Macaroni Grill Recipe

Since our country is looking at a $700 billion dollar bail out plan, this is more reason to stay at home and save money by cooking our own favorite secret restaurant recipes!

Here's a recipe from the Secret Recipe cookbook:

Macaroni Grill Focaccia

9 tablespoons olive oil, divided use
3 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsifted semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1 1/2 tablespoons quick-rising dry yeast
1 1/2 cups hot milk (between 120 to 130 degrees F)
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves

1. Pour a 1/2 tablespoon of the olive oil into a 9-inch square cake
pan; spread to cover bottom and sides.
2. Place all-purpose flour, semolina flour, 2 tablespoons of the
olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and all of the yeast in the
bowl of a mixer fitted with a dough hook or you can mix by hand.
3. Mix ingredients on medium speed. Reduce speed to low and slowly
add hot milk. Increase the speed to medium and continue mixing for
5 minutes, then knead about 10 minutes by hand.
4. Dust the bottom of cake pan with a little flour. Remove dough
from bowl and spread out evenly in pan. Cover with a towel and let
it rest for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
6. Remove towel and brush dough with 1 to 2 tablespoons of the
olive oil. Dust the top with additional salt and rosemary. Bake
for 20 minutes.
7. Remove from oven and drizzle with remaining oil.

Serves 6-8

Lipton Involved In Melamine Scandal!

The latest major corporation involved in the Chinese melamine scandal is Unilever ( Lipton). Lipton has recalled 4 batches of their milk tea powder in Hong Kong and Macau.

The list is growing steadily of corporations involved and their products that contain melamine.

Here is a short list:

Unilvever- Lipton Green Milk Tea from the Taiwan market

Pocky Men's coffee cream coated biscuit stick, produced by Japan's Ezaki Glico Co. Ltd.

Two samples of coconut and walnut cakes manufactured by Tian Le Yuan Foods Co. Ltd. -
South China

Nabisco Ritz cracker cheese sandwiches and in rice crackers made by Danyang Day Bright Co- South Korea

Here is a link to a news story about this >>> Lipton Milk Tea Powder Recalled
When is this going to end? When is it going to reach us? What are your thoughts on this?

Cadbury Products Contain Melamine

Have you been cooking with or eating Cadbury products? Just to warn you, in case you haven't already heard, British based candy maker Cadbury has recalled 11 products sold in parts of Asia and the Pacific.

Seems they contain melamine too. Hmm... Makes you wonder, even though the US has put a ban on importing melamine tainted products from China, do you really think we haven't consumed anything made with it?

I think it is pretty far fetched to believe that we haven't. Or, if we haven't that it isn't sitting on grocery store shelves somewhere in the US. Maybe it is just a product we don't consume or like...

When I say we, I am talking myself. This is what I believe, they are my opinions and views, not the media. (That was my disclaimer!)

Back to the subject at hand.

Here is an excerpt from a news report on Yahoo! news:

"Hong Kong's Center for Food Safety said it tested six Cadbury chocolate samples, including two made at Cadbury's Beijing plant, and found them to contain less than 2.5 parts per million legally considered acceptable here. It did not say whether it was testing the other nine products being recalled."

In a nutshell, that means if Cadbury saw fit, they could do nothing and continue to market these products with the current amount of melamine in them. Luckily Cadbury does not see this as a good idea, and is continuing to stand behind their recall.

My guess is we are going to see quite a few more major corporations come out in the near future, stating what their involvement is with melamine in their products.

Here is a link to a news article about the recall >>> Medical News Today: Cadbury Recall

Stay tuned!

Please give me your comments on this issue, and how you feel!

Melamine, And What It Means To You!

I posted this story in my Need Dog Food Recipes? blog and Hodge Podge Blog, but I believe it is worthy of this blog as well since it has everything do do with cooking, food and ingredients! I am being very diligent about getting the word out about this problem.


Back in March 2007 there was a massive dog food recall. It was because of Melamine.

Melamine is a chemical used in fertilizers, and was found to be in quite a few brands of dog food. Melamine is not safe for human consumption, let alone consumption by our dogs.

Quite a few dogs died because of this contamination. Melamine poisoning causes kidney stones and kidney failure. The root cause of this contamination?

Two companies in China were using melamine as a filler in a product that was used in dog food. This product was then shipped to the U.S. and used by the majority of the dog food manufacturers.

Now, fast forward to September 2008. Melamine is back in the news again, and guess why?
A Chinese milk product has been contaminated with melamine!

At the time of this printing, 4 babies have died because of this product. World wide, the major concern is for candies. A lot of countries import snacks and candies made from milk and or milk products produced in China.

So, beware! The melamine scare isn't over yet!

Here is the link to the story>>>>> Chinese Dairy Imports Kill 4 Babies

The authorities are saying there is no chance melamine tainted products are making their way into the United States, I just don't believe it. Do you?

I will post more info as it comes in.

Please feel free to leave me comments about this, let me know how you feel about us importing Chinese products.

Joe's Crab Shack Crab Dip Restaurant Recipe

Here is another great recipe from Restaurant Recipes cookbook

Joe's Crab Shack Crab Dip


2 oz Cream Cheese, softened
4 tsp. Diced Yellow Onion
1 Tbsp. Butter, softened)
4 tsp. Finely Diced Green Pepper
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/4 tsp. Seasoned Salt
1/8 tsp. Paprika
1 Tbsp. Mayonnaise
1/4 Cup Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 (6 oz.) can Crab Meat (drained) **Use fresh crab meat if you can!
Fresh Diced Green Onion, for garnish
Fresh Chopped Parsley, for garnish
*optional* dash of hot sauce for a little kick

Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and butter until smooth.
Blend in seasoned salt and paprika. Stir in yellow onions, crab
meat, green pepper, and mozzarella cheese. Place in a lightly
greased small shallow baking dish and place in a preheated oven at
350 degrees until mixture bubbles, about 10 - 14 minutes. Serve dip
with unsalted or very lightly salted corn chips.

Serves 2-3 as an appetizer.

Do You Hate To Peel Eggs?

I hate to peel eggs. I have tried every trick under the sun to get my hard boiled eggs to peel well. None of them have worked so far!

I just came across this video on Youtube, and I think I am going to try it, I actually laughed when I saw it, I'm sure you will too!



Now, back to the recipes!

Here is another sample from Secret Recipes!

T.G.I. Friday's French Onion Soup

Ingredients

3-4 medium to large onions
3 cans of beef broth
water
worchestershire sauce
butter
sargento cheese (Italian blend) 8 oz. bag (recommended)
French baguette
2 bay leaves
dash of garlic powder
dash of both salt and pepper

Directions

Slice the onions into rings and saute in butter in a skillet until
tender.

Turn crock pot on to low and put in the cans of beef broth, bay
leaves, dash of garlic powder and salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons of
worchestershire sauce, and 3/4 cup of water. When the onions and
butter mixture is tender then also add them to the crock pot.

Cover and cook for at least 3-5 hours on low. At this point you may
want to taste the soup and see if you would like it a little
weaker--if so add a little water or chicken broth. Also, at this
time remove the bay leaves and discard them.

When about ready to serve, slice bread into thin slices and toast
in oven on 350 or in toaster oven until just crusty. Put toasted
slices (1-3) in bowl and cover with the cheese (adjust cheese to
your liking). Then cover bread and cheese with hot soup. The cheese
will melt and the bread will rise to the top.

For more great secret restaurant recipes go to >>> Secret Recipes

A Blog For Bums Like Us: Are You One of Us?

A Blog For Bums Like Us: Are You One of Us?

Hodge Podge Blog

Save Money With CopyCat Olive Garden Recipes

Most people have saving money on their minds these days, simply because of the rising fuel prices. Many of us have had to cut back on our "luxuries" like eating out. That is one way to save money, but how about the problem of not being able to have our favorite dishes? We could save a ton of money by making these secret recipes of our favorite restaurants!

Not only can we save money by not driving to and from the restaurants, but we can also save money by not paying the marked up prices for the dishes themselves, not to mention the tip for the server!

I have a little teaser secret recipe here for you:

Copycat Applebee's Garlic Mashed Potatoes

32 ounces red potatoes
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons butter
salt and black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup garlic cloves

1. Place a single layer of garlic cloves on a sheet of aluminum foil and wrap tightly.
2. Roast in 400 degrees F preheated oven for about 45 minutes or until soft.
3. Unwrap and let cool.
4. Peel cloves and set aside until the potatoes are ready.
5. Wash and rinse potatoes under cold water.
6. In large pot, bring red potatoes to a slow boil for about 20 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and drain in colander.
8. In pan or bowl, combine potatoes, peeled and roasted garlic cloves, and all other ingredients and mash with a potato masher.
9. Keep warm until you serve.
8 servings

This secret recipe is one of my favorites! Anything with garlic usually is though! I'm sure there are other scrumptious, mouth watering secret recipes you would love to get your hands on!
You can find them at >>>> Secret Recipes!

Want Olive Garden Recipes?

Everyone seems to be in need of Olive Garden Recipes! The dishes at Olive Garden are so delicious, and mouthwatering, who could blame you!

I grew up around Italian cuisine, my family was very close with an Italian family while we were growing up. Needless to say, none of us kids ever went hungry. We could go to either house, and there would be plenty of food to feed the neighborhood!

That is one of the things I like about Italian cuisine, it makes you feel all warm, and like you are at home, sitting at the big communal table in the kitchen!

How about starting with the Olive Garden Recipe for Tuscany Bread? Mmm, it is warming my belly as I am thinking about it!

Would you like the San Remo dip with that? Both of these recipes are in a fantastic e-book I stumbled across.

Pork Filettino, Parmesan Chicken, Mostaccioli Quattro Formaggio, and Mediterranean Garlic Shrimp are just a sampling of the main course Olive Garden Recipes you will find in this e-book!

Desert, oh-my-goodness!!! They have Tiramisu, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cheesecake, Apple Praline Cheesecake, Apple Carmelina, Black Tie Mousse Cake and
Raspberry Mousse Cheesecake. Again these are only a portion of the deserts from the Olive Garden Recipes section.

I gained 5 lbs. just reading the list! That is one thing you want to remember, These recipes are definitely not on the light side!

This e-book is worth its weight in gold, it also features other great restaurant recipes. You can find these top secret recipes in it as well:

Applebee's Baby Back Ribs
Applebee's Smothered Steak Skillet
Applebee's Apple Chimi-Cheesecake

Outback Steakhouse's Bloomin' Onion
Outback Steakhouse's Bread
Outback Steakhouse's Steak Seasoning

Red Lobster's Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Red Lobster's Crab Au Gratin
Red Lobster's Crab Alfredo

This is just a few of the restaurant recipes you will find in this e-book! Go ahead, discover the top secret recipes! Over 45,000 people have worked over 5 years to perfect these recipes, so they taste just like your favorite restaurant recipes!

These top secret recipes are worth every penny! You will be the talk of the town when you start making all these dishes!

Visit >>> Olive Garden Recipes to find a sample recipe and get the link!

Why Do They Call Them Secret Recipes?

They call them secret recipes because the CEO's of the companies don't want you to figure them out! If they are figured out, chances are they will lose business.

Well, the restaurants are losing business, but the biggest reason is because of rising gas prices. People can no longer afford the luxury of going out to dinner twice a week or even once a week!

Now we have a problem. We want to eat our favorite restaurant meals, but we can't afford them. I have come up with an ingenious solution. Why don't we make our favorite meals at home?

I know, I know, I'm not that ingenious! Anyways, is there a reason why we can't make these dishes at home? Not any more! I have found the secret recipes for you!

Here is an example of one:

Copycat Mrs. Fields Peanut Butter Cookies

1/4 Teaspoon salt
1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
2 Cups flour
2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Cup creamy peanut butter
3 Eggs
1 Cup softened butter
1 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 1/4 Cup dark brown sugar

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees F.
In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Mix together with a wire whisk. In a large bowl, blend the sugars using an electric mixer at medium speed. Add butter and mix until it forms paste. Next, add the eggs, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Mix at medium speed until the batter becomes light and fluffy. Add the flour mixture and change the mixer to low speed. Continue until just mixed.
Drop by tablespoons onto an ungreased cookie sheet, 1 1/2 inches apart. With a fork, gently press a crisscross pattern on top of each cookies. Bake for 10-20 minutes until cookies are slightly brown along the edges. Transfer cookies from the pan immediately with a spatula and allow them to cool.

Mmmm, my mouth is watering all ready! Along with secret recipes like this one, you will find secret recipes from Red Lobster, Outback Steakhouse, KFC, and Olive Garden just to name a few.

To check out this wonderful book, visit Secret Recipes!

Restaurant Cheesecake Recipes

I don't know if you love cheesecake as much as I do. I just love to taste all the different ones in the restaurants we go to. Unfortunately with the rise in gas prices, and everything else, we can't afford to go out much any more. I have had to find ways to save money left and right these days, and one of them is by coming up with more recipes to cook at home!

I came across this wonderful book that has a ton of restaurant cheesecake recipes in it, along with a bunch of other restaurant recipes as well!

Here is a sample from it: (Try not to pass out from the sheer deliciousness of it!)



The Cheesecake Factory Banana Cream Cheesecake

20 vanilla sandwich cookies
¼ cup margarine, melted
24 oz cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
3 eggs
¾ cup mashed bananas (about 2)
½ cup whipping cream
2 tspn vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Place cookies in a blender; process with on/off pulse until finely crushed.

Add margarine; process with pulses until blended. Press crumb mixture onto bottom of 10" springform pan; refrigerate.

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer at medium speed until creamy. Add sugar and cornstarch; beat until blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in bananas, whipping cream, and vanilla. Pour cream cheese mixture into prepared crust. Place pan on cookie sheet and bake 15 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 200°F (DO NOT forget to reduce temperature - very important) and continue baking 75 minutes or until center is almost set. Loosen edge of cheesecake; cool completely on wire rack before removing rim of pan. Refrigerate cheesecake, uncovered, 6 hours or overnight.

Allow cheesecake to stand at room temperature 15 minutes before serving.

For more to die for restaurant cheesecake recipes...
Please visit > Secret Recipes

What Is The Big Deal With Secret Recipes?

The big deal is, you can save money with secret recipes! How? It is pretty simple actually. You will no longer need to drive to or from your favorite restaurants for your favorite meals!

You will also save money on the price of the meal as well. You won't have to pay the inflated prices from your favorite restaurant or the tip!

Why wouldn't you want to take advantage of saving money? Some people just don't care, it is not a priority for them. Myself, I need to save money every chance I get!

The price of gas these days has severely limited my driving. I am lucky if I get out of the house once a week now to do the grocery shopping!

When I got my hands on these secret recipes, I was absolutely thrilled! My husband was a little skeptical at first, since he loves to eat out. He travels for a living, so eating out is what he loves to do!

Needless to say, we can no longer afford to go out when he is home, so I found these wonderful secret recipes, and you know what? They passed the husband test! He loved them!

Here is a sample secret recipe for you:

Olive Garden's Chicken Crostina

Serves 6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients
6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 cups & 1 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp salt
1 Tbsp pepper
1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
1 Tbsp roasted garlic, minced
1 cup white wine
1 ½ cups heavy cream
5 Tbsp olive oil
1 lb linguine
1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup roma tomatoes, cored & diced
2 Tbsp parsley, chopped

Potato Crust
1 ½ cup seasoned breadcrumbs
¼ cup parmesan cheese, grated
¼ cup melted butter
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ cup parsley, chopped
1 small potato, peeled & grated
Salt & pepper to taste

Procedures
* MIX all ingredients for Potato Crust in a bowl and set aside.

* MIX 1 ½ cups flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken in the mixture, shaking off any excess. Heat 3 Tbsp oil in a large skillet. Cook chicken breasts 2 at a time over medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp, or until internal temperature reaches 165° F. Add more oil for each batch as necessary.

* PLACE cooked chicken breasts on a baking sheet or dish and top with potato crust mixture. Transfer baking sheet to a pre-heated broiler until golden brown (1-2 minutes).

* COOK pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

* HEAT 2 Tbsp oil in a sauce pan. Add roasted garlic, cook for 1 minute. Stir in 1 Tbsp of flour and wine and bring to a boil. Add cream, parmesan cheese, 1 Tbsp parsley, and tomatoes. Sauce is done when it is bubbling throughout and begins to thicken.

* COAT pasta with sauce, then top with chicken and remaining sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley.

If you would like more mouth watering secret recipes...
You can find them here > Secret Recipes