Disney: Wedding Freebies

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Did you know that if you send Mickey and Minnie Mouse an invitation to your wedding they’ll send you back an autographed photo and a ‘Just Married’ button? Also, if you send Cinderella and Prince Charming an invitation, you’ll get an autographed congratulatory certificate.

Here are the addresses:

Micky & Minnie / The Walt Disney Company / 500 South Buena Vista Street / Burbank, California 91521 

Cinderella and Prince Charming / P.O. Box 1000 / Lake Buena Vista, Florida 32830

Outback Steakhouse Bloomin' Onion Copycat Recipe

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Finally the secret is out! Here is how to make the famous Outback Steakhouse Bloomin Onion @ home:

4 Vidalia or Texas Sweet Onions

Batter:
1/3 C. Cornstarch
1 1/2 C. Flour
2 tsp. Garlic -- minced
2 tsp. Paprika
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
24 oz. Beer

Seasoned Flour:
2 C. Flour
4 tsp. Paprika
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1/2 tsp. Pepper
1/4 tsp. Cayenne pepper


Mix cornstarch, flour, and seasonings until well blended. Add beer,
mix well. Cut about 3/4" off top of onion and peel. Cut into onion
12 to 16 vertical wedges, but do not cut through bottom root end.
Remove about 1" of petals from center of onion. Dip onion in seasoned
flour and remove excess by shaking. Separate petals and dip in batter
to coat thoroughly.

Gently place in fryer basket and deep-fry at
375 to 400 1 1/2 minutes. Turn over, and fry an additional 1 1/2 minutes.
Drain on paper towels.
Place onion upright in shallow bowl and remove center core with circular
cutter or apple corer. Serve hot with Creamy Chili Sauce.


Creamy Chili Sauce:
1 pint Mayonnaise
1 pint Sour cream
1/2 C. Chili sauce
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

Cheese Nips Copycat Recipe

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Another great snack option to make at home!

 

1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
(plus 1/2 cup divided & reserved for kneading and rolling)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup Kraft Macaroni & Cheese Cheese Topping powder
(or 2 packages dry cheese powder from 2 boxes Kraft macaroni & cheese)
3 tablespoons shortening
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon salt (for tops, optional)

1. Sift together 1 cup flour, baking soda, baking powder and cheese
powder in a large bowl.
2. Cut in the shortening with a fork and knife with a crosswise motion
until dough is broken down into rice-size pieces. Mixture will still
be very dry.
3. Stir in buttermilk with a fork until dough becomes very moist and
sticky.

4. Sprinkle a couple tablespoons of the reserved flour over the dough and
work it in until it can be handled without sticking, then turn it out
onto a floured board, being sure to keep 1/4 cup of the reserve flour
for later. Knead the dough well for 60 to 90 seconds, and the flour is
incorporated. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and chill for at least
one hour.
5. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a light coating of cooking spray
on a baking sheet.

6. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and use the remaining reserve
flour to dust a rolling surface. Roll about one-third of the dough
to just under 1/16th of inch thick. Trim the edges square (a pizza
cutter or wheel works great for this), then transfer the dough to a
lightly greased baking sheet. Use the rolling pin to transfer the
dough. Simply pick up one end of the dough onto a rolling pin, and roll
the dough around the rolling pin. Reverse the process onto the baking
sheet to transfer the dough.
7. Use a pizza cutter to cut across and down the dough, creating 1-inch
square pieces. Use the blunt end of a skewer or broken toothpick to
poke a hole in the center of each piece.

8. Sprinkle a very light coating of salt over the top of the crackers
(crackers will already be quite salty) and bake for 8-10 minutes,
mix the crackers around (so those on the edge don’t burn) and bake
for another 3-5 minutes, or until some are just barely turning a
light brown. Repeat the rolling and baking process with the remaining
dough.

Makes approximately 300 crackers.

Ihop Pancakes Copycat Recipe

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Perfect for Sat. morning breakfast!

 

Nonstick Spray
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 heaping teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup cooking oil
pinch of salt

1. Preheat a skillet over medium heat. Use a pan with a nonstick surface
or apply a little nonstick spray.
2. With a mixer, combine all of the remaining ingredients until smooth.
3. Pour the batter by spoonfuls into the hot pan, forming 5-inch circles.
4. When the edges appear to harden, flip the pancakes. They should be
golden brown.
5. Cook pancakes on the other side for same amount of time, until golden
brown.

Makes 8 to 10 pancakes.

KFC Chicken Copycat Recipe

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11 herbs and spices- now you know the secret!

 

1 frying chicken, cut into frying pieces
1 1/2 cups flour
1 Pkt. (dry) Good Seasons Italian Dressing (THE 11 herbs and spices!)
1 Envelope Lipton (or other brand) Tomato Cup of Soup
2 eggs, well beaten
2/3 cup milk
Vegetable oil to cover bottom of your skillet; about 1/2 inch deep.

1. Combine eggs and milk. Set aside.
2. Combine flour with the Italian dressing and soup mix.
3. Dip chicken pieces in milk-egg mixture and roll them in the
flour-seasoning mixture. Repeat procedure.
4. Fry pieces over medium heat for 25 to 30 minutes, turning often.
5. Remove from fire. Drain and serve.

Oreo Cookie Copycat Recipe

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Make your own Oreos @ home!

 

 

COOKIE WAFERS:

1 (18.25 oz) box Dark Fudge Cake Mix
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons shortening

CREME FILLING:

3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup shortening (no substitution)
3 tablespoons hot water

Preheat oven to 325F. Blend all ingredients; then knead with your
hands until it is pliable like dough. Form dough into 3/4 inch balls
and press flat, 1/2 inch apart on greased cookie sheets. Bottom of
a glass works nice for this. Bake 4 to 6 minutes or until cookies are
crunchy. I should think you could refrigerate the dough in cylinder
shaped rolls for a couple of hours and slice 1/8 inch thick, as well.
Let cookies cool on sheets.

Combine filling ingredients and mix well. Form into balls about 1/2 to
3/4 inch in diameter, again using your hands. Sandwich one
filling in the center of two cookies and carefully press down until
the filling spreads almost to the edge.

Makes 2 dozen cookies (4 dozen wafers)

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups Copycat Recipe

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One of my fave treats, this could be dangerous!!

 

6 oz Pkg semi sweet chocolate chips
4 Nestles milk chocolate bars
1 1/4 c Peanut butter

Put chocolate chips, chocolate bars, and 1/4 c peanut butter in top
of double boiler over HOT, not boiling water, stirring till smooth.
Use small muffin tin liners, or cut regular cupcake liners down to a
1" depth. Spoon HALF of the chocolate mixture equally into the
liners. Melt the rest of the peanut butter over hot water, and spoon
this equally over the chocolate layer. Top with remaining chocolate.
Refrigerate to allow cups to set up before serving.

Makes: 24 tiny/12 large

Red Lobster Cheese Biscuits Copycat Recipe

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Save a trip to Red Lobster for their addictive biscuits and make them @ home!

 

Dough:

1 1/4 lbs. Bisquik
3 Oz. freshly shredded cheddar cheese
11 Oz. cold water

Garlic Spread:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 teas. garlic powder
1/4 teas. salt
1/8 teas. onion powder
1/8 teas. dried parsley

To cold water, add Bisquik and cheese, blending in a mixing bowl.
Mix until dough is firm.

Using a small scoop, place the dough on a baking pan lined with
baking paper. Bake in 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until
golden brown. While biscuits bake, combine spread ingredients.

Brush baked biscuits with the garlic topping.

Snickers Copycat Recipe

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Make your own Snickers candy bars @ home!

 

1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/8 cup peanut butter
1 dash salt
3 cups powdered sugar
35 unwrapped Kraft caramels
1 cup dry-roasted unsalted peanuts
1 bag milk-chocolate chips -- (12-ounce)

With the mixer on high speed, combine the corn syrup, butter, vanilla,
peanut butter, and salt until creamy. Slowly add the powdered sugar.
When the mixture has the consistency of dough, remove it from the bowl
with your hands and press it into a lightly greased 9x9-inch pan. Put in
the refrigerator. Melt the caramels in a small pan over low heat.
When the caramel is soft, mix in the peanuts. Pour the mixture over the
refrigerated nougat in the pan. Let this cool in the refrigerator.

When the refrigerated mixture is firm, melt the chocolate over low heat
in a double boiler or in a microwave oven set on high for 2 minutes.
Stir halfway through cooking time. When the mixture in the pan has
hardened, cut it into 2x1-inch sections. Set each chunk onto a fork
and dip into the melted chocolate. Tap the fork against the side of the
bowl or pan to knock off any excess chocolate. Then place the chunks on
waxed paper to cool at room temperature (less than 70 degrees F). This
could take several hours, but the bars will set best this way. You can
speed up the process by placing the bars in the refrigerator for 30
minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen bars.

Wendy's Chili Copycat Recipe

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My husband loves Wendy's chili. Now we can make it @ home!

 

1 pound ground beef
1 - 14.5 Oz. can tomato sauce
1 - 14.5 Oz. can kidney beans (with liquid)
1 - 14.5 Oz. can pinto beans (with liquid)
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup diced green chilies
1/4 cup diced celery
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoons cumin powder
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
1 cup water

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat; drain off the fat.
2. Using a fork, crumble the cooked beef into pea-size pieces.
3. In a large pot, combine the beef plus all the remaining ingredients,
and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook, stirring every 15 minutes,
for 2 to 3 hours.

Makes about 12 servings.

Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Cheesecake Copycat Recipe

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One bite of this cheesecake and you'll swear it's from Cheesecake Factory!

 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
5 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
3 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup canned pumpkin
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
whipped cream

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Make the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs with the melted
butter and 1 tablespoon sugar in a medium bowl. Stir well enough to
coat all of the crumbs with the butter, but not so much as to turn the
mixture into paste. Keep it crumbly.
3. Press the crumbs onto the bottom and about two-thirds of the way up
the sides of a springform pan. You don't want the crust to form all
of the way up the back of each slice of cheesecake. Bake the crust
for 5 minutes, then set it aside until you are ready to fill it.
4. In a large mixing bowl combine the cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and
vanilla. Mix with an electric mixer until smooth.
5. Add the pumpkin, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice and continue
to beat until smooth and creamy.
6. Pour the filling into the pan. Bake for 60 to 70 minutes. The top will
turn a bit darker at this point. Remove from the oven and allow the
cheesecake to cool.
7. When the cheesecake has come to room temperature, put it into the
refrigerator. When the cheesecake has chilled, remove the pan sides
and cut the cake into 8 equal pieces. Use dental floss to make a
clean cut.
Serve with a generous portion of whipped cream on top.
Serves 8.

Chick-fil-A Chicken Sandwiches Copycat Recipe

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Chick-fil-A made chicken sandwiches famous with this recipe!

 

3 cups Peanut oil
1 Egg
1 cup Milk
1 cup Flour
2 1/2 tb Powdered sugar
1/2 ts Pepper
2 tb Salt
2 Skinless, boneless chicken breasts, halved
4 Plain hamburger buns
2 tb Melted butter
8 Dill pickle slices

Heat the peanut oil in a pressure cooker over med. heat to about 400F. In
a small bowl, beat the egg and stir in the milk. In a separate bowl,
combine the flour, sugar, pepper, and salt. dip each piece of chicken in
milk until it is fully moistened. Roll the moistened chicken in the flour
mixture until completely coated. Drop all four chicken pieces into the hot
oil and close the pressure cooker. When steam starts shooting through the
pressure release, set the timer for 3-1/2 minutes. IMPORTANT!!!!
DO NOT CLOSE STEAM RELEASE. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS! While the chicken is cooking, spread a coating of melted butter on the face of each bun. When
the chicken is done, remove it from the oil and drain or blot on paper
towels. Place two pickles on each bottom bun; add a chicken breast, then
the top bun. To make a deluxe chicken sandwich, simply add two tomato
slices and a leaf of lettuce. Mayonnaise also goes well on this
sandwich--it is a side order at the restaurant.

Dairy Queen Blizzard Copycat Recipe

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Make the popular Dairy Queen Blizzard treat, right @ home with this recipe:

1 Health candy bar
1/4 c Milk
2 1/2 c Vanilla ice cream
1 teas. Fudge topping

Freeze the Heath bar. Break the candy into tiny pieces with a knife handle
before removing form wrapper. Combine all of the ingredients in the
blender and blend for 30 seconds on med. speed. Stop the blender to stir
the mixture with a spoon; repeat until well mixed. Pour into a 16-oz.
glass. Your homemade blizzard may not be as thick as its commercial
counterpart. If you would like a thicker treat, after pouring the mixture
into your cup, simply place it in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes, or until
it reaches the desired consistency. VARIATIONS: Try substituting different
candies.

Cracker Jack Copycat Recipe

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One of my favorite snacks from childhood, make Cracker Jack at home!

 

4 Quarts Popped popcorn
1 Cup Spanish peanuts
4 Tablespoons Butter
1 Cup Brown sugar
1/2 Cup Corn syrup -- light
2 Tablespoons Molasses
1/4 Teaspoon Salt

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Combine popcorn and peanuts in a metal bowl or on a cookie sheet
and place in preheated oven. Combine all remaining ingredients in a
saucepan. Stirring over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.

Using a cooking thermometer, bring the mixture to the hard-ball stage
(260-275 degrees). This will take about 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove the popcorn and peanuts from the oven and, working very quickly,
pour the caramel mixture in a fine stream over them.
Then place them back in the oven for 15 minutes.

Mix well every five minutes, so that all of the popcorn is coated.

Cool and store in a covered container to preserve freshness.

Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat Recipe

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Craving Chinese food? Make Panda Express Orange Chicken @ home!

 

 

2 lbs boneless chicken pieces, skinned
1 egg
1 1/2 t salt
white pepper
oil (for frying)
1/2 c plus 1 T cornstarch
1/4 c flour
1 T minced ginger root
1 t minced garlic
dash crushed hot red chiles
1/4 c chopped green onions
1 T rice wine
1/4 c water
1/2 to 1 t sesame oil

ORANGE SAUCE FOR STIR FRY:

2 t Minced zest and
1/4 c Juice from
1 lg Orange
1/2 t Sugar
2 T Chicken stock
1 T Light soy sauce

Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set aside.


Cut chicken pieces in 2" squares and place in large bowl. Stir in egg,
salt, pepper, and 1 T oil and mix well. Stir cornstarch and flour
together. Add chicken pieces, stirring to coat.

Heat oil for deep-frying in wok or deep-fryer to 375. Add chicken pieces,
a small batch at time, and fry 3 to 4 minutes or until golden and crisp.
(Do not overcook or chicken will be tough.) Remove chicken from oil with
slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Set aside.

Clean wok and heat 15 seconds over high heat. Add 1 T oil. Add ginger
and garlic and stir-fry until fragrant. Add and stir-fry crushed chiles
and green onions. Add rice wine and stir 3 seconds. Add Orange Sauce
and bring to boil. Add cooked chicken, stirring until well mixed.
Stir water into remaining 1 T cornstarch until smooth.
Add to chicken and heat until sauce is thick. Stir in 1 teas. sesame oil.

Serve at once.

Makes 6 servings.

Twix Copycat Recipe

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Here is an easy recipe to make Twix @ home!

 

 

35 unwrapped Kraft caramels
1/4 cup water
1 box Nabisco Lorna Doone shortbread
cookies -- (40)
2 bags milk-chocolate chips -- (12 ounce)

1. Combine the caramels with the water in a small pan and melt over
low heat.
2. Place the shortbread cookies side by side on an ungreased cookie sheet.
3. Spoon a dab of caramel onto each cookie. Then place all the cookies in
the refrigerator until the caramel firms up.
4. In the meantime, in a double boiler over low heat, melt the chocolate
chips. You may also use the microwave for melting the chocolate.
Just heat the chips for 1 minute on high, stir, then heat for
another minute.

5. Remove the cookies from the refrigerator. Rest each one on a fork and
dip it into the chocolate. Tap the fork on the side of the pan or bowl
to knock off any excess chocoloate. Then place each one on a sheet
of waxed paper and let them cool at room temperature (65-70F).
This could take several hours, but the bars will set best this way.
If you want to speed up the process, put the candy in the
refrigerator for 30 minutes.

Makes 40 bars.

In-N-Out Double-Double Hamburger Copycat Recipe

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Skip the drive-through and make this In-N-Out burger @ home-

 

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
2 slices American cheese
1 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 cheese
top bun.

Makes one hamburger.