Have you ever eaten at a restaurant and wished you could recreate the dish at home? Our fabulous Womens-Place chefs are coming to the rescue! Here are some great copy cat recipes that you can try yourself!

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From Betsy S~

My favorite copycat recipes are Boneless Buffalo Wings from Chili's. We enjoy these two treats at least a few times a year. It's the perfect way to get the best of two different restaurants at home! The wings are very good, but not too hot. (This from an admitted hot head, though, so yummv!) The margarita really does taste just like Applebee's. When I was single, that was THE place to go on Thursday nights before we went out dancing. I've enjoyed many a perfect margarita at the restaurant, and this recipe takes me right back!

Chili's Boneless Buffalo Wings
SERVES 2

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 cup buttermilk
2 chicken breast fillets
4-6 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup hot sauce (Crystal or Frank's Louisiana)
1 tablespoon margarine (I use butter or you can leave it out)

On the side
bleu cheese salad dressing (for dipping)
celery rib

Directions
Combine flour, salt, peppers and paprika in a medium bowl.

Slice each chicken breast into 6 pieces.

Preheat 4-6 cups of vegetable oil in a deep fryer to 375 degrees.

One or two at a time, dip each piece of chicken into the buttermilk, then into the breading blend; then repeat the process so that each piece of chicken is double-coated.

When all chicken pieces have been breaded, arrange them on a plate and chill for 15 minutes.

When the chicken is done resting, drop each piece into the hot oil and fry for 5-6 minutes or until each piece is browned.

As chicken fries, combine the hot sauce and margarine in a small bowl.

Microwave sauce for 20-30 seconds or just until the margarine is melted, then stir to combine. You can also use a small saucepan for this step.

Just combine the hot sauce and margarine in the saucepan over low heat and stir until margarine is melted and ingredients are blended.

When chicken pieces are done frying, remove them to a plate lined with a couple paper towels. Place the chicken pieces into a covered container such as a large jar with a lid.

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the container, cover, and then shake gently until each piece of chicken is coated with sauce.

Pour the chicken onto a plate and serve the dish with bleu cheese dressing and sliced celery on the side.

And, to go along with the wings,

Applebee's Perfect Margarita

1/2 oz Cointreau
1/2 oz Grand Marnier
1 1/4 oz Cuervo 1800 Tequila
4 oz Sweet and Sour mix
1 oz Simple Syrup
1 1/4 oz fresh lime juice

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From Patty:

My favorite copycat recipe are the Thai Lettuce Wraps from Cheesecake Factory. Read the recipe for the basic idea and then ignore it! My version lets you do it so much quicker. You can find the sauces in jars (and you probably already have a few you can use) and most of the veggies come pre-cut in bags. You can usually find some kind of Thai chicken pre-cooked, but that's easy enough to do yourself.

Here is a super secret version of the popular lettuce wraps served at The Cheesecake Factory.

The Cheesecake Factory® Thai Lettuce Wraps

MENU DESCRIPTION
Create Your Own Thai Lettuce Rolls! Satay Chicken Strips, Carrots, Bean Sprouts, Coconut Curry Noodles and Lettuce Leaves with Three Delicious Spicy Thai Sauces - Peanut, Sweet Red Chili and Tamarind-Cashew

Accompaniments
6-8 BUTTER HEAD LETTUCE LEAVES
2 RED CABBAGE LEAVES-cut in half vertically
THAI SATAY CHICKEN-Recipe Follows
JULIENED CARROTS
BEAN SPROUTS -Recipe Follows
or
FRESH BEAN SPROUTS
THAI COCOUT CURRY NOODLES-Recipe Follows
THAI MARINADED CUCUMBERS-Recipe Follows
1 TABLESPOON ROASTED PEANUTS-CHOPPED

Thai Satay Chicken
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons water
4 green onions with tops, cut into 1-inch pieces

Cut chicken crosswise into 3/4-inch-wide strips; place in shallow glass dish.

Combine soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes in small bowl. Add water to remaining mixture. Pour over chicken; toss to coat well. Cover; marinate in refrigerator at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours, stirring mixture occasionally.

Soak 8 (10- to 12-inch) bamboo skewers 20 minutes in cold water to prevent them from burning; drain. Prepare grill for direct cooking.

Drain chicken; reserve marinade. Weave 3 to 4 chicken strips accordion-style onto each skewer, alternating with green onion pieces. Brush chicken and onions with reserved marinade. Discard remaining marinade.

Place skewers on grid. Grill skewers on uncovered grill over medium-hot coals 6 to 8 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink, turning halfway through grilling time. Serve with warm peanut sauce for dipping.

Bean Sprouts
1 ˝ cups bean sprouts
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp roasted sesame seeds

Heat oil in frying pan. Add bean sprouts and remaining ingredients into pan. Cook till bean sprouts are tender. Set aside and chill in refrigerator.

Thai Coconut Curry Noodles
12 ounces fresh egg noodles, flat
1 tablespoon minced garlic cloves
1 tablespoon red curry paste
1 cup low-fat coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 pinch turmeric powder
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon lime juice or lemon juice

Separate noodles in hot water, as per instructions on the packet. Drain & keep warm. In a medium saucepan, heat the coconut mild on low heat and slowly stir in the curry paste. When it begins to simmer, add in the remaining ingredients. Heat and stir approximately 2 minutes to heat through. Stir in the noodles and serve.

Thai marinated cucumbers
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon course ground black pepper
1 large cucumber seeded

In a small pan, combine vinegar, sugar, water and salt; cook over medium heat, stirring, until liquid boils and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature. Peel or score cucumber, if desired and cut lengthwise into quarters; then cut quarters crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Place in a serving bowl, pour marinade over cucumbers; stir to blend. If made ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours.

Tamarind-Cashew Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup chopped cashews
2/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic, quartered
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 cup honey
4 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon tamarind pulp*
Pinch ground saffron
1/4 cup olive oil

Combine first 7 ingredients in food processor. Blend with short bursts until the mixture is well blended, and the cashews and garlic have been chopped into pieces about half the size of a grain of rice. Combine the honey, vinegars, tamarind, and saffron in a small bowl. Heat the mixture for about 1 minute in microwave then stir until tamarind pulp dissolves completely.

Pour mixture into blender or food processor and mix with cashew mixture (about 20 seconds).

Pour sauce into bowl, add the oil and stir by hand. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Peanut Sauce
1/4 Cup creamy peanut butter
2 Tablespoons water
4 Teaspoons sugar
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Teaspoon rice vinegar
1 Teaspoon lime juice
1/2 Teaspoon chili oil

Combine peanut butter, water, sugar, soy sauce, rice vinegar, lime juice, and chili oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat just until mixture begins to bubble, then cover the pan and remove it from the heat.

Sweet Chili Dipping Sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1/4 cup hot water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 lime, juiced
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon red chili paste

In a blender, puree the rice wine vinegar, fish sauce, hot water, sugar, lime juice, garlic, and chili paste until combined. Pour into a small bowl and serve with the summer rolls. Yield: 1 cup

Thai Sweet Red Chili Sauce
3 tablespoons hot ground chili paste
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons cornstarch
4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Combine everything, except cilantro, in a small sauce pan and mix. Once blended, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

ASSEMBLY
Remove the stem at the bottom of the head of lettuce and separate the leaves into "lettuce cup. Wash and dry leaves. Arrange lettuce on a large serving plate.

Remove 2 red cabbage leaves, wash and dry and slice in half vertically to make the cabbage "boats" for serving fillings. Arrange cabbage leave halves on serving plate and fill each one with one of the fillings. Carrots, bean sprouts, cucumbers, and coconut curry noodles.

Places satay chicken strips on serving plate and sprinkle with chopped roasted peanuts.

Assemble lettuce wraps by spooning fillings into a lettuce cup, adding special sauce over the top, folding as you would a taco.

Serve with dipping sauces.

*Tamarind pulp, which is sour tasting, is available at Asian markets. To use it, soak the pulp in hot water to cover, remove the seeds with your fingers and discard them, then use the pulp.

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From Host tisha~

Applebee's Oriental Chicken Salad

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 cornflake crumbs
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 skinless chicken breast half
2 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

Directions
Preheat oil in deep fryer or deep pan over medium heat. You want the temperature of the oil to be around 350 degrees.

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.

In a small, shallow bowl beat egg, add milk, and mix well.

In another bowl, combine flour with corn flake crumbs, salt and pepper.

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.

Fry each chicken finger for 5 minutes or until coating has darkened to brown.

Prepare salad by tossing the chopped romaine with the chopped red cabbage, Napa cabbage, and carrots.

Sprinkle sliced green onion on top of the lettuce, then add the almonds and the chow mein noodles.

Cut the chicken into small bite-size chunks and place it onto the salad forming a pile in the middle.

Serve with salad dressing drizzled over it or on the side.

When I make this, I don't even bother with the fried chicken. To me, the salad is made by the yummy dressing. But it's definitely worth it to make the full version at least once just to try it out!

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From Host Cheri A~

Raspberry Sorbet (to rival Coldstone Creamery)
from The Naked Chef

Ingredients
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1 cup frozen raspberries
1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:
1. Make a simple syrup by heating the water over medium heat and stirring the sugar into it. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Combine sugar water with frozen raspberries and lemon juice in a blender or food processor.

3. Pour into ice cream maker and follow manufacturer instructions.

Note: I double this recipe for my 2 quart ice cream maker.

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Best Lemonade Ever
from Allrecipes

1 3/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups lemon juice
8 cups water

Directions:
1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Allow to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until chilled.

2. Stir together all ingredients into a pitcher.

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From Lynne S.
Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica

Gratinata Sauce:
2 teaspoons butter
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 cup Marsala wine
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Penne Rustica:
1 ounce pancetta or bacon
18 shrimp, peeled and deveined
12 ounces grilled chicken breast, sliced
4 1/2 cups Gratinata Sauce
48 ounces penne pasta, precooked
3 teaspoons pimientos
6 ounces butter
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
1 pinch salt and pepper
1 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon paprika
6 sprigs fresh rosemary

Gratinata Sauce:
Sauté butter, garlic, and rosemary until garlic begins to brown. Add Marsala wine and reduce by one-third. Add remaining ingredients and reduce by half of original volume. Set aside.

Penne Rustica:
Sauté pancetta until begins to brown. Add butter, shallots, and shrimp. Cook until shrimp are evenly pick but still translucent. Add chicken, salt, pepper, and mix thoroughly. Add granita sauce and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese and simmer until sauce thickens.

In a large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture into single serving dishes or one large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and pimientos and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 475 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove and garnish with fresh rosemary sprig.

Serves six.

Cook's notes: More like serves 10 (and I only used 2 boxes of penne instead of the 3 boxes the recipe called for). I had to put it in two 9x13 pans in order to cook it. I couldn't find pancetta, so I substituted with prosciutto. I also was not about to spend $20 to buy all the heavy cream I needed, so I used half and half.

My husband loves Penne Rustica and will never order anything else from Macaroni Grill. I was thrilled to find this recipe! He said that it was very good; not quite as good as Macaroni Grill -- an 8 on a scale of one to 10. He also said it satisfied his craving for his favorite dish. Nick, age 8, said it was 1 million percent good and ate 3 servings, but he has never tasted the "real deal" so he couldn't compare. Katie, age 4, only ate the shrimp and a few of the noodles *sigh* she is picky! I enjoyed it - not sure if I would rush to make it again - maybe if we were having company.

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Bonefish Grill Bang Bang Shrimp

Directions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
A few drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1 pound shelled and deveined shrimp
Dry cornstarch
Oil for frying
Lettuce
Chopped scallions

Sauce:
Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce. Add hot sauce to taste.

Shrimp: Dredge the shrimp in cornstarch. Deep fat fry the shrimp until lightly brown. Drain on paper towel. Put into a bowl and coat with the sauce.

Serve in a lettuce-lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

Source: Bonefish Grill, Mesa, Arizona

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Hpnotiq Breeze Martini (Bonefish Grill)

Equal parts Bacardi Coco rum, Hpnotiq and pineapple juice

Cook's notes: I love Bang Bang Shrimp! I dream of Bang Bang Shrimp and Hpnotiq Breeze Martinis. I was disappointed with the shrimp, I thought the recipe was OK…. I thought it was similar to Bonefish's appetizer but maybe the substitution of Tabasco sauce for the Sriracha Hot Sauce (that I was unable to find at our grocery store) threw the taste off too much. On the other hand, DH loved it - he couldn't stop eating them. The kids wouldn't even try it. The martini was excellent! :)

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From Leeanna ~

Romano's Macaroni Grill Nachos Bella Napoli

Ingredients
7 ounces wonton wrappers (about 1/3 a packet)
canola oil
1/3 cup fully cooked Italian sausage, crumbled
2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup fresh tomato, diced
1/4 cup sliced kalamata olive or any black olives
1/4 cup chopped scallion
6-8 slices banana peppers (use as much or as little as you'd like, they are in the pickle section of the grocery store)

Asiago cream sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon chicken bouillon granule
1 1/2 cups shredded asiago cheese

Directions:
Stack the wonton wrappers and slice into 3-4 sections lengthwise and then cut each strip 3 more times to make little rectangles or chips.

Deep fry in hot canola oil till light golden brown, drain on paper towels and set aside.

Cheese sauce:
Mix cornstarch and water in a small bowl, then add granules; set aside.

In a sauce pan heat the cream.

Slowly add cornstarch mixture, mix till thick and slowly add in cheese.

Stir till cheese is totally melted and then turn heat to low and stir occasionally. Makes 3 cups but you only use 2/3 c for dish.

Place the chips on a plate and sprinkle with1/2 the mozzarella cheese.

Dot the top with about 2/3 c hot cheese sauce.

Sprinkle all other ingredients evenly over the top.

Sprinkle with as much remaining mozzarella cheese as desired.

Serve while hot.

While looking for a recipe to make - I ran across this. It brought back memories of eating out with my mom & sister when we had "girls" shopping day. They tasted exactly the same. Not exactly figure friendly but a once a year thing - it is great! I am eager to make again for my mother and sister.

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Thanks to all our chefs for sharing these recipes with us! We can't wait to become copycats ourselves!