| I have a confession. I don't really like cooking that | | | | face it, who has the time or energy to do that. After |
| much. I tend to eat out a lot more than I would | | | | all the reason you're going to the chain restaurant in |
| really like to, because it's easier and faster than | | | | the first place is lack of time, or lack of motivation to |
| cooking for myself. Over the years it has had an | | | | cook. |
| effect, though. My waistline has increased, and it's | | | | About a month ago I stumbled across a site claiming |
| straining the budget. Anyone who says that costs of | | | | to have discovered all the secrets to how to cook |
| even basic things hasn't increased lately has not been | | | | like the restaurants do, and to have a cookbook |
| looking too closely. I thought for a long time about | | | | based on these recipes. Let's face it, any search of |
| looking for restaurant recipe replicas and kept on | | | | the Internet will bring up a variety of these types of |
| putting it off. Like I said cooking and I are not a | | | | sites. They are a dime a dozen, and the free recipes |
| perfect match. | | | | you find on them don't necessarily work that well. I |
| When it comes to food, I go for taste and I have | | | | was skeptical, but the offer was good, and I had yet |
| favorites. I love ribs, for example, but had always | | | | another book to add to my collection. The good thing |
| thought that they were beyond my meagre skills. I | | | | was, at least this one was electronic, and I could |
| like pizza and ditto to that. It put me off cooking | | | | ignore it without it gathering dust. I was curious, |
| more than the basics. It doesn't have to be that | | | | though, and did give it a read...and then another one |
| way, so I found out. | | | | and another one. The recipes looked easy enough, |
| Have you ever watched the cooking channel? | | | | but that didn't mean that they'd taste authentic. |
| Despite the fact that I can't cook to save myself I | | | | I found an easy one, with only a few ingredients and |
| seem to watch it compulsively. Really, I should know | | | | gave it a try. There was nothing to lose but my |
| better. The channel has experienced chefs showing | | | | dignity, after all. Imagine my surprise when it worked! |
| us all the tricks of the trade, but what they don't tell | | | | Have you ever had your mouth watering for |
| us is the amount of years it took for them to | | | | Applebee's Babyback Ribs? If you have then |
| become that proficient. If you can find the | | | | "America's Most Wanted Recipes" is the cookbook to |
| ingredients, and the right tools, and then try to | | | | get. there are more restaurant recipe replicas beside |
| replicate what they have done, the chances are that | | | | this one, one hundred in the first book alone. Since |
| what you'll end up with is something...less than optimal. | | | | my first foray into cooking the restaurant recipes |
| And even worse, it may not taste the way you | | | | I've tried more and surprisingly, they've worked. Even |
| expected it to. You are playing the lottery, and who | | | | more surprising was that they weren't hard to make. |
| wants to do that with your tastebuds? They | | | | If you want to cook great meals at home that are |
| deserve better. So, where does that leave you? | | | | easy, and accessible then there are ways to do it. If |
| Back to buying food from chain restaurants. Not | | | | you are like me, and don't really like cooking, except |
| exactly the answer to the budget problems, is it? Or, | | | | from afar, then consider "America's Most Wanted |
| you could take a gourmet cooking course, but let's | | | | Recipes". You'll be glad you did. |