In-N-Out Double-Double

This is a recipe for making what I believe is the best hamburger in the world. The secret to duplicating this and other fast-food burgers is getting the beef patties real thin...about 1/4 inch-thick. If you like, you can press the beef thin onto wax paper and freeze the patties ahead of time. This makes them easier to work with on the hot pan.

Recipe Ingredient
1 plain hamburger bun
1/3 pound ground beef
Dash salt
1 tablespoon Kraft Thousand Island dressing
1 large tomato slice (or 2 small slices)
1 large lettuce leaf
4 slices American cheese (Singles)-or-
2 slices real American cheese1 whole onion slice (sliced thin)

1. Preheat a frying pan over medium heat.

2. Lightly toast the both halves of the hamburger bun, face down in the pan. Set aside.

3. Separate the beef into two even portions, and form each half into a thin patty slightly larger than the bun.

4. Lightly salt each patty and cook for 2-3 minutes on the first side.

5. Flip the patties over and immediately place two slices of cheese on each one. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

6. Assemble the burger in the following stacking order from the bottom up:

bottom bun
dressing
tomato
lettuce
beef patty with cheese
onion slice
beef patty with cheesetop bun.
Makes one hamburger.

Hard Rock Cafe Pig Sandwich

Take a big honkin' bite out of one of these and you'll soon know why it's the Hard Rock Cafe's most popular sandwich. According to the menu the pork is hickory smoked for 10 hours. But since we're impatient hungry people here, we'll cut that cooking time down to under 4 hours using a covered grill and carefully arranged charcoal.

Just sprinkle wet hickory chips over the hot charcoal arranged around the inside edge of a grill (such as a round Weber), and let the smoking begin. You can certainly use an actual smoker if you've got one, and go the full 10 hours with this puppy. But while you're still waiting for your sandwiches, the rest of us will have already dragged our full, round bellies over to the couch for a nap.

By the way, make your marinated cabbage a day ahead of time for this recipe, if you have the foresight.

Marinated Cabbage

2 tablespoons white vinegar

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

4 cups thinly-sliced cabbage
4 cups hickory smoking chips

Spice Rub

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons cracked black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon ground sage

1/2 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 boneless pork loin roast (3 to 4 pounds)

vegetable oil

Sauce

2 15-ounce cans tomato puree

1 cup white vinegar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke (hickory)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
8 Kaiser rolls

1. Make the marinated cabbage at least one day prior to building your sandwiches. Like cole slaw, this garnish needs some time to develop in the fridge. Combine the vinegar and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the cabbage, stir, cover the bowl and store it in the refrigerator until you are ready to make the sandwiches.

2. Put the wood chips in a bowl and cover with water. Let the wood soak for at least 1 hour. Light the charcoal after it has been arranged around the inside edge of your grill. You don't want coals directly under your pork. When the coals are hot, drain the water from the wood chips and sprinkle the chips over the top of the coals. You should now have smoke.

3. Combine the spices for the rub in a small bowl and mix well.

4. Rub some vegetable oil over the surface of the pork roast. Sprinkle the spices over the entire surface of the roast.

5. Place the roast in the center of your grill and put the lid on. Let the pork cook for 3 to 4 hours or until the internal temperature of the roast reaches 175 to 180 degrees.

6. As the pork cooks, make the sauce by combining the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat. Let the sauce simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, then cover and remove from heat. Set this aside until your pork is ready.

7. When the pork is done, remove it from the grill and let it sit to cool for 15 to 20 minutes or until you can handle it. Now you want to tear the meat along the grain, making bite-size strips of shredded pork.

8. Put the shredded pork into a large saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 cups of the sauce to the pan and stir. Keep the rest of the sauce for later to serve on the side. Cook the pork for 15 minutes or until it is heated through.

9. Grill the faces of the rolls and stack about 1 cup of pork onto the bottom half of each roll. Add a rounded tablespoon of marinated cabbage on top of the pork, add a tablespoon or so of extra sauce on top of that, then cap off each sandwich with the top half of the roll. Serve with clones for the Hard Rock's cole slaw and baked beans on the side, if desired.

Makes 8 sandwiches.

EL TORITO CHICKEN AND LIME SOUP

Categories: Soups, Mexican
Yield: 4 servings


Recipe Ingredient
1 qt Chicken stock
1 c Julienne-cut tomatoes
2 Limes; (just the juice)
1/2 c Julienne-cut red onion
1 t Dried Mexican oregano
1 T Minced cilantro
1 t Dried basil
4 oz Jalapeno Jack cheese; cubed
1 t Pureed chipotle chile
2 Corn tortillas;cut in strips
1 Bay leaf
1 Avocado*
Salt & White pepper
4 Lime slices
2 Chicken breast halves*
4 Cilantro sprigs

*Note- Chicken breasts should be cooked and shredded. Avocado, peeled, pitted and sliced. Combine stock, lime juice, oregano, basil, pureed chipotle and bay leaf in stockpot. Season to taste with salt and white pepper. Bring to boil. Simmer 15 minutes. Add shredded chicken, tomatoes, red onion and cilantro. Bring to boil. Simmer 5 minutes. Adjust seasonings to taste. Ladle very hot soup into warm soup bowls. Drop in cheese cubes. Garnish each serving with a few tortilla strips, avocado slices, lime slice and cilantro sprig.

Makes about 1 quart.

Chili's Southwestern Vegetable Soup

If you like a soup that's packed with veggies, that's low in fat, and has some of that Southwestern zing to it, this is the one for you. Just toss all the ingredients in a pot and simmer. Garnish with some shredded cheese and crumbled tortillas, and prepare totake the chill off.

Recipe
6 cups chicken broth (Swanson is best)

1 14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 cup water

1 cup canned dark red kidney beans, with liquid

1 cup frozen yellow cut corn

1 cup frozen cut green beans

1 4-ounce can diced green chilies

1/2 cup diced Spanish onion

1/2 cup tomato sauce

6 corn tortillas, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

dash garlic powder

Garnish
1 cup grated cheddar/jack cheese blend
1 cup crumbled corn tortilla chips


1. Combine all the soup ingredients in a large saucepan or soup pot over high heat. Be sure to mince the corn tortillas intosmall pieces with a sharp knife before adding them to the soup.

2. Bring soup to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the soup has thickened and tortilla pieces have mostly dissolved.

3. To serve soup ladle 1 1/2 cups into a bowl. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the grated cheddar/jack cheese blend over the top of the soup, and then a heaping tablespoon of crumbled corn tortilla chips over the cheese.

Makes 6 servings.

Chili's Nacho Burger

Here's a clone recipe for a delicious new burger from Chili's unlike any you may have tasted before. It was designed by the folks at this popular chain to incorporate several of restaurant's prepared sides -- all of which you will now have clones for -- including Chili's chili queso, Chili's pico de gallo, and Chili's guacamole. Stack it all onto abun with a juicy 1/4-pound ground beef patty and some crumbledtortilla chips for crunch, and you've got a slightly spicy, South-of-the-border taste. Muy bien, amigos!

List of recipes...
Pico de Gallo

2 medium tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup diced Spanish onion

2 teaspoons chopped fresh jalapeno pepper, seeded and de-ribbed

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh cilantro

Pinch of salt

Guacamole

2 small or 1 large Haas avocado

2 tablespoons sour cream

1/4 cup diced tomato

1/2 teaspoon diced jalapeno

1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 teaspoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

Chili Queso

3 ounces ground beef

1 teaspoon all-purpose flour

pinch of salt

pinch of ground black pepper

16-ounce bottle Cheez Whiz

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon paprika
2 pounds ground beef

4 large sesame seed buns

2 cups iceberg lettuce, shredded or chopped thin

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 green onion, chopped

16-20 tortilla chips

2-3 fresh jalapenos, sliced

1. First make the pico de gallo. This is easy. Just combine all of the ingredients for the pico in a small bowl and mix well. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator.

2. Now we'll make the guacamole. In a small bowl, smash up most of the avocado, but be sure to leave several unsmashed chunks. Add the remaining ingredients for the guacamole to the avocado and mix well. Cover bowl and chill in the refrigerator, next to the pico.

3. Next we'll make the chili queso. In yet another small bowl, mix together ground beef, flour, a pinch of salt, a pinch of black pepper, and a pinch of chili powder. Use your hands to work the dry ingredients into the ground beef. Brown the beef in a small skillet over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Use a spoon or spatula to crumble the beef as it cooks. Cook until it's brown, then set aside.

4. Melt the Cheez Whiz with 2 tablespoons of milk over low heat. When milk and cheese has been combined, add the remaining queso ingredients. Heat while stirring often until cheese is smooth and creamy, then cover saucepan and remove it from the heat.

5. Pre-heat a griddle or large frying pan over medium heat. Lightly butter the face of each bun and brown the buns face-down on the heat.

6. Separate the ground beef into four 1/2-pound portions. Roll each portion of meat into a ball and then pat the meat down into a circular patty slightly larger in diameter than the hamburger buns. Cook the hamburger patties for 5-10 minutes per side, until done. Lightly salt and pepper each burger patty.

7. Build the burger open-faced in the following order starting with the bottom bun:

On Bottom Bun

1/2 cup shredded lettuce

hamburger patty

2 tablespoons chili queso

4 or 5 crumbled tortilla chips

2 teaspoons green onion

On Top Bun

1/2 tablespoon mayonnaise

2 tablespoons pico de gallo

2 tablespoons guacamole

4 jalapeno slices

Serve burger with extra queso and guacamole. May also serve french fries on the side and use the chili queso for dipping.

Makes 4 burgers.

Chi Chi's Mild Salsa

Recipe By : Gloria Pitzer
Serving Size : 1
Preparation Time :0:15
Categories : Salsas recipe

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 Cn Stewed Tomatoes (14 Oz.) -- sliced
2 Large Green onions -- snipped*
1 Large Ripe Tomato -- cored and diced
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Black Pepper
1 Ds Tabasco=AE Sauce -- or to taste

Cut up stewed tomatoes and combine in saucepan with onions, fresh tomato,salt and pepper. Bring just to a boil. Boil hard 1 minute and remove at once from heat. Put half of mixture through blender just to mince fine but not topuree. Return to remaining half of mixture. Cool and refrigerate in tightlycovered container to use with a few weeks. Freezes well to use within 6 months.
NOTE-For hot salsa, add 1 ts canned green chopped chilis or to taste, freezing unused chilis to use in other recipes.

Chevys Fresh Salsa

Whip out the food processor and fire up the grill because you'lll need these essential tools to clone one of the best restaurant salsas in the business.The key to recreating the flavor of the real dealis to fire roast the tomatoes and the jalapenos, and to add a little mesquite-flavored liquid smoke.

The restaurant chain uses a mesquite grill, so these steps are crucial to getting the same smoky flavor as the addictive restaurant version. Chevys uses chipotle peppers, or smoked red jalapeno peppers. But unless you grow your own jalapenos, it may be difficult to find the riper red variety in your local supermarket.

For this recipe, the green jalapeno peppers will work fine.
6 medium tomatoes

10 jalapenos (red is best)

1/4 of a medium Spanish onion

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons white vinegar

2 teaspoons salt

1 1/2 teaspoons mesquite-flavored liquid smoke

1. Preheat your barbecue grill to high temperature.

2. Remove any stems from the tomatoes, then rub some oil over each tomato. You can leave the stems on the jalapenos.

3. Place the tomatoes on the grill when it's hot. After about 10 minutes, place all of the jalapenos onto the grill. In about 10 minutes you can turn the tomatoes and the peppers. When almost the entire surface of the peppers has charred black you can remove them from the grill. The tomatoes will turn partially black, but when the skin begins to come off they are done. Put the peppers and tomatoes on a plate and let them cool.

4. When the tomatoes and peppers have cooled, remove most of the skin from the tomatoes and place them into a food processor. Pinch the stem end from each of the peppers and place them into the food processor as well. Toss out the liquid that remains on the plate.

5. Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and puree on high speed for 5-10 seconds or until the mixture has a smooth consistency.

6. Place the salsa into a covered container and chill for several hours or overnight while the flavors develop.

Makes approximately 2 cups.

Burger King BK Broiler

This grilled chicken sandwich was introduced byAmerica's number-two burger chain in 1990, and soon after the launch the BK Broiler was selling at a rate of over a million a day. Not good news for chickens.

This one's easy to duplicate at home. To clone the shape of the chicken served at the burger giant, you'll simply slice the chicken breasts in half, and pound each piece flat with a mallet. Pounding things is fun. Let the chicken marinate and then fire up the grill. The recipe makes four sandwiches and can be easily doubled if necessary for a king-size munch fest.

Recipe for Marinade

3/4 cup water

2 teaspoons ketchup

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon oregano

dash onion powder

dash parsley

2 chicken breast fillets

4 sesame seed hamburger buns

1 1/3 cups chopped lettuce

1/4 cup mayonnaise

8 tomato slices

1. Make the marinade by combining the ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Prepare the chicken by cutting each breast in half. Fold a piece of plastic wrap around each piece of chicken and pound the meat with a tenderizing mallet until it is about 1/4 - inch thick and about the same diameter as the hamburger buns. Place the chicken into the marinade, cover it, and chill for at least four hours. Overnight is even better.

3. Preheat your barbecue or indoor grill to high heat. Grill the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes per side or until done.

4. Toast the faces of the hamburger buns in a pan or griddle, in a toaster oven, or facedown on the grill. Watch the buns closely to be certain that the faces turn only light brown and do not burn.
5. Build each sandwich from the top down by first spreading about a tablespoon of the mayonnaise on the toasted face of a top bun.

6. Spread about 1/3 cup of chopped lettuce over the mayonnaise.

7. Arrange two tomato slices on the lettuce.

8. Place a chicken breast on the toasted face of the bottom bun.

9. Flip the top part of the sandwich over onto the bottom and scarf out.

Serves 4.
Tidbits

Liquid smoke is a flavoring found near the barbecue sauces and marinades. Use hickory-flavored liquid smoke if you have a choice.

Boston Chicken Cucumber Salad

Boston Chicken Cucumber Salad


Categories: Salads

Yield: 4 to 6

Recipe's ingredients:
2 md Cucumbers w/skin;half, seed, 1/2" slices
1/4 Red Spanish onion;
1/2" dice
1 lg Ripe tomato; dice
8 oz Paul Newman's Olive Oil and Vinegar Dressing
1 ts Dry dill weed
1/2 ts Dry parsley; mince
1/4 c Olive oil

Combine cucumbers with the rest of the ingredients in non-metal refrigerator container, tightly covered. Marinate for 24 hours in fridge before serving. Do not freeze.

Big Bucket In The Sky Chicken

Big Bucket In The Sky Chicken


Recipe Categories: Polkadot, Menarea, Chicken
Yield: 1 Servings

3 c Self-rising flour
1 tb Paprika
2 pk Lipton Tomato Cup-A-Soup
-powder
2 pk Good Seasons Italian
-Dressing mix powder
1 ts Salt
1/4 lb Butter or margarine

Moisten chicken in water. Place coating mixture in an oven roasting bag and shake until chicken is covered. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes or until juices are clear.

Applebee's Pico de Gallo

Applebee's Pico de Gallo

This is a great summer relish to serve with chips, or even on a hamburger.

Ingredients for this recipe:
3 large tomatoes diced,
1 large onion diced
2 Tbsp. diced Jalapenos,
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (diced)
2 tsp. Salt,
1/2 tsp. black pepper,
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. olive oil,
1 Tbsp. white vinegar

*********

Preparation Instructions:
Mix all ingredients together in large container until well blended.
Allow to sit for at least 6 hours, it is better if allowed to sit overnight.