Fun

6 Copycat Restaurant Recipes So Good Your Kids Won't Know the Difference

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Why go out to eat when you can make a delicious meal yourself? Here are some recipes from Six Sisters’ Stuff to bring your favorite restaurant dishes into your own kitchen.

In-N-Out Burger Animal Style Fries and Fry Sauce

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Fries

- 1 (32 oz.) bag frozen shoestring French fries
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Bake fries according to package directions.

While fries are baking, heat oil and brown sugar in frying pan over medium heat. Add diced onion and stir frequently until caramelized, about 15–20 minutes.

Remove fries from oven and sprinkle with cheese. Return to oven and broil on high for 3 minutes, or until cheese has melted and fries are golden brown around edges.

To serve, top cheese fries with caramelized onions and fry sauce.

Fry Sauce

- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1/3 cup ketchup
- 1 1/2 tablespoons pickle relish
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

In small bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, sugar, pepper, salt, and apple cider vinegar until combined.

Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana

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- 1 pound Italian sausage, casings removed
- 4 slices thick, uncooked bacon, diced into small pieces
- 1 large sweet onion, chopped
- 3 large potatoes
- 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups chopped kale, packed
- 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
- Finely shredded Parmesan cheese, for garnish

Crumble sausage into 1-inch pieces and cook in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Drain sausage onto plate or baking dish lined with paper towels; set aside.

Add diced bacon and chopped onion to saucepan and sauté mixture until bacon is cooked through and onions are translucent, about 3–5 minutes. Scrub and rinse potatoes, then slice into halves, then 1/4-inch slices. Add chicken broth, water, sliced potatoes, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt and pepper to saucepan with bacon and onions. Bring soup just to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and stir in cooked sausage. Cover saucepan and simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes are nearly tender, about 10–15 minutes. Add kale. Simmer until potatoes are soft and kale is tender, about 5–10 minutes longer. Stir in half-and-half and warm through. Serve warm topped with Parmesan cheese.

Panda Express Orange Chicken

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- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, plus more for frying
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (12.5 oz.) bottle orange sauce, such as Panda Express Gourmet Chinese Orange Sauce

Cut chicken breasts into bite-size pieces, trimming off any fat. Pour oil an inch deep in cast-iron pot or saucepan and heat over medium-high heat. In medium bowl, whisk together egg, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil. In another bowl, mix together cornstarch and flour. Coat chicken in egg mixture, then dredge in flour mixture. Add coated chicken to heated oil (you may need to do this in a few batches). Cook each side for at least 2–3 minutes or until golden brown and chicken is cooked through.

Place chicken on paper towels to soak up any oil. In large bowl, toss together cooked chicken and orange sauce.

Chili’s Cajun Chicken Pasta

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- 8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
- 4 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 cups half-and-half
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded

Cook penne pasta according to directions on box. Drain pasta and set aside. Place chicken breasts in zipper-top plastic bag and sprinkle in Cajun seasoning. Seal bag and shake thoroughly until chicken is evenly coated. In large skillet, sauté chicken breasts in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat, turning occasionally until cooked through. In separate skillet, combine half-and-half, 2 tablespoons butter, lemon pepper, salt, black pepper, and garlic powder over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat when cream mixture starts to bubble. Pour cream sauce over cooked noodles. Slice chicken breasts into strips. Serve pasta topped with chicken breast strips, diced tomatoes, and Parmesan cheese.

Taco Time Pumpkin Empanadas

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- 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
- 8 flour tortillas
- Vegetable or canola oil, for frying
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- Nondairy whipped topping or freshly whipped cream

In large bowl with electric mixer, cream together cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Blend in canned pumpkin, vanilla, and pumpkin pie spice. Put about 1/3 cup of pumpkin filling in center of each tortilla; spread filling almost to edges. Roll up carefully and secure with toothpick. 

Heat 1–2 inches of oil to 350° F in large pot. Drop empanadas in hot oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Place on paper towels to drain excess oil. Remove toothpicks. In shallow bowl, combine cinnamon and 1/2 cup sugar. Roll hot empanadas in mixture and serve warm. Serve with whipped topping or fresh whipped cream.

Ghirardelli Hot Chocolate

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- 4 cups milk
- 1 cup Ghirardelli semisweet chocolate chips
- Whipped topping

Combine milk and chocolate in saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly with metal whisk until all chocolate is melted.

Serve with whipped topping.


For more fun, familiar recipes from your all-time favorite restaurants, check out Copycat Cooking by Six Sisters’ Stuff, available at Deseret Book stores and deseretbook.com.

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