This delicious soup is nutritious, filled with lean turkey and tons of veggies. It is also gluten and dairy-free as is the version offered at Panera Restaurant. This is my adaptation of their recipe.
Sunday, March 9, 2025
Panera Copycat Turkey Chili #SundayFunday
Tuesday, February 6, 2024
Maurice Salad and an invitation to join in Movies & Munchies
Sunday, February 4, 2024
Copy-Cat Olive Garden Creamy Chicken Gnocchi Soup #SundayFunday
Friday, December 23, 2022
Copy Cat In and Out Burger and a Book Review
Friday, December 16, 2022
J Baldwin's Calamari #FishFridayFoodies
There is a restaurant here in Michigan owned by Chef Jeff Baldwin. All of their food is wonderful but we ALWAYS order the calamari because it is the best we have ever eaten. When Baldwin's first opened in 2004 he offered cooking classes and shared the recipe with us. I am happy to share it with you today
Tuesday, July 5, 2022
Woolworth Cheeseburger and a Book Review
I have been listening to The City by Dean Koontz during my morning walks. The only problem with listening to Koontz books, for me, is that my walks end to soon and then I have to wait until the following day to resume the story.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Copy-Cat Cheesecake Factory Brown Bread #BreadBakers #Choctoberfest
I haven't been to a Cheesecake Factory in years. I think the last time may have been when we took an impromptu trip to Chicago probably 8 years ago now. Frank loves going to the Cheesecake Factory. I think it's a fun place to visit but I am overwhelmed by the menu that is pages upon pages upon pages. Too many choices gives me anxiety. That's why I'm happy that they place a loaf of this bread on the table to soothe you while you peruse that booklet.
Welcome to Bread Bakers which is colliding with Choctoberfest for me this month.......
Thursday, July 30, 2020
A Burger Recipe, A Book Review and A Bodacious Weekly Menu


Hickory Burger
Ingredients:
- 4 hamburger patties, seasoned and grilled to your liking
- 4 slices cheese
- 4 Ciabatta rolls
- Butter
- 1/4 c. Ketchup
- 1/4 c. chile sauce
- 1/2 t. hickory liquid smoke
Instructions:
- Season and cook your burgers to your desired temperature, placing a slice of cheese on each 30 seconds before removing them from the grill.
- While the burgers are cooking, cut the Ciabatta Rolls in half and butter the cut side. Place cut side down on the grill next to the burgers.
- Meanwhile, combine the ketchup, chili sauce and hickory smoke.
- Place one cooked cheeseburger onto each roll. Top with the Hickory Sauce and serve.
Notes:
Calories
590.34Fat (grams)
27.45Sat. Fat (grams)
12.29Carbs (grams)
49.06Fiber (grams)
3.00Net carbs
46.06Sugar (grams)
10.32Protein (grams)
35.42Sodium (milligrams)
965.78Cholesterol (grams)
107.41Friday, May 15, 2020
Mahi Mahi Matecumbe; A Fish House Favorite and the Weekly Menu #FishFridayFoodies
This is my attempt to recreate our favorite dish from this restaurant. The fresh catch of the day served Matecumbe style. Normally, if they have Snapper that is what I order. I couldn't get any Snapper so I made mine with Mahi Mahi for this month's Fish Friday Foodies........
Sunday, May 3, 2020
Copycat Buddy's Antipasto Salad #OurFamilyTable
Tuesday, April 9, 2019
Michigan 4 Berry Pie #FoodnFlix
There are Achatz pie companies throughout the neighboring counties now and they are available to be shipped Nationwide. Their most popular pie is the Crumb Michigan Four Berry Pie. They offer free shipping. The cost of one pie is $49.00. They sell a ton of them.
This is my version of that pie. Fresh frozen tart cherries from my daughter's tree, blueberries, raspberries and blackberries combine to make the perfect summer treat.
I was inspired to make this pie after watching the documentary "Spinning Plates" for this month's FoodnFlix event.......
Friday, October 26, 2018
Restaurant Style Sweet and Sour Chicken and the Weekly Menu
Friday, November 24, 2017
Homemade Cracker Jacks for #FoodnFlix
It is probably too late for you to watch and join us this month but you can learn about our group and how to join in the fun next month by going to the group guidelines.
This movie is thirty years old and I had never seen it before. I don't know why I had never seen it. Steve Martin and John Candy are two of my favorite comedians but for whatever reason it was never in my radar.
So, in case you live under the rock next to mine, this story is about Neal (Steve Martin) who is on his way home to Chicago from a business meeting in NYC. It is two days before Thanksgiving and he had promised his wife and kids he would be home before morning.
Neal just barely makes his flight to find that he has been downgraded to coach and to add insult to injury he is seated next to a less than desirable seat mate, Del (John Candy). Neal just wants to be left alone and Del, a natural born salesman, just wants to be friendly.
The flight gets rerouted to Wichita, due to a huge snowstorm, and Neal finds himself stranded without another available flight and unable to find a room....Del to the rescue...What ensues is a hilarious comedy of errors from the sleazy hotel, to a doomed train ride and finally to a rental car that they hope can take them home in time for the holiday.
I laughed out loud several times during this movie. It is classic John Candy/Steve Martin fare. Food inspiration left a little to be desired:
- Neal's family is enjoying a dinner of Spaghetti, Garlic Bread, Salad and Milk while waiting for Neal to arrive home.
- Del is always eating.....NOTHING BUT JUNKFOOD....starting with Hot Dogs and Beer, Soda and Lifesavers.
- Neal is forced to share a bed with Del and LOTS of Cracker Jack Crumbs.
- There is breakfast in a diner where I spied Oatmeal, Pie, Grapefruit, Coffee, Strawberries, and Eggs.
- Peanuts while on the train
- Finally a real dinner in St. Louis that skimmed over what appeared to be Steak and Salad
- Neal has a flashback of a homey, comforting, traditional Thanksgiving Dinner with all the trimmings
- And an evening of camaraderie eating all the junk food and drinking all the alcohol available in a hotel room refrigerator.
Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Copy Cat Subway Sweet Onion Chicken Teriyaki #FantasticalFoodFight

More Fast Food Copy Cats
Monday, September 4, 2017
First Monday Favorites
More First Monday Favorites
Saturday, August 19, 2017
Copy-Cat Big Boy Broccoli Soup #SoupSaturdaySwappers
Our moms had large families and small incomes and needed to make their grocery budget stretch. My mom did this by serving soups and stews several times a week. It was a great way to feed a family of eight plus all of the friends we brought to the table with not one person leaving the table hungry.
If you like soups and would like to join our group we would love to have you, just leave your blog url and email address in the comments section of this post. We post on the 3rd Saturday of each month based on a theme chosen by one of our members. This months theme, Copy Cat Recipes, is being hosted by Heather of All Roads Lead to the Kitchen..
I love broccoli soup and one of my favorites is from Big Boy Restaurants. Big Boy Restaurants can be found throughout the United States and are also located in Japan, making them an International Restaurant. Did you know that? I didn't. I thought they were a Midwestern restaurant but Wikipedia set me straight. According to them, Big Boy was first started in California and then spread across the country. In 2000 the company changed hands to the current owners who have also started franchises in Japan.
I wonder if they use the same recipes in Japan? Anyway, back to my soup. I did another google search for Big Boy Broccoli Soup and found a whole website of Top Secret Recipes from Todd Wilbur. A search on this site landed me the recipe I adapted for my soup.
My adaptations are very slight. I added 2 more cups of broth and 1 more head of broccoli and omitted the ham. I used an immersion blender to puree the soup. I was amazed at how perfectly this recipe replicated that soup from Big Boy that I love.
More Copy-Cat Creations
Sunday, July 23, 2017
Copy-Cat Detroit Coney Dogs for #SundaySupper
July is National Hot Dog month so Stacy and MaryEllen asked us to share our fun options for serving this kid friendly food. According to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council, consumers spend nearly 2 billion dollars a year on hot dogs in US supermarkets. That is a lot of hot dogs!!!
I can understand it though.....I love the crunch of a natural casing frank when I bite into it. I love the way they split open on the grill when being cooked. I love that when dinner sneaks up on you and you haven't made a meal plan you can open the fridge, grab the dogs and dinner is on the table in moments.
Natural casing franks are very popular here in Michigan. In fact, Serious Eats, did a taste test of all the natural casing franks available here. Frank is a hot dog snob and when eating hot dogs at home will only accept Kowalski brand. I am happy to say that this is the brand that won for best traditional dog in that Serious Eats taste test.
Serious eats also mentions that Detroit is home to the famous Coney Dog, made with a beanless chili sauce. We love our coney dogs here in Michigan. So much, in fact, that we have numerous Coney Island Restaurants, sometimes with two or three on the same street corner.
One of my favorite chains is National Coney Island. There are 20 locations in southeast Michigan where I reside. Their first store opened up in 1964 at a Mall near the home in which I grew up. I spent a lot of time in that mall during my tweens and teens and ate a fair share of coney dogs while there.
My brother and his wife live in California but come home to Michigan every year for a month long visit. We host a large pot-luck party each year so that everyone in the family gets an opportunity to see them while they are home. This year I decided to make up a roaster full of sloppy joes and serve those along with Coney Dogs as the main courses with everyone else supplying the side dishes.
I had fully intended on keeping my life simple and buying a block of frozen National Island Chili Sauce for the Coneys. So the morning of the party, I went to the store and they were out of the sauce. We live in the middle of nowhere (or in BFE as affectionately referred to by my children) so while we are lucky enough to have a decent grocery store 5 minutes away there is not another for half an hour.
I decided to do a google search, rather than waste time running around from store to store, and was ecstatic to find this recipe at a blog called Great Lakes, Better Food. Unfortunately, this blog no longer appears to be up and running with the last post being in 2013. Fortunately, it was once up and running because this chili sauce is perfect!!! It tastes amazingly the same as that from National that I love so much.
- Your hot dogs must have skins
- Your hot dog must be grilled or steamed
- The only toppings are coney sauce, yellow mustard and finely diced onions
Copy-Cat Detroit Coney Dogs
adapted from Great Lakes, Better Food
3 lbs. ground chuck
6 T. butter
6 T. flour
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
24 oz. beef stock
2 T. paprika
3 T. chili powder
3 T. yellow mustard
1 T. turmeric
1 T. cumin
1 T. garlic powder
1 T. onion powder
1 T. kosher salt
Brown ground meat in a dutch oven over med high heat until browned and all fat is released. Drain and set aside. In the same dutch oven, melt the butter over med high heat. Stir in the flour until brown and nutty smelling. Whisk in the beef stock, cook and stir until smooth, thickened and bubbly. Add the tomatoes and all their juices, paprika, chili powder, mustard, turmeric, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder and salt. Stir in the reserved beef and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered until thickened.
The chili is now ready to be used for topping grilled or steamed natural casing franks or can be refrigerated and reheated on the stove or in the crockpot when ready to serve. Print Recipe
More Creative Hot Dog Recipes
Cheesy Dogs
- Cheesy Pretzel Dogs by A Mind “Full” Mom
- Jalapeno Popper Hot Dogs by Life Tastes Good
Meaty Dogs
- Bacon Wrapped Hot Dogs with Fruit Salsa by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Honey BBQ Hot Dogs by Home Sweet Homestead
- Hot Dog & Hamburger Cowboy Beans by Soulfully Made
Regional Dogs
- All American Hot Dog by The Freshman Cook
- Banh Mi Hot Dog by Cricket’s Confections
- Buffalo Hot Dogs by The Crumby Kitchen
- Copy Cat Detroit Coney Dogs by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Matcha Ochazuke Hot Dog Rice by NinjaBaker.com
- Memphis Hot Dog by Bottom Left of the Mitten
- Philly Mushroom Swiss Dog (Low Carb) by My Life Cookbook
- Sauerkraut Stuffed Dogs by Gourmet Everyday
- South of the Border Hot Dogs by My Blissful Mess
Tex Mex Dogs
- Chili Cheese Dog Baked Potatoes by Food Lust People Love
- Burrito Dogs by Our Good Life
- Hot Dog with Chili Sauce by Recipes Food and Cooking
- Taco Hot Dog is Nacho Regular Dog by Sunday Supper Movement
- Hot Dog Breakfast Tacos by Pies and Plots