The Evil that is REAL LIFE has Intruded Upon Our Fun

Good Morning.

Thank you for coming to Copycat Recipes this morning. Unfortunately, as you see I do not have a recipe for you. Real life has taken its toll recently and I need sometime to sort things out.

So I am taking at least this week off from the blog. Sorry.

I hope that you will check back next week and I will email all of you who are signed up as soon as I have something new.

Thank you again and keep cooking.

Mark

Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia

Along with Chubby Hubby, this is my Favorite Ben and Jerry's flavor

Ingredients

1/4 cup shaved semi−sweet chocolate bars
1/4 cup fresh Bing cherries, halved and pitted (you may use canned cherries, but be sure to drain the syrup)
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 cup milk

Directions

1. Place the shaved chocolate flakes and the cherries in separate bowls. Cover and refrigerate.
2. Whisk the eggs in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the sugar, a little at a time, then continue whisking until completely blended, about 1 minute more. Pour in the cream and milk and whisk to blend.
3. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze following the manufacturer’s instructions.
4. After the ice cream stiffens (about 2 minutes before it is done), add the chocolate and the cherries, then continue freezing until the ice cream is ready.

Four Seasons Crab Cakes

Phare Dans la Tempete, la Jument II

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Four Seasons Crab Cakes

Ingredients

2 pounds jumbo lump crabmeat
1/2 pound fresh codfish fillet
1/2 to 1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped chives
2 tablespoons basil, julienned
Salt and pepper to taste
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil for sauteing

Directions

1. Pick through crabmeat, removing all shells but being careful not to break up the large lumps too much.
2. In a food processor, grind codfish until pureed.
3. Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream and puree until incorporated. Then add more cream if needed. The mixture should be smooth and shiny, yet firm enough to hold its shape.
4. Place this mousse in a metal bowl and add the other ingredients, except for the olive oil.
5. Take a small portion of the crab−cake mixture and saute in hot olive oil until golden brown.
6. Taste to adjust seasoning.
7. Form the rest of the crab cakes and saute in hot olive oil until golden on both sides.
8. Finish by baking in a 450−degree oven for 4 to 5 minutes.

Recovering From the Derby and California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Tequila Fettucine

Churchill Downs

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If you read the posts last week you know that I spent Friday and Saturday at Churchill downs enjoying the Kentucky Oakes and Kentucky Derby. I spent all day yesterday recovering.

I had a great time. I spent both days in the crazy infield and actually saw more naked women than horses. But I had a good time with friends and we could see several of the large screens so we knew immediately when we lost our bets. Which happen more often than not.

Friday was a wee bit wet. That's understatement for any of you who didn't watch the coverage. It rained 10 different times according to my friend, Ed. Most of the showers were Noah-sized, rat killers. The entire infield was flooded about ankle deep pretty much deserted by the time the last race was run. But I am proud to say that I stuck it out. I got there at 6am and got home about 9pm. I was wet, cold and tired but still had a great time.

Saturday was a MUCH better weather day. It started cold and drizzly but around 10am the sun came out to a thunderous cheer and the day was wonderful. I am in awe of the performance of Big Brown and his jockey, Kent Desormeaux. Both horse and rider ran an almost perfect race (I'm no expert but I have seen several thousand races live.) Did you see how Kent tucked him in 4 back just before the first turn? When he did that I turned to my buddy, Ray, and said that he was in the perfect position. It was now up to the horse -- either he was fast enough or he wasn't -- the jockey had done his job. Turns out he was fast enough, huh?

We were all devastated by the fall and euthanasia of Eight Belles. Even with all the partying and cheering of the winner there were people all around me with tears in their eyes. In Kentucky we live everyday with these horses and no one wants to experience this sad reality of horse racing.

Did you catch me on TV? I was interviewed on Saturday by the NBC Sports crew while I took a turn on the Barbeque Grill for Saint Bernard School (Linda asked me to help out since I was gonna be there anyway -- I agreed.) I had just stepped in and slapped a couple dozen burgers on when a camera and microphone were shoved into my face. The dude asked about the burgers and said something about how people should eat along with all the drinking. I remember agreeing. Then he asked it there was anything better than a burger and young girls pulling there shirts off (yes, he really did -- it's an infield tradition.) I remember laughing at that and saying something like, a burger, girls pulling there shirts off and a beer! He laughed and was gone. Just like that. You never know.

For today's recipe we have California Pizza Kitchen Chicken Tequila Fettucine

Ingredients

1 pound dry spinach fettucine
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
2 tablespoons minced jalapeno pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons gold tequila
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/4 pounds chicken breast, diced 3/4 inch
1/4 medium red onion, thinly sliced
1/2 medium red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 medium green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Directions

1. Prepare rapidly boiling, salted water to cook pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes.
2. Toss with a little oil and set aside.
3. Cook 1/3 cup cilantro, garlic and jalapeno in 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Add stock, tequila, and lime juice.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook until reduced to a paste like consistency; set aside.
5. Pour soy sauce over diced chicken; set aside for 5 minutes.

6. Meanwhile cook onion and peppers,stirring occasionally, with remaining butter over medium heat for 3−4 minutes.
7. Add chicken and soy sauce; toss and add reserved tequila/lime paste and cream.
8. Bring the sauce to a boil; boil gently until chicken is cooked through and sauce is thick (about 3 minutes).
9. When sauce is done, toss with well−drained spinach fettucine and remaining cilantro.

The Run for the Roses - The Kentucky Derby Celebration Week and Derby Pie Recipe

Dear Reader,

As you read this on Friday, I am in the infield at the Kentucky Oaks. I am probably having a great time with 200,000 of my closest friends.

Here is a welcome sweet for your next Derby Celebration or any party.

Have fun and don't forget to watch the Kentucky Derby tomorrow. I will be there, too. Maybe this year I'll meet Kid Rock.

See ya soon,

Mark

Red Rose

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Derby Pie

Ingredients

Single pie crust, which you can make from your very own recipe. If you're too rushed for that, I recommend those wonderful Pillsbury crusts that you merely have to put in the pie pan and crimp! Find them in the refrigerated biscuit section of the supermarket.

1/2 cup Butter, melted and cooled
2 Eggs
1 cup Sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose Flour
1 cup semi-sweet Chocolate Chips
1 1/2 cups chopped Pecans
2 tablespoons Kentucky Bourbon

Directions

1. Beat eggs with cooled butter.
2. Add flour & sugar. Beat until mixed well.
3. Stir in pecans, chocolate chips & bourbon.
4. Pour mixture into pie shell.
5. Bake at 350° for about 30 minutes, or until set.
6. Serve with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, or both!

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The Greatest of ALL TIME - Secretariat

The super horse, Secretariat had no equals in his lifetime and few in history. His stats are mind boggling. Here are a few and I will have more on Preakness and Belmont weeks ('cause, you know, he won them too.)

On March 30, at 12:10 a.m., Somethingroyal foaled a bright red chestnut colt with three white socks and a star with a narrow blaze. By the time the colt was a yearling, he was still unnamed. Meadow's secretary, Elizabeth Ham, had submitted ten names to the Jockey Club, and all ten were denied for one reason or another. Approval finally came with the eleventh submission, a name Ham herself picked from a previous career association, Secretariat.

He lost his first race then won 5 in a row. He finished up as a two year old by being named Horse of the Year becoming the first horse ever to be so honored. Only one horse since then, Favorite Trick in 1997, has won that award as a 2 year old. Secretariat also won the Eclipse Award for champion 2 year old.

Then came the Triple Crown

Secretariat broke the record in ALL THREE triple crown races -- Two of which still stand today (including the Derby -- at 1:59 2/5 still only one of two sub 2-minute runs.)

Here is a video of his Kentucky Derby Run. It's not his greatest run (that's coming to this blog in 5 weeks -- and you will NOT believe you eyes!) but it is the Greatest Derby Run of All Time.

One final note about this run -- the horse that finished second, Sham, actually broke the Kentucky derby record, but still lost to Secretariat.

Derby Week Celebration - The Hot Brown

A Hot Brown is a hot sandwich originally created at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, by Fred K. Schmidt in 1926. It was one of two signature sandwiches created by chefs at the Brown Hotel shortly after its founding in 1923. Fred K. Schmidt created it as an alternative to ham and egg late-night suppers. In the 1920's, The Brown Hotel drew over 1,200 guests each evening for its dinner dance.

When Fred K. Schmidt created the Hot Brown, its sliced roast turkey was a rarity, as turkey was usually reserved for holiday feasts. The original Hot Brown included the sliced turkey on an open-faced white toast sandwich, with Mornay sauce covering it, with a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, completed by being oven-broiled until bubbly. Pimento and bacon strips were then added to it. After its debut, it quickly became the choice of ninety-five percent of the customers to the Brown Hotel's restaurant.

On menus within the Louisville area, the Hot Brown often appears as titled "Louisville Hot Brown", elsewhere in Kentucky outside Louisville as the "Kentucky Hot Brown" and outside the commonwealth simply as "Hot Brown."

The Hot Brown has been seen in an episode of Throwdown! with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Joe and John Castro, Hot Brown chefs of the Brown Hotel in Kentucky, competed with Flay in a cook-off of Hot Browns. The natives of Kentucky came through and won the challenge of this indigenous dish. The Hot Brown was also featured on the Travel Channel network show Taste of America with Mark DeCarlo.

It has also been featured in Southern Living Magazine, The Los Angeles Times, NBC's Today Show and Roadfood.com as well as being included as a regular entry in many of the finest cookbooks. Now, as the pinnacle of its success, it is on The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog. ;)

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Not the Brown Hotel -- but so cool...

Halles, 1957

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The Legendary Hot Brown Recipe

This recipe come straight from the Brown Hotel's Website -- so you know it authentic.

The photos came from Roadfood

Ingredients
4 ounces Butter
Flour to make a Roux (about 6 tablespoons)
3 to 3 1/2 cups Milk
1 Beaten Egg
6 tablespoons Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 ounce Whipped Cream (optional)
Salt and Pepper to Taste
Slices of Roast Turkey
8 to 12 Slices of Toast (may be trimmed)
Extra Parmesan for Topping
8 to 12 Strips of Fried Bacon

Directions

1. Melt butter and add enough flour to make a reasonably thick roux (enough to absorb all of the butter).
2. Add milk and Parmesan cheese.
3. Add egg to thicken sauce, but do not allow sauce to boil.
4. Remove from heat.
5. Fold in whipped cream.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

7. For each Hot Brown, place two slices of toast on a metal (or flameproof) dish.
8. Cover the toast with a liberal amount of turkey.
9. Pour a generous amount of sauce over the turkey and toast.
10. Sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese.
11. Place entire dish under a broiler until the sauce is speckled brown and bubbly.
12. Remove from broiler, cross two pieces of bacon on top, and serve immediately.
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The last Triple Crown Winner to date was Affirmed in 1978. But a year before Seattle Slew came into the Kentucky Derby with a 5 race winning streak and won all three races making the only time in history that Triple Crowns have been won in back to back years.

Notice that he wins so easily, that he pulls up at the end.

Derby Week -- KFC Honey BBQ Wings & Papa John's Dipping Sauce plus an Special Annoucement

I noticed something the other day when I checked my stats. For the first time the majority of traffic to The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog is coming from Google Searches instead of referrals. That's really cool.

Not that I don't love all of you who have mentioned Copycat on you sites and blogs. Thank you so much.

But this means that it's possible that everyday there are new people discovering our little site.

With that in mind and because it is the first of the month (okay, soon) I would like to take a moment to catch everyone up to speed. If you have been around awhile, you can skip this first part but you may want to read the "Email" section below.

The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog presents three (or more) recipes a week of your favorites for restaurants, stores and more (okay, that sounded stupid. Just look in the margin on the left, below the Adsense and you will get an idea. Or scroll down some and look at a few posts.)

Every Monday we have a new Favorite Dish from the likes of Applebees, KFC, TGI Fridays, Chilis, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, Macaroni Grill...the list goes on and on. These recipes are made for the home cook so that you can make your Restaurant Favorites at home.

We use Wednesday to Uncover a Gem of a recipe that you may not have tried but should. Last Wednesday, for instance, was The Original Brown Derby's Cobb Salad and included a music video and a clip of Lucy (scroll down to see this crazy entry.)

Sweet Fridays are just that -- SWEET! We usually have a cake, pie or candy recipe to start your weekend right.

We've include recipes for everything from main dishes to desserts, from drinks to candy bars and everything inbetween.

Want 31 Cookbooks from FREE?

During the month of March The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog gave away a free cookbook download each day. The bad news is the promotion is over.

The good news is you can still get ALL 31 cookbooks. For FREE!

Here's how to get any or all of them --

Just enter your name and email below. Then you will need to confirm your intentions by replying to an email we send you. You will only need to do this one time.

This serves three important purposes --

1. We know that you want to download something from us and someone is not spamming you.

2. We know that you are a person and someone is not spamming us.

3. Most importantly, it allows us to get to know you and keep up with you. The internet is a big place. You might forget us. We don't want that to happen.

After you enter your email follow the directions to your download.



Important Note: If you do not see the confirmation Email in your inbox -- Check your spam folder. We cannot control the settings of your email and it may have gone there.

Do not worry. We will NEVER spam you or sell your address. We hate spam as much (or more!) than you do.

If you have ANY problems or questions, leave a comment or contact us at:

Our email address is --

myeverdaylife.net (at) gmail (dot) com.

Which brings up...

Email

I like Email.

I like getting Email from the people I know and sites that I read -- and, based on your responses, so do you.

With that in mind, I have decided, starting in May, to increase my emails to you.

I will still be sending out the newletter every Monday (I hope), but now I will be contacting you by email thoughout the week, possibly everyday of some weeks.

Why?

Because I want to. And, again based on your responses, I think the majority of you will like it.

That brings up another thing I like about email. I can easily ignore or delete the ones I don't like or want.

But, I hope you won't do that because here's what I have in store for you:

March pretty much ran me dry of cookbooks -- but I haven't stopped collecting. I
have several new good ones to share with you. Many of them will still be FREE.

I also have many more ebooks that, while I couldn't include them in March -- because they are not cookbooks -- that I think some of you will really enjoy reading.

I have a WEALTH of non-copycat recipes that I would like to share. Thay don't fit Copycat and I don't have the time for a new website (there are plenty of Recipe sites, anyway) but would love to give them to you in an email.

I also have a couple of very special projects I am working on that I don't want to mention yet. (I know, "everyone says that", but it's true!)

...and (say it with me) much, much more.

Here's the deal -- since you must sign up for my email anyway to get to the Member's Area, I'm ONLY gonna include these new goodies in the email and Member's Area. I'm not gonna mention them on the site (Oh, maybe from time-to-time for the new people) but basically, the email will be the only way to get them or even know about them.

So if you want them, sign up now or, if you are signed up, check your inbox.

Oh, one more thing -- I'm going to include ads and offers in the email (and continue to in the Member's Area.) Some emails may be only an offer.

I work very hard to find offers and ads for all my sites for products I think my readers would enjoy (it's really in my best interest to find popular offers) and, again based upon your responses, I think the majority of you either A. Like the offers or B. Don't mind the offers.

If I choose correctly and you do see something that appeals to you -- check it out. Don't cost nuttin' to look. If not, ignore it. Still don't cost nuttin'.

Stick around. I think you'll enjoy it.

If this sounds good to you but you haven't signed up yet -- do it now (and get your FREE 31 Cookbooks!) --

Just enter your name and email below. Then you will need to confirm your intentions by replying to an email we send you. You will only need to do this one time.

This serves three important purposes --

1. We know that you want to download something from us and someone is not spamming you.

2. We know that you are a person and someone is not spamming us.

3. Most importantly, it allows us to get to know you and keep up with you. The internet is a big place. You might forget us. We don't want that to happen.

After you enter your email follow the directions to your download.



Important Note: If you do not see the confirmation Email in your inbox -- Check your spam folder. We cannot control the settings of your email and it may have gone there.

Do not worry. We will NEVER spam you or sell your address. We hate spam as much (or more!) than you do.

If you have ANY problems or questions, leave a comment or contact us at:

Our email address is --

myeverdaylife.net (at) gmail (dot) com.

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Horse and Colt with Fence

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NOW ON TO THE RECIPES!!

It's Kentucky Derby Week here in Louisville and to help celebrate, in our own small way, the Greatest Two Minutes in Sports, I am including all HOME GROWN Recipes this week. We have a couple of "local boys make good" stories and recipes today for you. Sit back and enjoy.

Oh one more thing -- I am going to the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and Kentucky Derby on Saturday. This won't actually affect the blog -- I just wanted to brag. ;)

In 1930, in the midst of the depression, Harland Sanders opened his first restaurant in the small front room of a gas station in Corbin, Kentucky (I've been there! - Mark.) Sanders served as station operator, chief cook and cashier and names the dining area "Sanders Court & Café."

In 1936 Kentucky Governor, Ruby Laffoon, makes Harland Sanders an honorary Kentucky Colonel (My Dad is a Kentucky Colonel -- but he doesn't run around in a white suit all the time - Mark) in recognition of his contributions to the state's cuisine.
By 1937 The Sanders Court & Café had added a motel and expanded to 142 seats. Fire destroyed it in 1939 but it is soon rebuilt and reopened.

Also in 1939, the pressure cooker is introduced. Soon thereafter Colonel Sanders begins using it to fry his chicken to give customers fresh chicken, faster and in 1940 he invents the famous "Original Recipe Chicken."

In the early 1950's The Colonel began to actively franchise his chicken business by traveling from town to town and cooking batches of chicken for restaurant owners and employees.
The first franchise restaurant opens in Salt Lake City. A handshake agreement stipulates a payment of a nickel to Sanders for each chicken sold.

In 1955 something happened that would change the eating habits of the world. An interstate highway is built to bypass Corbin, Kentucky thus taking away, all at once, the majority of the Colonel restaurant and motel business. Sanders sells the service station on the same day that he receives his first social security check for $105. After paying debts owed, he is virtually broke. He decides to go on the road to sell his Secret Recipe to restaurants.

In 1957 Kentucky Fried Chicken is first sold in buckets.

By 1960 the Colonel's hard work on the road begins to pay off and there are 190 KFC franchisees and 400 franchise units in the U.S. and Canada. By 1964 that number had increased to 600 franchised outlets in the United States, Canada and the first overseas outlet, in England.

Also in 1964, Sanders sells his interest in the U.S. company for $2 million to a group of investors headed by John Y. Brown Jr., future governor of Kentucky. They keep the Colonel on as a public spokesman for the company.

By 1971 there were more than 3,500 franchised and company-owned restaurants in worldwide operation when Heublein Inc. acquired KFC Corporation.

In 1976 an independent survey ranks the Colonel as the world's second most recognizable celebrity. Not bad for a little farm boy from rural Kentucky and inspiration to us all that we can do anything at any age. Remember, at 65 year old he was flat broke and owned nothing but a recipe.

Colonel Harland Sanders, who came to symbolize quality in the food industry, passed away in December of 1980 after being stricken with leukemia. Flags on all Kentucky state buildings flew at half-staff for four days.

Kentucky Fried Chicken passed through the hands of R.J. Reynolds Industries, Inc. (now RJR Nabisco, Inc.) when Heublein, Inc. is acquired by Reynolds, then on to PepsiCo, Inc., then to Tricom when PepsiCo. spun-off of its quick service restaurants - KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut. Tricom becam YUM! Brands when they added A&W and Long John Silvers (an Tricom no long made sense) and there we are today.

More than a billion of the Colonel's "finger lickin' good" chicken dinners are served annually in more than 80 countries and territories around the world and now, thanks to The Best Copycat Restaurant Recipes Blog, in you home.

KFC Honey Barbecued Wings

Ingredients

20 Chicken Wings, tips removed
2 cups Flour
2 Eggs
2/3 cup Milk
1 Bottle KC Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
1/4 cup Honey
Oil for deep frying

Directions

1. Wash the chicken wings, then remove the wing tips. Cut the other two pieces in half. Shake off the excess water.
2. Place the eggs and milk in a bowl and mix well. Set aside.
3. Mix together the BBQ sauce and honey. Set aside.
4. Put the flour into a bag, then shake the wings in it, to lightly coat.

5. Roll the wings in the egg wash, then toss them back into the bag. You want a fairly heavy coating of flour so the BBQ sauce has something to hang onto.
6. Repeat 2−3 times.
7. Heat a large skillet or use your deep fryer. Heat oil until it's very hot (around 350 degrees).
8. Fry the wings until they're golden brown.

9. Remove and drain on paper towels.

10. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
11. Dip each wing in the BBQ sauce and place on a greased cookie sheet. Make sure the pieces don't touch each other. Hint - place the larger pieces on the outer edges because its hotter there. This will help all the piece cook more evenly.

12. Bake for 15−20 minutes, until they no longer look shiny.

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Pride of the Stables I

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As a high school student working at a local pizza pub in Jeffersonville, Indiana, Papa John's founder John Schnatter realized that there was something missing from national pizza chains: a superior-quality traditional pizza delivered to the customer's door.

His dream was to one day open a pizza restaurant that would fill that void.

In 1984, "Papa" John Schnatter knocked out a broom closet located in the back of his father's tavern (Mick's Lounge), sold his prized 1972 Z28 Camaro, purchased $1,600 worth of used restaurant equipment, and began selling his pizzas to the tavern's customers (My brother, Todd, ate in the Broom Closet Restaurant many times. I never knew about it back then, unfortunately -- Mark.) The customers loved the pizza so much that John was able to expand by moving into adjoining space, eventually leading to the opening of the first Papa John's restaurant in 1985.

Today, there are more than 3,000 Papa John's restaurants worldwide.

Papa John and Colonel Sanders are the only two Kentuckians to by inducted into Junior Achievement U.S. Business Hall of Fame.

The University of Louisville Football Cardinals play in Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. Go Cards!

Papa John's Garlic Sauce

So simple and easy, you can make it in the time it takes the pizza to cook or for Papa to deliver.

Ingredients

1/4 − 1/2 stick Margarine
1/2 tablespoon Garlic Powder
1/4 teaspoon Salt

Directions

1. Melt butter in the microwave (about 30 seconds).
2. Put in salt and garlic powder (to taste).
3. Microwave for 5 seconds longer as the pizza get done or arrives from delivery.

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THE KENTUCKY DERBY

To celebrate Derby Week I will be showing Three of the Greatest Modern Derbys.

Today we have what has been called the "Greatest Rivalry in ALL of Sport" -- Affirmed vs. Alydar.

The two superhorses raced each other 10 times, from June 15, 1977, in the Youthful at Belmont, to August 19, 1978, in the Travers at Saratoga. Affirmed won seven of these matches including thrilling duels in all three Triple Crown races. But Alydar came in second -- in all three. It's something of a shame the two horses were born in the same year but it gave us some of the best races ever.

They hooked up in what may be the Greatest Triple Crown Race of all time -- the 1978 Belmont. We'll have that for you in 5 weeks but here is there 7th meeting - the 1978 Kentucky Derby.

The Cheesecake Factory's White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake

Before we get into today's heavenly recipe I want to tell you about some HUGE news from the Weekend Grillers.

The Weekend Grillers now features the Recipes of Stephen Raichlen!


If you are a BBQ and Grill fan you have probably already clicked over to Grillers. But for rest of you, please let me introduce Mr. Reichlen and tell you how big this is.

Stephen Raichlen is the New York Times Best Selling Author of The Barbecue Bible, Grilling USA, How to Grill and many more best selling cookbooks, the creator of Barbecue University and the host of The Primal Grill and Barbecue University TV shows on PBS.

He is the biggest name and most respected teacher in all the BBQ world. He is to BBQ what Spielberg is to movies, King is to books and Jordan is to basketball.

And now he is on The Weekend Grillers.

View his first Grillers recipe for yourself and see why we are excited -- Stephen Reichlen's 1st Timer's Ribs.

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The Cheesecake Factory operates 139 full-service, casual dining restaurants in the United States. Cheesecake Factory restaurants are characterized by extensive menus, custom lavish décor, and large portions.

According to the company's website, the Cheesecake Factory had its beginnings when Oscar and Evelyn Overton first decided to open a business after making a cheesecake for Oscar's employer in 1949. They opened a small cheesecake shop in Detroit, Michigan in the late 1940's, but later gave it up in order to raise her two children, David and Renee.

Evelyn continued to supply cakes to several of the best local restaurants, however, through a kitchen in her basement. By 1971, their children were now grown, and Oscar and Evelyn moved the business to Los Angeles, using the last of their savings to open a 700 square foot store that bore the name "The Cheesecake Factory". Evelyn would bake and manage the office while Oscar worked and sales and building new accounts.

The early years of their new company were sometimes difficult, but as the company's reputation and sales grew, the Overtons realized they needed a larger bakery, which they opened in 1975, at which point their business expanded dramatically, with Evelyn creating over 20 varieties of cheesecake and other desserts for hundreds of accounts from Santa Barbara to San Diego, and even out of state.

David and Evelyn opened the first Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Beverly Hills, California, in 1978. The restaurant established the future chain's pattern of offering an eclectic menu, big portions, and signature cheesecakes, and the chain became a multi-million-dollar sales performer. The company went public in 1992, and was the first restaurant chain to reach a billion dollars in revenues with fewer than 100 restaurants in operation.

Chocolate Makes It Worthwhile

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The Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs or 20 crumbled Oreo cookies (filling removed)
1/3 cup margarine, melted

Filling

1/2 cup raspberry preserves
1/4 cup water
4 8-ounce pkgs. cream cheese
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
5 eggs
4 ounces white chocolate, chopped into chunks

Optional Garnish

2 ounces shaved white chocolate
whipped cream

1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Place a large pan or oven-safe skillet filled with about 1/2-inch of water into the oven while it preheats. This will be your water bath.

2. Combine the raspberry preserves with 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Heat for 1 1/2 minutes on high in your microwave. Stir until smooth. Strain to remove the raspberry seeds (toss 'em out), then let the strained preserves sit to cool, then put the bowl in the refrigerator until later.

3. Measure 1 1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (or crush 20 Oreo cookie wafers -- with the filling scraped out -- in a resealable plastic bag) into a medium bowl. Mix in 1/3 cup melted margarine. Press the crumb into a 9-inch spring form pan that has been lined on the bottom and side with parchment paper. Use the bottom of a drinking glass to press the crumb mixture flat into the bottom of the pan and about 2/3 the way up the side. Wrap a large piece of foil around the bottom of the pan to keep the cheesecake in the water bath. Put the crust in your freezer until the filling is done.

4. Use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese with the sugar, sour cream, and vanilla. Mix for a couple minutes or until the ingredients are smooth and creamy. Be sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl and then add them to the cream cheese mixture. Blend the mixture just enough to integrate the eggs.

5. Remove the crust from the freezer and sprinkle 4 ounces of white chocolate chunks onto the bottom of the crust. Pour half of the cream cheese filling into the crust. Drizzle the raspberry preserves over the entire surface of the filling. Use a butter knife to swirl the raspberry into the cream cheese. Just a couple passes is fine, you don't want to blend the raspberry and cream cheese together too much. Pour the other half of the filling into the crust.

6. Carefully place the cheesecake into the water bath in the oven. Bake for 12 minutes at 475 degrees, then turn the oven down to 350 degrees and bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until the top of the cheesecake turns a light brown or tan color. Remove the cheesecake from the oven to cool. When the cheesecake is cool, use the foil from the bottom to cover the cheesecake and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours.

7. Before serving, sprinkle the entire top surface of cheesecake with 2 ounces of shaved white chocolate. To serve, slice the cheesecake into 12 equal portions. Apply a pile of canned whipped cream to the top of each slice and serve.

Makes 12 servings.

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The Original Brown Derby's Cobb Salad

The Brown Derby was a landmark restaurant in Los Angeles frequented by celebrities during the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was an example of novelty architecture, known for being physically shaped like a brown derby hat.

It was the first restaurant to serve chiffon cake, a soon-to-be famous recipe invented by insurance salesman Harry Baker and later picked up by Betty Crocker.

The single greatest legacy recipe of the Brown Derby is the Cobb Salad. It was invented by and named after Bob Cobb, one of the owners of the Brown Derby. According to Bob's wife Sally, Bob basically raided the fridge late one night at the restaurant and chopped up some left-overs for his dinner. Some of his Hollywood friends, including Jack Warner, Sid Grauman, Wilson Mizner, and Gene Fowler stopped by the restaurant that night and, curious about Bob's creation, joined him. They then began to ask for it on later visits, and the rest was history.

The first Brown Derby, also known as the Little Hat, was opened in February 1926 across the street from the Ambassador Hotel. The Derby was often the site of afterparties following bashes at the Ambassador Hotel's Cocoanut Grove nightclub. This was the only Derby that was actually built in the shape of a hat. In 1937, it was moved one block up the street.

A second Brown Derby opened at 1628 Vine Street, near Hollywood and Vine on Valentine's Day, 1929. In 1942 MGM film star Ruth Hussey first met her talent agent husband Bob Longenecker at lunch there. Other Derbies were later built in Beverly Hills (across from the Beverly-Wilshire Hotel on Wilshire and Rodeo) and in East Hollywood (also known as Los Feliz) at Los Feliz Boulevard and Hillhurst. The Los Feliz Derby had a "car café" which emulated the then-new "drive-in" trend.

The Wilshire Boulevard Brown Derby today

The Hollywood Derby closed in 1985, shortly followed by the original location's closure. The shell of the Brown Derby was restored and placed on top of the strip mall that took its spot at 3377 Wilshire Boulevard. It is now painted orange and home to Buzz.

There is a re-created Hollywood Brown Derby at the Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Another recreation of the Hollywood Brown Derby is currently being constructed in Albany, New York. (www.thehollywoodbrownderby.com)

In "L. A. At Last", the first of the Hollywood episodes of "I Love Lucy", Lucy (Lucille Ball), Ethel (Vivian Vance), and Fred (William Frawley) have lunch at the Brown Derby. During the misadventure, the trio dines in a booth neighbored by Eve Arden on one side and William Holden on the other. This leads to the famous disaster scene in which Lucy inadvertently causes a waiter to dump a plate of food on Holden.

Neo-swing band Cherry Poppin' Daddies have a song titled "Brown Derby Jump" on their album Zoot Suit Riot. Hey, look! Here it is!




(If YouTube is messing with me again and the video isn't showing up -- you can watch it here -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQOhj7k9xNk -- if you want...actually you can watch it there even if you don't want. What you want really has nothing to do with whether it's there or not.) ;)

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The Original Brown Derby's Cobb Salad

Ingredients

1/2 head of lettuce
1/2 bunch watercress
1 small bunch chicory
1/2 head romaine
2 medium tomatoes, peeled
2 breasts of boiled roasting chicken
6 strips crisp bacon
1 avocado
3 hard−cooked eggs
2 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 cup crumbled imported Roquefort cheese
1 cup Brown Derby Old−Fashioned French Dressing (See recipe, below)

Directions

1. Cut finely lettuce, watercress, chicory and romaine and arrange in salad bowl.
2. Cut tomatoes in half, remove seeds, dice finely, and arrange over top of chopped greens.
3. Dice breasts of chicken and arrange over top of chopped greens.
4. Chop bacon finely and sprinkle over the salad.
5. Cut avocado in small pieces and arrange around the edge of the salad.
6. Decorate the salad by sprinkling over the top the chopped eggs, chopped chives, and grated cheese.
7. Just before serving mix the salad thoroughly with French Dressing.

Brown Derby's Old−Fashioned French Dressing

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon English mustard
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup olive oil
3 cups salad (vegetable) oil

Directions

1. Blend together all ingredients except oils.
2. Then add olive and salad oils and mix well again.
3. Chill.
4. Shake before serving.

This dressing keeps well in the refrigerator. Can be made and stored in a mason jar.

How lucky are you? You scrolled to the end and here's a surprise for you. Here is that Lucy clip that was mentioned in the opening. Besides being very funny, you get a great look at the inside of the Brown Derby along with a wall of the famous caricatures. Enjoy and scroll all the way more often.

Information for the entry gathered at Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brown_Derby

Planet Hollywood's Cap'n Crunch Chicken

Planet Hollywood is the theme restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood, launched in New York on October 22, 1991, with the backing of Hollywood stars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore and in the past, Arnold Schwarzenegger who has since sold his part.

It was a brainchild of Robert Earl, former president of Hard Rock Cafe. Planet Hollywoods were modeled after the Hard Rock formula, so closely in fact that a lawsuit ensued and awarded the Hard Rock millions in damages. Earl recruited many former Hard Rock veterans to open new PH stores. Movie star "owners" received stock options at rock bottom price in exchange for their endorsement, thus they could be billed as legal owners.

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Planet Hollywood Cap'n Crunch Chicken

Ingredients

Chicken Crunch:
2 cups Cap'n Crunch cereal
6 eggs
2 cups corn flakes
1 cups milk
2 1/2 cups all−purpose flour
25 to 30 chicken tenders
3 tablespoons granulated onion
Vegetable oil for deep frying
3 tablespoons granulated garlic
Creole mustard sauce, recipe follows
1 tablespoon pepper

Directions

1. In food processor, grind cereals until crumbly but some 1/8−inch chunks are still visible.
2. Spread in a shallow pan.
3. In a bowl, combine flour, onion, garlic and pepper.
4. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and milk.
5. Dredge chicken in seasoned flour. Dip in egg mixture, coating evenly. Dredge in cereal mixture, coating well.
6. Arrange on wax paper.
7. Preheat oil in deep fryer to 325 degrees.
8. Deep fry chicken in batches for 3 1/2 minutes or until golden brown. Drain.
Makes 4 servings.

At Planet Hollywood the Cap'n Crunch Chicken is served with a spicy Creole Mustard Sauce.

Creole Mustard Sauce for Planet Hollywood's Cap'n Crunch Chicken

Ingredients

1/4 cup sliced green onions
2 tablespoons horseradish
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped onion
1 tablespoon water
2 tablespoons chopped celery
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped green pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce
1/4 cup hot mustard
Salt and cayenne pepper to taste
2 tablespoons yellow mustard

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients and mix well.

Serve on the side with chicken. Makes about 2 cups.

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Information for this entry gathered from Wikipedia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planet_Hollywood