Make it yourself and save money -

[Mama Mangia]

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad and Dresssing

Oriental Dressing
3 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon Grey Poupon Dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon sesame oil
Salad
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast half
2-4 cups vegetable oil (for frying)
3 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 cup red cabbage
1 cup Napa cabbage
1/2 carrot, julienned or shredded
1 green onion, chopped
1 tablespoon sliced almonds
1/3 cup chow mein noodles

1. Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat. You want the temperature of the oil to be around 350 degrees.
2. Blend together all ingredients for dressing in a small bowl with an electric mixer. Put dressing in refrigerator to chill while you prepare the salad.
3. In a small, shallow bowl beat egg, add milk, and mix well.
4. In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt and pepper.
5. Cut chicken breast into 4 or 5 long strips. Dip each strip of chicken first into egg mixture then into the flour mixture, coating each piece completely.
6. Fry each chicken finger for 5 minutes or until coating has darkened to brown.
7. Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots.
8. Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce.
9. Sprinkle almonds over the salad, then the chow mein noodles.
10. Cut the chicken into small bite-size chunks. Place the chicken onto the salad forming a pile in the middle. Serve with salad dressing on the side.
Makes 1 dinner-size salad.

 

[Mama Mangia]

TGI Friday's Jack Daniels Grill Glaze

1 tsp. onion powder
1 Tbsp. Tabasco sauce
2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1/4 C. Jack Daniel's Ole No. & Tennessee Whiskey
2 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C.water
2 beef bouillon cubes
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce


Combine ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Let cool. Use as a glaze on meat, poultry, and seafood just before removing from grill. To prepare chicken breasts using Jack Daniel's grill glaze: Use 2 (4oz.) breasts for each serving. Marinate chicken in your choice of marinade for 5 to 10 minutes. Place chicken on the grill or in a saute pan. While cooking, baste often with marinade. When cooked to your satisfaction, brush liberally with glaze. Remove immediately to serving dish. Glaze burns quickly and can be difficult to remove from grill or pans if left to burn onto surface.

 

[Mama Mangia]

Wendy's Chili

1 pound ground beef
1 - 14.5 Oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 14.5 Oz. can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 - 14.5 Oz. can pinto beans (with liquid)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green chilies
1/4 cup diced celery
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off the fat.
2. Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.
3. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients,
**** and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes,
**** for 2 to 3 hours. Makes about 12 servings

 

[Mama Mangia]

Little Caesar's Crazy Bread



Little Caesar's Crazy Bread


10 oz. tube Pillsbury pizza dough
2 TB butter
1 tsp. garlic salt
Kraft 100% Parmesan cheese for topping
Little Caesar's Crazy Sauce
15 Ozs. Canned Tomato Paste
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1/4 Teaspoon each: pepper, garlic powder,
dried basil, dried marjoram, dried
oregano, and dried ground thyme.



Pre-heat oven to 450* F. Unroll dough from tube onto cutting board. Cut dough into 8 even strips.Place each strip on a lightly greased baking sheet & bake for 6-8 minutes until just golden brown.
While the dough is baking, melt the butter add the garlic salt, stirring until dissolved. Remove the baked dough strips from the oven and brush with garlic butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on each strip. Serve with sauce.

Sauce:
Combine all the ingredients in an uncovered saucepan over medium heat.
When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring often.
Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool.
Store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator;
it will keep for 3 to 4 weeks. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

 

[Mama Mangia]

Panda Express Mandarin Chicken

2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup water
4 teaspoons arrowroot
6 skinless chicken thigh fillets

On the side
steamed white rice

1. Combine sugar, soy sauce, lemon juice, oil, garlic and ginger in a small saucepan. Combine water with arrowroot in asmall bowl and stir until arrowroot is dissolved. Add to saucepan and turn heat to high. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 4* to 6 minutes or until sauce is thick.
2. Preheat your grill on high for the chicken.
3. When the grill is hot, rub each chicken piece with oil and cook the chicken for 4 to 6 minutes per side or until done. Chicken should have browned in spots.
4. When chicken is done, chop it into bite-size pieces. Pour the chicken pieces into a large frying pan over medium heat. Heat until chicken sizzles then reduce heat and cover chicken until ready to serve. Spoon chicken into a medium bowl, then pour all the sauce over the chicken and stir until well-coated. Serve with steamed white rice.

 

[Mama Mangia]

Panda Express Orange Flavored Chicken


Sauce
1 1/2 cups water
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/3 cup rice vinegar
2 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/4 cup plus 1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon minced water chestnuts
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
1 rounded teaspoon chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
5 teaspoons corn starch
2 teaspoons arrowroot

Chicken
4 chicken breast fillets
1 cup ice water
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups unsifted cake flour

2-4 cups vegetable oil

1. Combine all of the sauce ingredients -- except the corn starch and arrowroot -- in a small saucepan over high heat. Stir often while bringing mixture to a boil. When sauce reaches a boil, remove it from heat and allow it to cool a bit, uncovered.
2. Slice chicken breasts into bite-size chunks. Remove exactly 1 cup of the marinade from the pan and pour it over the chicken in a large resealable plastic bag or other container which allows the chicken to be completely covered with the marinade. Chicken should marinate for at least a couple hours. Cover remaining sauce and leave it to cool until the chicken is ready.
3. When chicken has marinated, preheat 2-inches of vegetable oil in a wok or skillet to 350 degrees.
4. Combine corn starch with arrowroot in a small bowl, then add 3 tablespoons of water. Stir until corn starch and arrowroot have dissolved. Pour this mixture into the sauce and set the pan over high heat. When sauce begins to bubble and thickens cover and remove from heat.
5. Beat together the ice water and egg in a medium bowl. Add baking soda and salt.
6. Add 3/4 cup of the flour and stir with a fork just until the flour in blended into the mixture. The batter should still be lumpy.
7. Sprinkle another 1/4 cup of flour on top of the batter and mix with only one or two strokes. Most of this flour will still floating on top of the mixture. Put the remaining flour (1/2 cup) into a medium bowl.
8. Dip each piece of chicken first into the flour, then into the batter. Let some of the batter drip off and then slide the chicken into the oil. Fry up to 1/2 of the chicken pieces at a time for 3-4 minutes, or until golden brown. Flip the chicken over halfway through the cooking time. Remove the chicken to a rack or paper towels to drain.
9. As the chicken cooks, reheat the sauce left covered on the stove. Stir occasionally.
10. When all of the chicken is done, pour it into a large bowl, and cover with the thickened sauce. Stir gently until all of the pieces are well coated.
Serves four.

 

[Mama Mangia]

Olive Garden Bolognese Sauce



2 tbsp. olive oil
1 each onion, carrot, celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
8 oz. ground beef
6 oz. Italian sausage (skinned)
1 cup red wine
18 oz. chopped tomatoes crushed (ground)
Salt (as needed)
Pepper (as needed)
1 tsp. chopped rosemary
1 tsp. chopped sage
12 oz. dry fettucine


Heat oil in a large pan.* Add celery, carrot, onion, garlic and cook gently about 5 minutes.* Add the meat, cook 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.* Deglaze pan with wine, let reduce.* Add tomatoes and remaining ingredients, simmer slowly about 1 hour.* Cook the pasta, drain, and toss with sauce.