Almost Famous

Hi everyone!

Can you believe this week is over, it flew by for me! :)

One of the things I look forward to on the weekend is trying to squeeze in some quiet time and catch up on my magazines! I love the Food Network magazine, the dishes look amazing and the pictures are beautiful. The section I always turn to first is “Copy That!” where they try and make the perfect imitation of a famous dish from a particular restaurant.

So here is my attempt at two of their recipes that I’ve been holding onto for quite some time! Broccoli Cheddar Soup from Panera Bread and Bread Sticks from Olive Garden.  Click on the links for the original recipe.

Almost Famous Broccoli-Cheddar Soup

Cook the onions in butter until soft and golden. Add the half n’ half, broth, and seasonings, cook until thickened about 20 minutes. Next add the broccoli and carrots, cook for 20 minutes or until tender.

Puree the soup until smooth with some chunks of broccoli.

Add the cheese and whisk until smooth, if you feel the soup is too thick add some water.

Ladle into bread bowls

This soup looked and tasted EXACTLY  like the real thing, even better if I dare say! This was a hit with everyone..did she just eat something green??? Could you blame her, anything swimming in  cheese tastes good!

Almost Famous Breadsticks

Combine the yeast and water and let it sit for 5 minutes.

Once it’s foamy add the flour, butter, sugar, salt and water and mix with the paddle attachment until dough forms into a ball.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take the dough out and knead by hand for 3 minutes, until dough is very soft.

Roll into two 1 foot long pieces and cut into 16  smaller pieces, knead slightly to soften the dough.

Roll out each piece into a 7 inch long breadstick, put on parchment lined baking sheet and cover with cloth. Let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Brush dough with melted butter and salt. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Take out of oven and brush with add’l butter and sprinkle with seasoning mix; salt, garlic powder and oregano.

These were really good and did taste like the real thing. I love the combo of garlic powder and oregano!

Have you ever tried to replicate a dish from a restaurant before?

Do you have a favorite food magazine?