{Olive Garden} Breadsticks

These are the real deal folks. Delicious and really taste like they're fresh out of the Olive Garden oven. Mmmm...

Photo Credit to Readable Eatables

{Olive Garden} Breadsticks
Dough: 
1 1/2 cups warm water 
2 Tbs sugar 
1 Tbs yeast
1 Tbs salt (yes, the recipe calls for 1 Tablespoon, which I use every time and they turn out great.)
2 Tbs butter, softened 
4-5 Cups flour 

Topping: 
3 Tbs butter melted 
sea salt 
1 tsp garlic powder 

For the dough, pour the water into a stand mixer with the sugar and yeast, let that sit and froth for about 10 minutes. Add salt, butter, and 2 cups of flour. Mix the dough on low. Add the rest of the flour a half cup at a time, until dough scrapes the sides of the bowl clean. Mix the dough about 5 minutes on medium speed, until its soft and easy to work with.
Let the dough rest in the bowl until doubled in size, about 1 hour and then roll it out. Roll the dough out into a long log, spray a knife with cooking spray and cut the dough into 24-28 pieces. Roll those pieces into about 6 inch long snakes. Spray 2 large cookie sheets with cooking spray, ( I usually only use one) and lay the breadsticks out leaving about 2 inches between each one.
Place them in the oven with the temperature turned to 170 degrees. Let them rise for about 15 minutes, or until doubled in size.( I have also let them sit at room temp until they are doubled in size and then bake them in the oven)
Once risen, brush them with the 1 1/2 T of melted butter and sprinkle them with salt. Now preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake them for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown. While they are baking combine the rest of the melted butter with 1 tsp garlic powder. When the breadsticks are golden brown, remove them from the oven and brush them with the butter/garlic mixture.

Recipe Source: Readable Eatables

{Copycat} Wingers Amazing Sauce

My husband loves Winger's sauce so much. Every time we go to Winger's, he gets so excited, and eats like it's nobody's business. So when I tried this recipe for Super Bowl Sunday, and it was just like it, we both kind of flipped out. We were both so excited…and he dipped everything that he ate in this sauce.

Photo Credit to Favorite Family Recipes

{Copycat} Wingers Amazing Sauce
1/3 c. Franks Hot Sauce (It has to be Franks Hot Sauce... no other sauce will taste as good)
1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 Tbsp. water

Heat up hot sauce, brown sugar and water in a saucepot until all the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and allow to cool to room temp before adding to wings OR prepare ahead of time and refrigerate. The wings turn out best if you don't pour warm sauce over them. You want it nice and thick.

Recipe Source: Favorite Family Recipes

{Copycat} Zupas Tomato Basil Soup

Holy cow, it was freaking delicious and really tasted like Zupas! It was wonderful. Especially for a Halloween party. My mom actually made it and I was super duper proud of her. I halved the original recipe here because it made a ton!

Photo Credit to It's the Life

{Cafe Zupas} Tomato Basil Soup

Pesto:

1 cup {or 2 oz} container of basil, washed and dried
1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2.5 cloves of garlic

3/4 cup olive oil

1 tsp salt
Remainder of soup:
1 medium onion, diced

3-4 stalks of celery, diced

3 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon dried oregano

2 quarts bottled tomatoes

small amount of sugar

1 teaspoon salt, optional

1 pint heavy cream

Add pesto ingredients to a blender or food processor. Blend together into a delicious beautiful pesto. Set this aside for now.

Saute butter, onions, celery, and oregano in saucepan. 

Place that mixture in a slow cooker with the pesto mixture and the tomatoes, sugar and salt {if you chose to use}. It will look green with tomatoes, but that just means its going to taste awesome. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. {You can cook in a pressure cooker for 4 minutes…hello time saver…but I don't have one}. At the end, your soup with be orangish-red like the stuff at Zupas.

Once your soup has finished cooking, add 1 quart of heavy cream, stir and eat.

Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from It's the Life

{Copycat} Panda Express Chow Mein

Seriously. This is a true copycat recipe and I absolutely loved it.

Photo Credit to Food.com

Panda Express Chow Mein
1/4 c. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles (found in the produce section of the grocery store.. usually the 3 packages are sold together in one 17oz. pack)
2/3 c. chopped celery (chopped diagonally)
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
2 c. chopped cabbage

In a small bowl combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger and black pepper. Set aside.
Remove Yaki Soba from packages and discard included flavoring packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.
Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes or until onions start to become soft and transparent. Add cabbage and saute an additional minute or so.
Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

Recipe Source: Favorite Family Recipes

CPK BBQ Chicken Pizza

Story time. When I was in college, I went out to eat...probably everyday. I thought I was being healthy at the time because I was exercising. (I now know that I wasn't because I dropped 15 lbs when I got married...I quit going out to eat...hmm?) Point being, I know my restaurants well and which ones are my favorite. And CPK...top 5 easily. Their pizza is Ahmazing! And this has always been one of my favorites. I was surprisingly impressed with this recipe! You should try it!

Photo Credit to sixsistersstuff.com

Pizza Dough

1 teaspoon Instant Or Active Dry Yeast
1-½ cups warm water
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup olive oil 

Sprinkle yeast over 1 1/2 cups warm (not lukewarm) water. Let stand for a few minutes.
In a mixer, combine flour and salt. With the mixer running on low speed (with paddle attachment), drizzle in olive oil until combined with flour. Next, pour in yeast/water mixture and mix until just combined, and the dough comes together in a sticky mass.
Coat a separate mixing bowl with a light drizzle of olive oil, and form the dough into a ball. Toss to coat dough in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set it aside for 1 to 2 hours, or store in the fridge until you need it.

To finish the pizza:

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 (20 oz) bottle of BBQ sauce
Olive oil, for drizzling
Salt, for sprinkling
1 (16 oz) block Mozzarella cheese, sliced thinly
1/2 whole red onion, cut in half and sliced very thin
Chopped cilantro, to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Salt chicken breasts on both sides, then place in an ovenproof dish. Pour BBQ sauce over the breasts and turn them over to coat. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until chicken is done. Remove from oven and cut into a fine dice. Set aside.

Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Roll/stretch out one pizza crust. Lay it on a sheet pan drizzled with olive oil. Drizzle a little olive oil on the crust, then sprinkle on a little salt.
Spoon a couple of tablespoons of extra BBQ sauce on the crust and spread it evenly. Top sauce with half the sliced mozzarella. Sprinkle on half the diced chicken and thinly sliced red onion.
Sprinkle again with a little salt, then bake for 15 to 17 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and toppings are bubbly.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle on plenty of chopped cilantro. Cut into squares and serve immediately. Repeat with other crust and other ingredients, or save for another time.

Recipe Source: Six Sisters' Stuff