by children. Fortunately, times have changed!

Nowadays, meatless meals are exciting, filling and downright delicious. A warning, though: because vegetables are so perishable, they change when they are cooked and there are some tips to be aware of that will determine whether your finished dish looks and tastes good.

• Do not overcook. Doneness varies from vegetable to vegetable; however, most vegetables should be cooked briefly

• Vegetables that have tender parts and tough parts, like broccoli and asparagus, require special preparation so all parts get done at the same time

• For example, broccoli stems should be removed from the florets and trimmed. Asparagus stalks should be peeled. The base of Brussels sprouts should be pierced with a sharp knife

• Add vegetables to boiling salted water to cut down on cooking time and help minimize loss of flavor

• Mushrooms easily absorb water so rinse or wipe mushrooms with a damp paper towel

• Perk up steamed vegetables by adding a little lemon juice or olive oil. Toss them in a vinaigrette or add a little grated cheese

Home-cooked vegetable meals sometimes get a bad rap. Cooking one doesn't mean having unexciting or bland fare. Treat your vegetables well and you can have a tasty and satisfying meal.

Discover How to Make Your Favorite Restaurant Dishes at Home!  These Secret Recipes Have Finally Been Revealed... Click here!

America's Secret Recipes: Cook Your Favorite Restaurant Dishes At Home

I am not a famous chef, yet I re-create many of America's secret recipes right at home in my own kitchen and stay within my budget. So can you. Right now that is very important for many of us. For those with children and families you have all the more reason to want to save money. Secret Restaurant Recipes are contained in 2 volumes chocked full of some of the best restaurant dishes in the world.

Last week I was able to bake the Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuits. These little gems are so delicious; it is hard to describe how good they are, except that they remind me of the biscuits my mom used to make, without the cheese. It was so hard waiting for them to cool; actually I did burn my tongue a bit because I tried to eat one just out of the oven. To add my own little spin, I use extra sharp cheese instead of the mild cheddar the recipe calls for. It is so satisfying to be able to cook meals that I go to a restaurant and buy. It had not entered my mind that I could do this until I saw this Americas Secret Recipes being offered online.

I love eating out. Unfortunately I have had to "cut down," so to speak, so having this cookbook with recipes from Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, PF Chang's and even KFC makes up for the lack. All I can say is "yumm-eee." Making these dishes is a real budget stretcher. Especially since many of these same restaurants are raising their prices at this time where many people are having to carefully follow their budgets.

I happen to love cooking and have taken some cooking classes; however, most of these recipes can be done even if you have never taken a cooking class. When you hear the raves from your family and friends, like I have, you will be convinced you made the right decision.

In fact, I wish I had owned these cookbooks when I was a personal chef. They would have been great for my business. My home clients would have loved the variety and uniqueness of the recipes. The Olive Garden's Chicken Crostina would have been a winner. Chicken breasts are marinated in olive oil and rosemary then lightly breaded. The chicken is sautéed with fresh garlic and diced Roma tomatoes in a creamy garlic-butter sauce and served over linguine pasta. Then you make a crust of breadcrumbs, shredded potatoes herbs and 3 different kinds of cheeses. It tastes so good. Just like at Olive Garden.

Ready? Click here for ordering instructions.