Menu Description: "Large shrimp sauteed in extra-virgin olive oil with white wine, garlic and lemon."

Once you have the onion, garlic and parsley all chopped up, my Olive Garden Sicilian scampi recipe takes only a few minutes to assemble. Cooks at Olive Garden speed up the process by using what they call "scampi butter"—chilled blocks of butter with all the spices, garlic, and onions already in it—so that each serving is prepared quickly and consistently without any tedious measuring.

When the shrimp is done, each one is placed on the inside end of five toasted Italian bread slices (you can also use a French baguette) and a delicious sauce is poured over the top. I've included diced roma tomato here as an optional garnish, since one Olive Garden used it, but another location on the other side of town did not. As for the shrimp, use medium-size (they're called 31/40) that are already peeled, but with the tails left on. Butterfly the shrimp by slicing almost all the way through the middle. As the shrimp cooks, they will curl and spread open.

Scampi lovers will also enjoy my clone recipe for Olive Garden Chicken Scampi. You can snag that recipe here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Lean shaved Philly steak folded into a grilled tortilla roll with Monterey Jack and Cheddar, sauteed mushrooms, onions, tomatoes, bacon and jalapenos."

With the acquisition of 13 Rio Bravo cantinas in 1994, Applebee's made its move into the competitive "Mexican casual dining sector." Perhaps it's the company's interest in Mexican food that inspired this Philadelphia-Tijuana hybrid sandwich. The steak, cheese, mushrooms, and onions give the sandwich a Philly taste, while the tomatoes, bacon, jalapenos, and the tortilla take you across the border.

I really like this newer addition to the menu, probably because I'm a big cheesesteak fan who also loves Mexican food. As you can see from this dish, Applebee's has a knack for breathing new life into old sandwich concepts. I hope you'll find this one worth a try.

If you want to make a "lite" version, refer to the Tidbits at the bottom of the recipe.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Anyone who loves Olive Garden is probably also a big fan of the bottomless basket of warm, garlicky breadsticks served before each meal at the huge Italian casual chain. My guess is that the breadsticks are proofed, and then sent to each restaurant where they are baked until golden brown, brushed with butter and sprinkled with garlic salt. Getting the bread just right for a great Olive Garden breadstick hack was tricky—I tried several different amounts of yeast in all-purpose flour, but then settled on bread flour to give these breadsticks the same chewy bite as the originals. The two-stage rising process is also a crucial step in this much requested Olive Garden breadstick copycat recipe.

Complete the bottomless experience with my Olive Garden Italian salad dressing recipe.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Crispy pastry with savory beef filling served with seasoned sour cream and apple-mango salsa."

This is a great finger food appetizer for your next small party since you'll end up with 14 to 16 empanada-like, beef-filled "patties" that will be enough for 6 or more people. My server called them "island-style Hot Pockets." What's cool is that you can make these days ahead of time and freeze them until the party's on. When the time comes, it takes just 5 minutes to fry the patties to a crispy golden brown. Serve them up alongside cool seasoned sour cream and this fantastic apple-mango salsa, and get on with the festivities.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3 by Todd Wilbur.
 

It's America's most popular pasta sauce, and now you can whip up clones of two varieties at home at a fraction of the cost. Add a few ingredients to a large can of tomato sauce and get on with the simmering. These recipes duplicate the traditional "Meat" variety of the sauce and the newer "Chunky Garden Style" version with tomato, basil, and Italian cheese. Feel free to doctor these sauces up with your own creative additions (sliced mushrooms, fresh garlic, etc.) just as many do with the real Ragu.

Fans of Rao's marinara sauce can try my copycat recipe here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

You've got a hankerin' for pancakes or biscuits, but the recipe calls for Bisquick, and you're plum out. Not to worry. Now you can make a clone of the popular baking mix at home with just four simple ingredients. Store-bought Bisquick includes shortening, salt, flour, and leavening, so that's exactly what we need to duplicate Bisquick perfectly at home. 

My Bisquick recipe makes about 6 cups of the stuff, which, just like the real thing, you can keep sealed up in a container in your pantry until it's flapjack time. When that time comes, just add milk and eggs for pancakes or waffles, or only milk if it's biscuits you want. You'll find all those recipes below in the "Tidbits."

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

It was a heart attack that inspired Charles M. Harper of ConAgra Foods to come up with a new product line. In 1988, the Healthy Choice brand introduced frozen dinners with reduced fat, sodium, and cholesterol. Hundreds of other products followed through the '90s, including this fat-free pasta sauce, which hit stores in 1992. It's a cinch to make and goes great on any pasta, pizza, or meatball sandwich.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1/2 cup
Total servings–5
Calories per servings–50
Fat per serving–0g

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

The salad dressings are made fresh in each Outback Steakhouse kitchen using authentic ingredients, including olive oil from Italy's Tuscany region and Parmesan cheese that comes from eighty-pound wheels rolled in from Parma, Italy.

Salad dressings are usually one of the most fat-contributing components in your meal, but with a few tweaks, we can clone Outback's delicious salad dressing with only two grams of fat per serving.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–1/4 cup
Total servings–6
Calories per serving–51 (Original–331)
Fat per serving–2g (Original–35g)

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

For decades, Carl’s Jr. has effectively cornered the market on fried zucchini at major fast food chains by serving a great crispy breaded version that’s flavorful all the way through. Now you can make zucchini that tastes just as good, as long as you know the secret step that other fried zucchini recipes miss. It makes all the difference.

The secret is a brine. I found that this fried zucchini tastes best when it takes a salted water bath before breading. In 60 minutes, the salt in the brine is absorbed by the zucchini, spreading good flavor all the way through. After the brine, the zucchini is rinsed, coated twice with flour and once with seasoned breadcrumbs, and fried to a beautiful golden brown.

I’m giving you a couple choices here. You can make the recipe all the way through and serve it immediately, or if you want to serve it later, you can par-fry the zucchini and freeze it for several days. After that, when an occasion arises, a couple minutes is all it takes to finish off the dish and serve it. My Carl's Jr. Fried Zucchini copycat recipe makes enough for a small gathering, but you can easily cut it in half for a more intimate hang.

Click here for more amazing Carl's Jr. copycat recipes. 

Barney's Beanery, the self-proclaimed "third oldest restaurant in Los Angeles," has a long history of celebrity patrons dropping by for a hot bowl of chili and a beer or three. John "Barney" Anthony opened the first Barney's Beanery in Berkley, California in 1920, and seven years later relocated the restaurant to its current location on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood.

Barney's soon became a popular watering hole for film stars from the 1920s and '30s, such as Clara Bow, Clark Gable, and John Barrymore. In the '50s and '60s Lou Costello was a regular, and so were Donald O'Connor, Charles Bukowski, and Dennis Hopper. Jim Morrison and his Doors bandmates were frequent customers since the offices of their record label, Elektra, were nearby. Janis Joplin was said to have had a drink there the night she died. The Brat Pack of the '80s—Charlie Sheen, Rob Lowe, John Cusack, Emilio Estevez, and Demi Moore—would often come in to play pinball and video games. And Quentin Tarantino wrote most of his screenplay for Pulp Fiction while sitting at his favorite booth at Barney's.

This original chili was a favorite of Peter Falk's character on Columbo, who ate it often at the restaurant on the TV show. But the show wasn't filmed at the actual location. The Barney’s Colombo viewers saw on their TV was a sound-stage replica.

I found the secret to the flavor in Barney's chili comes from two chili powders that were popular in the West over 100 years ago, around the time Barney's first opened: Gebhardt and Mexene. Chili powders were new at that time, and there were very few on the market, so it's highly likely these ingredients were used in the recipe that made Barney's Beanery famous. Find those two chili powders, and follow my Barney's Beanery classic chili copycat recipe below to properly duplicate this Hollywood classic at home.

Menu Description: "Our original recipe of Tuscan white beans puréed with sesame, garlic, lemon, and spices. Garnished with fresh Roma tomatoes, basil, and garlic. Served with warm pizza-pita bread."

The traditional dish of Tuscan white beans is usually made from dried cannellini beans or great Northern beans that are soaked overnight in water and then cooked until tender with olive oil, garlic and sage. But with my California Pizza Kitchen Tuscan Hummus recipe below, there's no need to wait through such a time-consuming process. We can simply use already tender canned beans found in any market. Look for white beans or the slightly larger great Northern beans and strain off the liquid, but don't throw that liquid away! You'll need a little of it to add to the food processor along with the other ingredients, including sesame tahini, which can be found in most markets where the international foods are stocked or in specialty stores such as Whole Foods.

Check out more of my California Pizza Kitchen recipes here.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–2 tablespoons
Total servings–14
Calories per serving–60
Fat per serving–4.3g

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Since the Spatini Italian Foods Company discontinued production and sale of its spaghetti sauce mix in December 2006, Internet discussion groups have organized petitions pleading to bring the product back. For more than forty years generations of families have enjoyed spaghetti made by mixing a packet of top secret powder with canned tomato sauce. But after Spatini disappeared from grocery store shelves, the only way to get that same flavor on spaghetti required locating leftover stock on the Internet, and paying dearly for it. On eBay, 10-box lots of Spatini sold for up to ten times what they originally cost in stores. 

Now you can save your hard-earned lira and still get real Spatini flavor, because after analyzing a packet of the mix, I've discovered a great way to clone this "Dead Food" at less cost than the product's retail price. The secret ingredient in my Spatini spaghetti sauce mix recipe is a crushed-up beef bouillon cube, which contains the precise quantity of salt and natural flavors, plus autolyzed yeast extract—a flavor enhancer—to mirror the original blend. Add a couple ground herbs, onion, garlic, powdered sugar, and cornstarch, and you'll have the exact amount of mix you need to re-create the spaghetti sauce you grew up with.

Find more recipes for famous seasonings and spice blends here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Here they are in all their lip-smacking, award-winning glory: Buffalo, New York-style chicken wings spun in your favorite signature sauce."

Since Buffalo, New York was too far away, Jim Disbrow and Scott Lowery satisfied their overwhelming craving in 1981 by opening a spicy chicken wing restaurant close to home in Kent, Ohio. With signature sauces and a festive atmosphere, the chain has now evolved from a college campus sports bar with wings to a family restaurant with over 300 units. 

While frying chicken wings is no real secret—simply drop them in hot shortening for about 10 minutes—the delicious spicy sauces are what make the wings special. There are 12 varieties of sauce available to coat your crispy chicken parts at the chain, and I'm presenting clones for the more traditional flavors. These sauces are very thick, almost like dressing or dip, so we'll use an emulsifying technique that will ensure a creamy final product where the oil won't separate from the other ingredients. 

In my Buffalo Wild Wings copycat recipe below you'll find the cooking and coating technique for the wings, followed by copycat recipes for the most popular sauces: Spicy Garlic, Medium and Hot. The sauce recipes might look the same at first, but each has slight variations to make your sauce hotter or milder by adjusting the level of cayenne pepper. You can find Frank's pepper sauce by the other hot sauces in your market. If you can't find that brand, you can also use Crystal Louisiana hot sauce.

Find my copycat recipes for Buffalo Wild Wings Asian Zing; Parmesan Garlic, and Caribbean Jerk sauces here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Chicken breast, mushrooms, artichokes, capers & smoked prosciutto in lemon butter with pasta."

Mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and prosciutto come together in a creamy lemon butter sauce surrounded by  sautéed chicken breasts and angel hair pasta for this unique and satisfying take on a traditional dish. This clone ranks in the top three most requested copycat recipes on my hit list from the 227-unit Romano's Macaroni Grill. The successful Italian chain is part of the Brinker group of restaurants that controls several other high-profile casual eateries including Border Mexican Grill, Maggiano's, and Chili's.

Try my Macaroni Grill Chicken Scaloppine copycat recipe below, and try my Macaroni Grill Lemon Passion Cake recipe for dessert.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

At his candy factory In York, Pennsylvania, in the late 1930s, Henry C. Kessler first concocted this minty confection. The York Cone Company was originally established to make ice cream cones, but by the end of World War II the peppermint patty had become so popular that the company discontinued all other products. In 1972 the company was sold to Peter Paul, manufacturers of Almond Joy and Mounds. Cadbury USA purchased the firm in 1978, and in 1988 the York Peppermint Pattie became the property of Hershey USA.

Other chocolate-covered peppermints were manufactured before the York Peppermint Pattie came on the market, but Kessler's version was firm and crisp, while the competition was soft and gummy. One former employee and York resident remembered the final test the patty went through before it left the factory. "It was a snap test. If the candy didn't break clean in the middle, it was a second." For years, seconds were sold to visitors at the plant for fifty cents a pound.

Try my York Peppermint Pattie recipe below, and find more of my famous candy recipes here. 

Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "This unique thinner crust has a ring of cheese baked into the edge so you get cheese in the very last bite of every slice."

Brothers Dan and Frank Carney have their dear old mom to thank for helping them to become founders of the world's largest pizza chain. It was in 1958 that a family friend approached the two brothers with the idea of opening a pizza parlor, and it was the brothers' mom who lent them the $600 it took to purchase some second-hand equipment and to rent a small building. There, in the Carneys' hometown of Wichita, Kansas, the first Pizza Hut opened its doors. By 1966, there were 145 Pizza Hut restaurants doing a booming business around the country with the help of the promotional musical jingle. "Putt-Putt to Pizza Hut." Today the chain is made up of more than 10,000 restaurants, delivery-carry out units, and kiosks in all 50 states and 82 foreign countries.

Introduced in 1995, the Stuffed Crust Pizza, which includes sticks of mozzarella string cheese loaded into the dough before baking, increased business at Pizza Hut by 37 percent. Because the outer crust is filled with cheese, the chain designed a special dough formula that does not rise as high as the original. It's best to prepare the dough of this Pizza Hut stuffed pizza crust copycat recipe a day before you plan to cook your pizza so that the dough can rest to develop crust with a chewy bite just like the original.

You might also want to try my clone recipe for Pizza Hut Pan Pizza.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Crisp-fried tender onion strips served with a creamy horseradish dipping sauce."

This signature appetizer from Applebee's is the chain's reaction to overwhelming success of Outback's Bloomin' Onion and Chili's Awesome Blossom. A Bloomin' Onion is sliced with a special device, but cloning Onion Peels requires only the most basic kitchen prep and tools: slice the onion with a knife, separate the slices, dip the slices in batter and fry. Just remember to make the essential horseradish dipping sauce in advance so that the ingredients can mingle in the fridge.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Here's a clone for another of KFC's famous side dishes. We'll use easy-to-melt Velveeta, with its very smooth texture, as the main ingredient for the cheese sauce. Then a bit of Cheddar cheese is added to give the sauce a perfect Cheddary sharpness like the original. This KFC mac and cheese recipe is an easy one that will take you only around 15 minutes to prepare.

Check out my newest recipe for KFC Original Chicken and more here. 

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

My KFC gravy recipe here duplicates the tasty tan stuff that's poured over fluffy mashed potatoes at the Colonel's chain of restaurants. And since the original recipe contains MSG (as does their chicken), my recipe was designed with that "secret" ingredient. You may choose to leave out the MSG, which is a natural amino acid found in vegetables and other foods, but your clone won't taste like the real thing without it.

Try my KFC Mashed Potatoes & Gravy copycat recipe below, and check out more of my KFC hacks here.

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

By sneaking around to the back of a HoneyBaked Ham store, I witnessed the glazing process through an open door. The hams are delivered to each of the 300 HoneyBaked outlets already smoked, but without the glaze. It is only when the ham gets to your local HoneyBaked store that a special machine thin-slices the tender meat in a spiral fashion around the bone. Then, one at a time, each ham is then coated with the glaze—a blend that is similar to what might be used to make pumpkin pie. This sweet coating is then caramelized with a blowtorch by hand until the glaze bubbles and melts, turning golden brown. If needed, more of the coating is added to the HoneyBaked Glazed Ham, and the blowtorch is fired up until the glaze is just right. It's this careful process that turns the same size ham that costs 20 dollars in a supermarket into one that customers gladly shell out 3 to 4 times as much to share during the holiday season.

For my HoneyBaked Ham glaze copycat recipe, we will re-create the glaze that you can apply to a smoked/cooked bone-in ham of your choice. Look for a ham that is pre-sliced. Otherwise, you'll have to slice it yourself with a sharp knife, then the glaze will be applied. To get the coating just right, you must use a blowtorch. Get the kind that is used for crème brûlée from almost any kitchen supply store. They're usually pretty cheap. And don't worry—I didn't leave out an ingredient. No honey is necessary to re-create this flavorful glaze.

Now, what's for dessert?

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

On his Food Network TV show Emeril Lagasse mentions "Essence" almost as much as "Bam!" and "Kick it up a notch!" He claims to put his special spice blend on "everything but ice cream." He suggests using it all your meats, veggies and pasta, and combining it with oil to use as a marinade. If you can't get your hands on the version that's sold in the bottle here's how to whip up a quick clone at home. (This recipe I created to clone the taste of the bottled product found in stores is different from the recipe in Emeril's cookbooks.)

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Technically speaking, "new potatoes" can be any young potato. Boston Market, however, uses red potatoes for this particular dish, and they're actually not all that young. So, for my Boston Market Garlic Dill New Potatoes recipe you need some common, medium-size red potatoes. After cutting the potatoes into bite-size slices, you steam them on a steamer rack or basket in a large covered saucepan over boiling water. When the potatoes are done, toss them with a delicious mix of melted butter, fresh dill, and garlic, and you've got a quick clone that could stand up to any taste test.

Find recipes for more of your favorite dishes from Boston Market here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Grilled chicken breast with Portobello mushrooms, smoked mozzarella and demi glace, with a spinach orzo pasta."

Fire up the grill for my take on one of Romano's Macaroni Grill's most popular entrées: Chicken Portobello. After you grill a couple portobello caps, slice them thinly at an extreme angle to make wide slices that fit perfectly on top of grilled chicken breasts that have been rubbed with stone ground mustard (the kind with the whole mustard seeds in it). 

Romano's delicious demi-glace is made from reduced veal stock, but a nice substitute can be made from a combination of canned beef broth and chicken broth. With plenty of garlic, rosemary and thyme in there, the aroma of sauce simmering on the stove will make everyone in the house drool.

Try my Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello recipe below, and find recipes for more of your favorite Romano's Macaroni Grill recipes here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Update 1/25/17: If your demi glace is too thin add an additional tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken. 

Menu Description: "Chicken breast tenderloins sauteed with bell peppers, roasted garlic and onions in a garlic cream sauce over angel hair."

This chicken scampi dish is a big favorite of Olive Garden regulars. Chicken tenderloins are lightly breaded and sautéed along with colorful bell peppers and chopped red onion. Angel hair pasta is tossed into the pan along with a healthy dose of fresh scampi sauce. 

The sauce is really the star, so you might think about doubling the recipe. If you're cooking for two, you can prepare my Olive Garden Chicken Scampi copycat recipe for the table in one large skillet, saving the remaining ingredients for another meal. If you're making all four servings at once, you need two skillets. If you can't find fresh chicken tenderloins (the tender part of the chicken breast), you can usually find bags of them in the freezer section. 

Find more delicious recipes for Olive Garden's most famous dishes here. 

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Look at what F. W. Rueckheim started. He was the guy who, back in the late 1800s, made candy-coated popcorn a national treasure with the invention of Cracker Jack. Now we've got Fiddle-Faddle, Screaming Yellow Zonkers, Crunch 'n Munch, and so many other candy-coated popcorns. Sure, these other varieties don't have the traditional prize inside the box, but let's face it, those prizes are pretty weak compared to what used to be found at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jack when I was a kid. 

The old-fashioned molasses formula used on Cracker Jack just doesn't have the appeal of some of the other tantalizing candy coatings on popcorn today. Butter toffee is a good example, so that's what I've reverse-engineered for you here. My Crunch 'N Munch buttery toffee popcorn recipe below is simple and makes a finished product so tasty, you'll have to beg someone to take it away from you before you finish the whole bowl by yourself. All you need is a candy thermometer, some microwave popcorn, and a few other basic ingredients to re-create a home version of popcorn heaven.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

Exclusive signed copy. It's no longer necessary to stand in line for a table at T.G.I. Friday's or Red Lobster, Olive Garden or Outback. You can make the menu items you love right at home—with ingredients from your local supermarket. Included in this book are some of the best-kept restaurant secrets that let you eat in with the great taste of eating out!

In this unique cookbook, Todd Wilbur re-creates more than 100 signature dishes from America's most popular chain restaurants—including such hot theme eateries as the Hard Rock Cafe and Planet Hollywood.

Wilbur's easy-to-make knock-offs, the product of years of research, are indiscernible from the originals—and the most ingenious way we know of to cut down on the cost of eating out. But watch out, once you start cooking, people may start calling for reservations at your dinner table!

Find out how to make home versions of Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad, Benihana Hibachi Chicken & Steak, California Pizza Kitchen BBQ Chicken Pizza, The Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta, Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake, Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole, Hard Rock Cafe Famous Baby Rock Watermelon Ribs, Hooters Buffalo Wings, Marie Callender's Famous Golden Cornbread, Olive Garden Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip, Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken, Pizza Hut Original Stuffed Crust Pizza, Planet Hollywood Chicken Crunch, Ruth's Chris Creamed Spinach, T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins, and many more.

Other books you may like: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 and Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3.

Contents
Applebee's Club House Grill
Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad
Applebee's Pizza Sticks
Applebee's Quesadillas
Applebee's Tijuana "Philly" Steak Sandwich
Benihana Hibachi Chicken
Benihana Hibachi Steak
Benihana Mustard Dipping Sauce
Benihana Ginger Dipping Sauce
Benihana Japanese Fried rice
Bennigan's Buffalo Chicken Sandwich
Bennigan's California Turkey Sandwich
Bennigan's Cookie Mountain Sundae
Big Boy Cream of Broccoli Soup
Big Boy Original Double-Decker Hamburger Classic
Big Boy Club Sandwich
California Pizza Kitchen Original BBQ Chicken Pizza
California Pizza Kitchen Thai Chicken Pizza
California Pizza Kitchen Southwestern Burrito Pizza
Cheesecake Factory Bruschetta
Cheesecake Factory Avocado Eggrolls
Cheesecake Factory Cajun Jambalaya Pasta
Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake
Cheesecake Factory Key Lime Cheesecake
Chi-Chi's Beef Nachos Grande
Chi-Chi's Chicken Nachos Grande
Chi-Chi's Sweet Corn Cake
Chi-Chi's Twice Grilled Barbecue Burrito
Chi-Chi's "Fried" Ice Cream
Chili's Grilled Caribbean Salad
Chili's Fajitas for Two
Chili's Peanut Butter Cheesecake
Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole
Cracker Barrel Eggs-in-the-Basket
Cracker Barrel Chicken & Dumplins
Denny's Scram Slam
Denny's Moons Over My Hammy
Denny's The Super Bird
Dive! Carrot Chips
Dive! Sicilian Sub Rosa
Dive! Brick Oven Mushroom & Turkey Cheese Sub
Dive! S'mores
Hard Rock Cafe Filet Steak Sandwich
Hard Rock Cafe Grilled Vegetable Sandwich
Hard Rock Cafe Famous Baby Rock Watermelon Ribs
Hard Rock Cafe Orange Freeze
Hooters Buffalo Chicken Wings
Hooters Buffalo Shrimp
Hooters Pasta Salad
Houlihan's Houli Fruit Fizz
Houlihan's 'Shrooms
Houlihan's Smashed Potatoes
IHOP Banana Nut Pancakes
IHOP Cheese Blintz
IHOP Fajita Omelette
IHOP French Toast
Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Amarillo Cheese Fries
Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Black Bean Soup
Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Texas Rice
Lone Star Steakhouse & Saloon Sweet Bourbon Salmon
Marie Callender's Famous Golden Cornbread
Marie Callender's Chicken Pot Pie
Marie Callender's Banana Cream Pie
Olive Garden Italian Salad Dressing
Olive Garden Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip
Olive Garden Toscana Soup
Olive Garden Alfredo Pasta
Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion
Outback Steakhouse Gold Coast Coconut Shrimp
Outback Steakhouse Walkabout Soup
Outback Steakhouse Alice Springs Chicken
Perkins Family Restaurants Potato Pancakes
Perkins Family Restaurants Granny's Country Omelette
Perkins Family Restaurants Country Club Omelette
Pizza Hut Original Stuffed Crust Pizza
Pizza Hut Pepperoni & Cheese Stuffed Crust Pizza
Pizza Hut TripleDecker Pizza
Planet Hollywood Pizza Bread
Planet Hollywood Chicken Crunch
Planet Hollywood Pot Stickers
Red Lobster Broiled Lobster
Red Lobster Broiled Bacon-Wrapped Scallops
Red Lobster Grilled Scallop & Bacon Skewers
Red Lobster Stuffed Shrimp
Red Lobster Stuffed Mushrooms
Red Robin No-Fire Peppers
Red Robin BBQ Chicken Salad Red Robin Mountain High Mudd Pie
Ruby Tuesday Potato Cheese Soup
Ruby Tuesday Smokey Mountain Chicken
Ruby Tuesday Sonora Chicken Pasta
Ruby Tuesday Strawberry Tallcake for Two
Ruth's Chris Steak House Barbecued Shrimp
Ruth's Chris Steak House Petite Filet
Ruth's Chris Steak House Creamed Spinach
Ruth's Chris Steak House Potatoes Au Gratin
Shoney's Country Fried Steak
Shoney's Slow-Cooked Pot Roast
Shoney's Hot Fudge Cake
Sizzler Cheese Toast
Sizzler Chicken Club Sandwich
Sizzler Southern Fried Shrimp
Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Cheese Garlic Bread
Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Western T-bone
Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Whiskey Pepper Steak
T.G.I. Friday's Potato Skins
T.G.I. Friday's Nine-Layer Dip
T.G.I. Friday's California Chargrilled Turkey Sandwich
T.G.I. Friday's Spicy Cajun Chicken Pasta
T.G.I. Friday's Friday's Smoothies--Gold Medalist
T.G.I. Friday's Friday's Smoothies--Tropical Runner
Tony Roma's World Famous Ribs
Tony Roma's Original Baby Backs
Tony Roma's Carolina Honeys
Tony Roma's Red Hots
Western Sizzlin' "Teriyaki" Chicken Breast

Exclusive signed copy. Ever wonder what makes McDonald's Special Sauce so special, or puts the supreme in a Taco Bell Burrito Supreme, or makes Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing so darn good? 

This cookbook includes all the step-by-step instructions for making your own professional quality clones. With a dash of spicy humor, a spoonful of food facts, and a hearty serving of culinary curiosity, Todd Wilbur serves up another batch of America's favorite recipes. Todd puts his sleuthing taste buds to work to bring us over 85 amazing new clones in Even More Top Secret Recipes.

Armed with his recipes and blueprints, you can now duplicate your favorite brand-name food, from famous hamburgers to candy bars and snack cakes, right in your own kitchen without spending a lot of dough. Discover how to make your own versions of KFC Extra Crispy Chicken, Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mints, Kraft Stove Top Stuffing, McDonald's French Fries, Panda Express Mandarin Chicken, Wendy's Spicy Chicken Fillet Sandwich, Cadbury Creme Egg, Boston Market Meatloaf, Cinnabon CinnabonStix, Hot Dog On A Stick Hot Dog, Drake's Devil Dogs, Nestle Baby Ruth, and many, many more!

Other books you may like: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked, Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3

Contents
Arby's Bronco Berry Sauce
Auntie Anne's Pretzels
Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Cake
Boston Market Meatloaf
Bull's-Eye Original BBQ Sauce
Burger King Big King
Burger King BK Broiler
Burger King Breakfast Sandwich--Biscuit Sandwich
Burger King Breakfast Sandwich--Croissan'wich
Cadbury's Creme Egg
Carl's Jr. Bacon Swiss Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Carl's Jr. Ranch Crispy Chicken Sandwich
Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic
Cinnabon Cinnabonstix
Dolly Madison Zingers (Devil's Food)
Doubletree Chocolate Chip Cookies
Drake's Devil Dogs
Emeril's Original Essence
Fatburger Original Burger
French's Classic Yellow Mustard
Girl  Scout Cookies Shortbread
Girl Scout Cookies Thin Mints
Good Seasons Italian Salad Dressing Mix
Grandma's Cookies Oatmeal Raisin Big Cookie
Grandma's Cookies Peanut Butter Big Cookie
Great American Cookies Snickerdoodles
Great American Cookies White Chunk Macadamia
Heinz 57 Sauce
Heinz Ketchup
Hershey's Payday Candy Bar
Honeybaked Ham Glaze
Hot Dog On A Stick
K.C. Masterpiece Original BBQ Sauce
Kellogg's Cocoa Rice Krispies treats
Kellogg's Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies Treats
Kenny Rogers Roasters Corn Muffins
KFC BBQ Baked Beans
KFC Extra Crispy Chicken
KFC Honey BBQ Wings
KFC Macaroni & Cheese
KFC Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
KFC Potato Salad
Kraft Deluxe Macaroni & Cheese
Kraft Shake  'N Bake
Kraft Stove Top Stuffing
Kraft Thousand Island Dressing
Lawry's Seasoned Salt
Lawry's Taco Spices & Seasoning
Little Debbie Oatmeal Creme Pies
McDonald's Arch Deluxe
McDonald's BigXtra
McDonald's Biscuits
McDonald's Breakfast Bagel Sandwich--Ham & Egg
McDonald's Breakfast Bagel Sandwich--Steak & Egg
McDonald's Breakfast Bagel Sandwich--Spanish Omelet
McDonald's Breakfast Burrito
McDonald's French Fries
McDonald's Hot Mustard Sauce
McDonald's Special Sauce
McDonald's Sweet & Sour Dipping Sauce
McDonald's Yogurt Parfait
Mrs. Dash Salt-Free Seasoning Blend
Nabisco Cheese Nips
Nabisco Nilla Wafers
Nestle Baby Ruth Candy Bar
Newman's Own Creamy Caesar Dressing
Pace Picante Sauce
Panda Express Mandarin Chicken
Panda Express Orange Flavored Chicken
Papa John's Dipping Sauces--Special Garlic Sauce
Papa John's Dipping Sauces--Cheese Sauce
Papa John's Dipping Sauces--Pizza Sauce
Pepperidge Farm Ginger Man Cookies
Progresso Italian-Style Bread Crumbs
Sabrett Onions In Sauce
Schilling Salad Supreme
Sunshine Lemon Coolers
Taco Bell Burrito Supreme
Taco Bell Chicken Fajita Seasoning Mix
Taco Bell Fire Border Sauce
Taco Bell Mexican Pizza
Taco Bell Soft Taco
Taco Bell Taco Seasoning Mix
Tommy's Original World-Famous Hamburgers
Wendy's Chicken Caesar Fresh Stuffed Pita
Wendy's Classic Greek Fresh Stuffed Pita
Wendy's Spicy Chicken Fillet Sandwich
Wienerschnitzel Chili Sauce

Exclusive signed copy. After 10 years of research in the Top Secret Lab, America's Clone Ranger emerges with his highly anticipated follow-up to the best-selling Top Secret Restaurant Recipes cookbook.

Author Todd Wilbur reveals 150 new secret formulas for duplicating the taste of your favorite dishes from America's biggest restaurant chains including Applebee's, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse and many others.

Todd's simple recipes and detailed blueprints will have you creating culinary copycats that will fool even the most critical connoisseurs at a fraction of the cost of eating out. But beware, everyone will be so amazed, you may have to start taking reservations!

Discover the secrets to making your own versions of Original Pancake House Apple Pancake, Olive Garden Sicilian Scampi, The Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake, Chili's Grilled Baby Back Ribs, Romano's Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica, Applebee's White Chocolate & Walnut Blondie, Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup, Houston's Chicago-Style Spinach Dip, Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing, IHOP Country Griddle Cakes, Carrabba's Chicken Marsala, T.G.I. Friday's Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad, Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls, Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake, Bennigan's The Monte Cristo, P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken, Outback Steakhouse Kookaburra Wings and many more.

Other books you may like:Top Secret Restaurant Recipes and Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 3.

Contents
Applebee's Mud Slide
Applebee's Perfect Apple Margarita
Applebee's Perfect Sunrise
Applebee's Onion Peels
Applebee's Baked French Onion Soup
Applebee's Santa Fe Chicken Salad
Applebee's Almond Rice Pilaf
Applebee's Bourbon Street Steak
Applebee's Chicken Fajita Rollup
Applebee's Crispy Orange Chicken Bowl
Applebee's Honey Grilled Salmon
Applebee's Tequila Lime Chicken
Applebee's White Chocolate & Walnut Blondie
Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing
Benihana Japanese Onion Soup
Benihana Mandarin Orange Cheesecake
Bennigan's The Monte Cristo
Buffalo Wild Wings and Sauces
--Spicy Garlic Sauce
--Medium Wing Sauce
--Hot Wing Sauce
--Caribbean Jerk Sauce
California Pizza Kitchen California Cosmo
California Pizza Kitchen Thai Crunch Salad
California Pizza Kitchen California Club Pizza
California Pizza Kitchen Jamaican Jerk Chicken Pizza
Carrabba's Bread Dipping Blend
Carrabba's House Salad Dressing (Creamy Parmesan)
Carrabba's Chicken Marsala
The Cheesecake Factory Mini Crabcakes
The Cheesecake Factory Sweet Corn Tamale Cakes
The Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira
The Cheesecake Factory Bang-Bang Chicken & Shrimp
The Cheesecake Factory Original Cheesecake
The Cheesecake Factory White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle Cheesecake
Chevys Fresh Salsa
Chevys Mango Salsa
Chevys Chile Con Queso
Chevys Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Chevys Sweet Corn Tomalito
Chevys Flan
Chili's Salsa
Chili's Boneless Buffalo Wings
Chili's Boneless Shanghai Wings
Chili's Chicken Crispers
Chili's Chili Queso
Chili's Lettuce Wraps
Chili's Southwestern Eggrolls
Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup
Chili's Southwestern Vegetable Soup
Chili's Honey Mustard Dressing
Chili's Grilled Baby Back Ribs
Chili's Chocolate Chip Paradise Pie
Chili's Molten Chocolate Cake
Claim Jumper Garlic Cheese Bread
Claim Jumper Fire-Roasted Artichoke
Claim Jumper Cheese Potatocakes
Claim Jumper Spicy Thai Slaw
Claim Jumper Meatloaf
Denny's Fabulous French Toast
Denny's BBQ Chicken Sandwich
Denny's Club Sandwich
Hard Rock Cafe Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
Hard Rock Cafe Bar-B-Que Beans
Hard Rock Cafe Pig Sandwich
Houston's Chicago-Style Spinach Dip
Houston's Honey Lime Vinaigrette
Houston's Cole Slaw
IHOP Cinn-A Stacks
IHOP Country Griddle Cakes
IHOP Country Omelette
IHOP Harvest Grain 'N Nut Pancakes
IHOP Pumpkin Pancakes
Islands China Coast Salad Dressing
Islands Island Fries
Islands Tortilla Soup
Islands Yaki Soft Tacos
Joe's Crab Shack Blue Crap Dip
Joe's Crab Shack Garlic King Crab Legs
Lone Star Steakhouse Lettuce Wedge Salad
Lone Star Steakhouse Baked Sweet Potato
Lone Star Steakhouse Lone Star Chili
Margaritaville Crab, Shrimp and Mushroom Dip
Margaritaville Jamaica Mistaica Wings
Margaritaville Key Lime Pie
Marie Callender's Lemon Cream Cheese Pie
Marie Callender's Pumpkin Pie
Mimi's Cafe Carrot Raisin Bread
Mimi's Cafe Corn Chowder
Mimi's Cafe French Market Onion Soup
Olive Garden Limoncello Lemonade
Olive Garden Bruschetta
Olive Garden Sicilian Scampi
Olive Garden Stuffed Mushrooms
Olive Garden Toasted Ravioli
Olive Garden Pasta e Fagioli
Olive Garden Minestrone Soup
Olive Garden Chicken Scampi
Olive Garden Chocolate Lasagna
Olive Garden Frozen Tiramisu
Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake
Olive Garden Tiramisu
Original Pancake House Apple Pancake
Original Pancake House German Pancake
Outback Steakhouse Honey Wheat Bushman Bread
Outback Steakhouse Grilled Shrimp On The Barbie
Outback Steakhouse Kookaburra Wings
Outback Steakhouse Bleu Cheese Dressing
Outback Steakhouse Caesar Salad Dressing
Outback Steakhouse Honey Mustard Salad Dressing
Outback Steakhouse Ranch Salad Dressing
Outback Steakhouse Tangy Tomato Dressing
Outback Steakhouse Cinnamon Apple Oblivion
Outback Steakhouse Sydney's Sinful Sundae
P.F. Chang's Mai Tai
P.F. Chang's Chang's Spare Ribs
P.F. Chang's Chicken in Soothing Lettuce Wraps
P.F. Chang's Shrimp Dumplings
P.F. Chang's Garlic Snap Peas
P.F. Chang's Chang's Spicy Chicken
P.F. Chang's Dan-Dan Noodles
P.F. Chang's Lemon Pepper Shrimp
P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef
P.F. Chang's Oolong Marinated Sea Bass
P.F. Chang's Orange Peel Chicken
P.F. Chang's Chocolate Torte
Red Lobster Tartar Sauce
Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits
Red Lobster Bacon-Wrapped Shrimp
Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Crab Bake
Red Lobster Parrot Bay Coconut Shrimp
Red Lobster Red Lobster New England Clam Chowder
Red Lobster Teriyaki Glazed Fresh Fish
Red Robin Seasoning
Red Robin 5 Alarm Burger
Red Robin Banzai Burger
Red Robin Teriyaki Chicken Burger
Roadhouse Grill Roadhouse Rita
Roadhouse Grill Roadhouse Cheese Wraps
Roadhouse Grill Baby Back Ribs
Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Portobello
Romano's Macaroni Grill Chicken Scaloppine
Romano's Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica
Ruby Tuesday Creamy Mashed Cauliflower
T.G.I. Friday's Black Bean Soup
T.G.I. Friday's Broccoli Cheese Soup
T.G.I. Friday's Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad
T.G.I. Friday's Sizzling Shrimp
Tony Roma's Blue Ridge Smokies Sauce
Tony Roma's Baked Potato Soup
Tony Roma's Maple Sweet Potatoes
Tony Roma's Carolina Honeys BBQ Salmon
Waffle House Waffles

The first Auntie Anne's pretzel store opened in 1988 in the heart of pretzel country—a Pennsylvanian Amish farmers' market. Over 500 stores later, Auntie Anne's is one of the most requested secret clone recipes around, especially on the internet. 

Many of the copycat Auntie Anne's soft pretzel recipes passed around the Web require bread flour, and some use honey as a sweetener. But by studying the Auntie Anne's home pretzel-making kit in my secret underground laboratory, I've created a better Auntie Anne's copycat recipe with a superior way to re-create the delicious mall treats at home. For the best quality dough, you just need all-purpose flour. And powdered sugar works great to perfectly sweeten the dough. Now you just have to decide if you want to make the more traditional salted pretzels, or the sweet cinnamon sugar-coated kind. Decisions, decisions.

Find more of my copycat recipes for famous muffins, bagels, and rolls here. 

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

When Boston Market first opened in 1989, it was called Boston Chicken. That's because at that time chicken was the only meat served at the chain. But three years later, in 1992, the chain added meatloaf, turkey, and ham, and officially became Boston Market. Yes, a lot of signs had to be changed at considerable expense.

This popular side dish, which contains three types of cheese, normally has 24 grams of fat per serving. So, for this recipe, we will be using two fat-free cheeses along with regular Provolone, and we'll be able to re-create the taste of the real thing, but with just 25 percent of the fat in the original.

Nutritional Facts
Serving size–1/2 cup
Total servings–4
Calories per serving–180 (Original–300)
Fat per serving–6g (Original–24g)

Source: Top Secret Recipes Lite by Todd Wilbur.

In 1991, the world's largest chicken chain introduced a new logo to better reflect the addition of non-fried chicken products. Kentucky Fried Chicken morphed into KFC.

One of the chain's classic side dishes is the tasty macaroni and cheese, which has been on the menu for years. Using the light version of Velveeta cheese and some reduced-fat Cheddar, we duplicate the taste while cutting the fat grams in half here in this reduced-fat conversion.

Nutrition Facts
Serving size–4.5 ounces
Total servings–6
Calories per serving–95 (Original–180)
Fat per serving–4g (Original–8g)

Source: Low-Fat Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Here's a way to make plenty of hot sauce that tastes just like the stuff people are pouring over the tacos at Taco Bell. If you like it even hotter, check out my recipes for Taco Bell Diablo Sauce, Fire Border Sauce, and Lava Sauce.

Now that you've got your sauce, whatcha gonna slather it on?  Find all your favorite Taco Bell copycat recipes here. 

Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Little checkerboard squares of rice, corn, and wheat are worth big bucks! In 1996 General Mills paid $570 million to Ralston Purina for the entire brand of Chex cereals and snack mixes. As it turns out, developing these cereals into a convenient snack mix brand was a smart move. 

When I was a kid the only way to get Chex Mix was to make it myself from a recipe on the box of Chex Cereal. Today Chex Mix comes in nearly a dozen different flavors, including chocolate, cheddar, honey nut, and hot & spicy. But a home version using the recipe on the cereal box never tastes the same as the stuff in the bags. That's because the recipe leaves out a very important secret ingredient: MSG, or monosodium glutamate. This amino acid salt enhances the other flavors in the bag and gives the snack mix its addictive savory taste. You can find MSG in grocery stores near the salt (Accent Flavor Enhancer is one popular brand name). Add a little of that to your creative mix of Chex Cereal, pretzels, crackers, and breadsticks, along with some white cheddar popcorn seasoning, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and a few other common ingredients, and you'll have amazing homemade Chex Mix Bold Party Blend.

Find recipes for more famous snacks here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

What is it about Stouffer's Macaroni & Cheese that makes it the number one choice for true mac & cheese maniacs? It's probably the simple recipe that includes wholesome ingredients like skim milk and real Cheddar cheese, without any preservatives or unpronounceable chemicals. The basic Stouffer's Mac and Cheese ingredients are great for kitchen cloners who want an easy fix that doesn't require much shopping. 

I created my Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese copycat recipe to work as an exact duplicate of the actual product: a frozen dish that you heat up later in the oven. This way, you'll get slightly browned macaroni & cheese that looks like it posed for the nicely lit photo on the Stouffer's box. 

Since you'll only need about 3/4 cup of uncooked elbow macaroni for each recipe, you can make several 4-person servings with just one 16-ounce box of macaroni, and then keep them all in the freezer until the days when your troops have their mac & cheese attacks. Be sure to use freshly shredded Cheddar cheese here, since it melts much better than pre-shredded cheese (and it's cheaper). Use a whisk to stir the sauce often as it thickens, so that you get a smooth—not lumpy or grainy—finished product. 

If you're still hungry, check out my copycat recipes for famous entrées here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

Order an entree from America's largest seafood restaurant chain and you'll get a basket of some of the planet's tastiest garlic-cheese biscuits served up on the side. For many years, the Cheddar Bay Biscuits recipe has been the most-searched-for clone recipe on the Internet, according to Red Lobster. As a result, several versions are floating around, including one that was at one time printed right on the box of Bisquick baking mix.

The problem with making biscuits using Bisquick is that if you follow the directions from the box you don't end up with a very fluffy or flakey finished product, since most of the fat in the recipe comes from the shortening that's included in the mix. On its own, room temperature shortening does a poor job creating the light, airy texture you want from good biscuits, and it contributes little in the way of flavor. So, we'll invite some cold butter along on the trip -- with grated Cheddar cheese and a little garlic powder. Now you'll be well on your way to delicious Cheddar Bay. Wherever that is.

Complete the Red Lobster experience and make favorite entrées and side dishes here.

Source: "Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2" by Todd Wilbur.

It's shrimp, it's bacon, it's cheese; what's not to like about this bacon-wrapped shrimp? It's one of the groovy appetizers on the Red Lobster menu, and now you can re-create it at your crib. 

For my Red Lobster bacon-wrapped shrimp recipe below, you'll need to find some large shrimp, and a wooden skewer or toothpicks. Cook the bacon about halfway to done before you begin. Mix up clones of Red Lobster's top secret seasoning and cilantro-ranch dipping sauce, and you're minutes away from a great appetizer or party finger food dish. 

For other bacon-inspired dishes, try making Red Lobster's bacon-wrapped scallops recipe! 

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

The low-carb craze is influencing menus of America's restaurant chains, but no chain has embraced the trend as enthusiastically as Ruby Tuesday. Nation's Restaurant News awarded the chain "Best Healthy Choice Menu Selection for 2004," based on more than 30 new low-carb dishes added to the menu, including low-carb cheesecake, burgers in high-fiber tortilla wraps, and other low-carb stand-ins such as Creamy Mashed Cauliflower. This most talked-about of the new selections is a side dish stunt double for mashed potatoes, with a carb count coming in at a measly 9 net carbs per 3/4-cup serving, according to the menu. Spices and cream are added to steamed and puréed cauliflower to give this dish the taste, texture and appearance of America's favorite side. Learn how with my Ruby Tuesday creamy mashed cauliflower recipe below.

Serve this up with any entrée that goes well with mashed potatoes, and you'll never miss the spuds.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

In early 1985, restaurateur Rich Komen felt there was a specialty niche in convenience-food service just waiting to be filled. His idea was to create an efficient outlet that could serve freshly made cinnamon rolls in shopping malls throughout the country. It took nine months for Komen and his staff to develop a cinnamon roll recipe he knew customers would consider the "freshest, gooiest, and most mouthwatering cinnamon roll ever tasted." The concept was tested for the first time in Seattle's Sea-Tac mall later that year, with workers mixing, proofing, rolling, and baking the rolls in full view of customers. Now, more than 626 outlets later, Cinnabon has become the fastest-growing cinnamon roll bakery in the world.

Use my Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls copycat recipe below to make delicious homemade Cinnabon, or try my improved recipe here, which I perfected with the help of Cinnabon HQ.

Source: More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Chi-Chi's cofounder Marno McDermott named his restaurant chain after his wife Chi Chi. He claims the name is quite memorable as it translates in Spanish into something like "hooters" in English. The Minneapolis Star quoted McDermott in 1977 shortly after the first Chi-Chi's opened in Richfield, Minneapolis, "English-speaking patrons remember it because it's catchy. And the Spanish-speaking customers are amused. Either way, it doesn't hurt business."

One of the side dishes included with several of the entrees at Chi-Chi's is the Sweet Corn Cake. It's sort of like cornbread, but much softer, almost like corn pudding. You'll find it goes well with just about any Mexican dish. My Chi Chi's sweet corn cake recipe below requires a bain marie, or water bath—a baking technique commonly used to keep custards from cracking or curdling. This is done by baking the corn cake in another larger pan filled with a little hot water.

Try more of my Chi-Chi's copycat recipes here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Made from scratch in our kitchens using fresh Grade A Fancy Russet potatoes, fresh chopped onion, natural Colby cheese and spices. Baked fresh all day long."

In the late sixties, Dan Evins was a Shell Oil "jobber" looking for a new way to market gasoline. He wanted to create a special place that would arouse curiosity, and would pull travelers off the highways. In 1969 he opened the first Cracker Barrel just off Interstate 40 in Lebanon, Tennessee, offering gas, country-style food, and a selection of antiques for sale. Today there are over 529 stores in 41 states, with each restaurant still designed as a country rest stop and gift store. In fact, those stores which carry an average of 4,500 different items apiece have made Cracker Barrel the largest retailer of American-made finished crafts in the United States.

Those who know Cracker Barrel love the restaurant for its delicious home-style breakfasts and this casserole, made with hash brown-sliced potatoes, Colby cheese, milk, beef broth, and spices. My Cracker Barrel Hash Brown Casserole copycat recipe is designed for a skillet that is also safe to put in the oven (so no plastic handles). If you don't have one of those, you can easily transfer the casserole to a baking dish after it is done cooking on the stove.

Love Cracker Barrel? Check out my other clone recipes here.

Source Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Parmesan, Romano and mozzarella cheese, clams and herb breadcrumbs baked in mushroom caps."

Breadcrumbs, clams and three types of cheese are baked into white mushroom caps in this clone of a top pick from Olive Garden's appetizer menu. For my Olive Garden Stuffed Mushrooms recipe below, just mix all the stuffing ingredients together in a bowl, fill the mushroom caps, sprinkle on some minced red bell pepper, cover the mushrooms with a blanket of mozzarella cheese slices, and bake. After 15 minutes, you'll have a great appetizer or hors d'oeuvre for 4 to 6 people—that's twice the serving size of the dish from the restaurant.

Did you love this copycat Olive Garden stuffed mushroom recipe? Check out more of my clone recipes here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Our most popular chicken dish! Sauteed chicken breast topped with fresh asparagus and melted mozzarella cheese, covered with fresh mushroom madeira sauce. Served with mashed potatoes."

What makes this Cheesecake Factory's "most popular chicken dish" is the sweet madeira wine reduction sauce spooned over the top. Man, I could slurp that stuff straight from a glass. It's that good. And—get this—it's easy. Even though the real stuff appears to include veal stock, we can concoct a great knockoff using canned beef stock. Get sliced mozzarella cheese from your deli section and be sure to pound the chicken breasts very thin using plastic wrap to cover each one before you get medieval on it. Also, in typical Cheesecake Factory style, their entrée is huge, including two chicken fillets and a giant pile of mashed potatoes on the side. My Cheesecake Factory Chicken Madeira recipe makes a total of four chicken fillets, which divides into two servings if you're at the restaurant. At home though, this is probably the perfect amount for a tribe of four.

Check out more of my copycat Cheesecake Factory recipes here.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes 2 by Todd Wilbur.

Try my improved version in Top Secret Recipes Step-by-Step.

Need a recipe that copies Shake 'N Bake in a pinch? Use my recipe below for a quick blend of flour, corn flake crumbs, and spices that will give you the same texture and flavor of the original. You may notice the color is a bit different in this clone when compared to the real thing. That's because my Kraft Shake 'n Bake recipe doesn't include beet powder—a hard to find ingredient that lends a red/orange tint to the original. But after you sink your teeth into the chicken baked the same way as described on the Kraft Shake 'N Bake box, you'll swear it's the same stuff. When you're ready to get shaking and baking, use this breading on 2 1/2 pounds of chicken pieces or on 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. 

Now, what side dish will you prepare? 

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

In the early 90's Boston Chicken was rockin' it. The home meal replacement chain's stock was soaring and the lines were filled with hungry customers waiting to sink their teeth into a serving of the chain's delicious rotisserie chicken. The chain was so successful with chicken, the company quickly decided it was time to introduce other entrée selections, the first of which was a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf. 

Offering the other entrées presented the company with a dilemma: what to do about the name. The bigwigs decided it was time to change the name to Boston Market, to reflect a wider menu. That meant replacing signs on hundreds of units and retooling the marketing campaigns. That name change, plus rapid expansion of the chain and growth of other similar home-style meal concepts, sent the company into a tailspin. By 1988, Boston Market's goose was cooked, and the company filed for bankruptcy. Soon McDonald's stepped in to purchase the company, with the idea of closing many of the stores for good, and slapping Golden Arches on the rest. But that plan was scrapped when, after selling many of the under-performing Boston Markets, the chain began to fly once again.  Within a year of the acquisition Boston Market was profitable, and those meals with the home-cooked taste are still being served at over 700 Boston Market restaurants across the country.

Use my Boston Market Meatloaf copycat recipe below to copy the flavor of that first non-chicken dish, a delicious barbecue sauce-covered ground sirloin meatloaf. You might also like to try my Boston Market side-dish recipes here.

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

They're the world's most famous French fries, responsible for one-third of all U.S. French fry sales, and many say they're the best. These fried spud strips are so popular that Burger King even changed its own recipe to better compete with the secret formula from Mickey D's. One-quarter of all meals served today in American restaurants come with fries; a fact that thrills restaurateurs since fries are the most profitable menu item in the food industry. 

Proper preparation steps were developed by McDonald's to minimize in-store preparation time, while producing a fry that is soft on the inside and crispy on the outside. My McDonald's French Fries recipe requires a two-step frying process to replicate the same qualities: the fries are par-fried, frozen, then fried once more to crispy just before serving. Be sure to use a slicer to cut the fries for a consistent thickness (1/4-inch is perfect) and for a cooking result that will make them just like the real thing. As for the rumor that you must soak the fries in sugar water to help them turn golden brown, I also found that not to be necessary. If the potatoes have properly developed, they contain enough sugar on their own to make a good clone with great color.

Now, how about a Big Mac or Quarter Pounder to go with those fries? Click here for a list of all my McDonald's copycat recipes.

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Before he became America's sausage king, Jimmy Dean was known for crooning the country hit "Big Bad John." That song came out in 1962 and sold more than 8 million copies. His singing success launched a television career on ABC with The Jimmy Dean Show, where Roy Clark, Patsy Cline, and Roger Miller got their big breaks. The TV exposure led to acting roles for Jimmy, as a regular on Daniel Boone, and in feature films, including his debut in the James Bond flick Diamonds are Forever. Realizing that steady income from an acting and singing career can be undependable, Jimmy invested his show-biz money in a hog farm. In 1968 the Jimmy Dean Meat Company developed the special recipe for sausage that has now become a household name. Today the company is part of the Sara Lee Corporation, and Jimmy retired as company spokesman in 2004.

My Jimmy Dean breakfast sausage copycat recipe re-creates three varieties of the famous roll sausage that you form into patties and cook in a skillet. Use ground pork found at the supermarket—make it lean pork if you like—or grind some up yourself if you have a meat grinder.

Check out more of my famous breakfast copycat recipes here.

Source: Top Secret Recipes Unlocked by Todd Wilbur.

When Arthur Karp shared his grandmother's favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe with Michael Coles, the business partners knew they had a hit on their hands. They opened their first Great American Cookies store in 1977 in The Perimeter Mall in Atlanta, Georgia. Now with more than 350 stores in the chain, these cookies have quickly become a favorite, just begging to be cloned. The chain bakes the cookies in convection ovens at the low temperature of 280 degrees for around 16 to 17 minutes. But since most of us don't have convection ovens and may have a hard time getting the oven temperature to this odd setting, I have made some adjustments in my Great American Cookies White Chunk Macadamia recipe below. Just be sure, when you remove the cookies from the oven, that they appear undercooked and only slightly browned around the edges. This will give the cookies the perfect chewy texture when they cool.

You might also like my recipe for Great American Snickerdoodles. 

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

GrandMa's Cookie Company was founded back in 1914 by Foster Wheeler, but it wasn't until 1977 that the company introduced the popular Big Cookie. This large, soft cookie comes two to a pack and is offered in several varieties, including oatmeal raisin. Now you can bake up a couple batches of your own with my GrandMa's oatmeal raisin cookies copycat recipe. Just be sure not to over bake these. You want the cookies soft and chewy when cool—just like a happy grandma would make. Be sure to take the cookies out of the oven when they are just beginning to turn light brown around the edges.

You might also like my copycat for GrandMa's Peanut Butter Big Cookies.

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Update 1/13/17: For an improved GrandMa's Big Cookies recipe, replace the 1/2 cup shortening with 3/4 cup softened unsalted butter. Also, reduce baking soda to 1 1/2 teaspoons and cinnamon to 1/2 teaspoon. Raising the oven temperature a little—to 300 degrees F—will help with browning and still keep the cookies chewy. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes.

Some say it's the best off-the-shelf barbecue sauce in the business. That secret combination of molasses, liquid smoke, and spices makes this stuff irresistible on chicken, ribs, or a juicy hamburger. Keep it fresh for your next cookout by whipping up your own Bull's-Eye BBQ sauce at home, from scratch with my recipe below.

Try more famous sauce recipes here.

Source: Even More Top Secret Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

Menu Description: "Our famous Big Boy soups and chili are made fresh daily from fresh vegetables, pure cream and only the finest ingredients."

In 1936, Bob Wian had to make the painful decision to sell his cherished 1933 DeSoto roadster to buy a ten-stool lunch counter from a pair of elderly ladies in Glendale, California. He named his new restaurant, Bob's Pantry, and went to work behind the counter himself. Receipts from his first day totaled only twelve dollars. But with the creation of a new hamburger just the next year, and a name change to Bob's Big Boy, business took off. Within three years, Bob had expanded his first store and built another location in Los Angeles. In 1948 Bob Wian was voted mayor of Glendale.

A cup of broccoli soup makes a great first course or a nice partner to a sandwich. I first designed my Bob's Big Boy broccoli cream soup copycat recipe using frozen broccoli, but the frozen stuff just isn't as tasty as a big bunch of firm, fresh broccoli. So go shopping, and get chopping.

Complete the meal with my Bob's Big Boy Double-Decker Hamburger recipe.

Source: Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.