Let me ask you how many times you have been in a restaurant, had a delicious meal and wanted to know how exactly the dish was cooked? I know I have and have often looked for restaurant copycat recipes in bookstores and on line.
One of my favorite restaurants is The Olive Garden. I just enjoy everything there, the never ending bread sticks, the bottomless salad bowl, and every pasta dish. Everything is so appealing right down to the Italian atmosphere. The last time I was there I tried a new appetizer; it was called Smoked Mozzarella Fonduta. It was Oven-baked smoked mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan and Romano cheese. Served with Tuscan bread and it instantly became my new favorite.
Now I live right on the Canadian border and in a place where I have to drive three hours to get to the nearest Olive Garden, so finding the recipes for my favorites is extra important to me.
What prompted me to look for these so called ‘secret recipes’ is the fact that once I found the one for my favorite famous dish, I could enjoy it anytime I wanted right at home. Another reason I wanted to find some restaurant copycat recipes is because you can save a lot of money cooking these dishes yourself. No transportation cost, no tipping, and you can enjoy the meal without getting all dressed up. Plus getting to decide on my portion size is nice. I can honestly say that I would have eaten the whole Fonduta myself if I had a chance.
Finding the right set of recipes with easy to follow directions is a must. I am certainly no professional cook and I don’t have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen. Once I found these recipes, my family decided that they had their own favorite food from all different restaurants. So what started out as a small curiosity soon became sort of a hobby.
Creating restaurant favorite foods at home using restaurant copycat recipes is becoming more popular. People are trying to save their money, but still want to be able to enjoy certain luxuries. Enjoying your favorite dish at home, whenever you want is most certainly a little luxury. I plan to make my next family get together more enjoyable by creating a special meal with my new recipes. It will be the best ‘spaghetti and meatballs’ they have ever tasted!