From the Inside Out

Have you ever wished you could recreate your favorite dish from your favorite restaurants? Would you like to know how to make a Cinnabon Cinnamon Roll at home? If so, you may be in luck. In his books, author Todd Wilbur reveals secret formulas for duplicating the taste of dishes from America’s biggest restaurant chains.

Todd spends days at a time and dozens of attempts creating the perfect clone of famous brand-name products, and now you can benefit from his efforts. The recipes are simple and easy-to-follow. According to his website, these clones will fool even the most critical connoisseurs at a fraction of the cost of eating out. And it’s not just marketing hype, reviews from real consumers confirm that these formulas are remarkably close to the original.

You can buy the “Top Secret Restaurant Recipes” books, or you can peruse a list of Todd’s recipes online and purchase only the ones you want. Todd also shares a large number of his recipes for free on his website.

Here’s a short list of some of the restaurant chains that you’ll find on the site: Applebee’s, Chilis, Cheesecake Factory, Olive Garden, Outback Steakhouse, T.G.I. Friday’s, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Macaroni Grill. You can also find famous candy bar recipes, Girl Scout Cookie recipes and recipes from fast food joints such as Little Caesar’s, McDonald’s, Starbucks, Burger King, Panda Express, Wendy’s, KFC, Taco Bell and Auntie Anne’s Pretzels.

For those of you who are watching your weight, Todd even shares how you can re-create your favorite brand-name foods and restaurant recipes at a fraction of the calories in the privacy of your very own kitchen.

To learn more, visit the website here.

It happened slowly, an imperceptible change at first, but over time it became apparent something was terribly wrong. Who knows how long it had been happening before someone noticed — days, weeks, months? There’s no way to be certain. Even when I noticed, I wasn’t aware of the full extent of the problem. I thought it was user error — a door left ajar or a temperature gauge gone awry. After all, I had never experienced this before. I was in denial. Surely, it couldn’t be that bad.

I was wrong. It was fatal. My refrigerator had completely lost it’s cool. The problem started in the freezer and eventually spread to the refrigerator. Nothing was safe. In the end, the chill was gone away.

It’s funny how little you appreciate something until it’s gone. I feel like singing the old 80s song by Klymaxx, “I miss you” because I really miss ice, cold soft drinks, fresh fruit, and sandwiches — all the little things I take for granted during the week. Wow, a refrigerator is more important than I thought.

The good news is that we’re getting a new refrigerator. The bad news is that it will take two weeks to arrive. We selected a counter-depth fridge with french doors from Maytag. It’s a nice choice, but not your standard fare, so it had to be special ordered.

“No problem,” I thought. “I don’t cook, and we don’t use the fridge that much anyway.”

I really didn’t think it would impact my life in any meaningful manner. Once again…wrong.

Luckily, we have the vending machine upstairs to keep our drinks cool. Otherwise, I’d be going “European” with warm soft drinks. Yes, I can do it, but I don’t like it.

What I miss the most is the ability to grab a quick sandwich and fruit for lunch. I’ve gone back to fast food for the week, and I hate it. I can’t wait to get my chill back. Only 10 days and counting….

For those “foodies” out there, it’s time to rejoice because this week is Restaurant Week in Dallas. What’s Restaurant Week? It’s a week when over 100 restaurants will offer three-course meals for the fixed price of $35. The meal includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. Since many of the participating restaurants are four- and five-star rated, this is a steal. Don’t feel bad for taking advantage of these fine restaurants, though, because it’s all to raise funds for local charities. A portion of the price will be donated to the North Texas Food Bank and Lena Pope Home.

Restaurant Week begins on August 11 and runs through August 17, but some restaurants are extending the offer through August 31. Reservations and required, and availability is limited. When calling, you need to request a Restaurant Week reservation.

For more information and to view a list of participating restaurants, click here.

It has been well documented that eating right can help you lose weight and enhance your health, but does it also boost your mood and ease depression? That’s what respected nutritionist and author, Dr. Susan Keiner, suggests.

Dr. Kleiner’s book, The Good Mood Diet, offers tips for eating to feel good. For example, did you know that:

• Milk raises serotonin levels, helping you relax
• Broccoli and blueberries can increase energy and happy feelings
• Turkey reduces anxiety
• Regular intake of fish oils can lower anger in aggressive adults (no more anger management courses required)
• Egg yolks are high in a substance that enables nutrients into the brain and toxins out of the body
• Bananas reduce blood pressure

 By simply changing how you eat, you can improve your energy level, attitude and mood. Eating the right foods can even impact how you handle stress.

In my own life, this rings true. When I am eating healthy, I have more energy and my digestion issues cease. When I fall back into the dark pit eating junk food and fast food, the issues return — almost immediately. By simply watching what I eat, I can significantly impact my health — and my mood. Amazing, huh?

Never before has the saying been more true…you are what you eat.  I wish I had realized this truth a few years ago.

After church today (see previous blog), we did some shopping and then headed to Hibachi Rock in Allen for Clarissa’s birthday.  She turned 13 this week.  I can’t believe she’s already that old…how quickly time flies. 

With this birthday, Kathy is now the mother of a teenager, and my prayers go out to her.  *smiles*  The odd thing for me was the realization that if I’d had a child at the same time as Kathy and Laura H., then I would also be the mother of a teenager — isn’t that a weird thought?

Anyway, I’d never been to Hibachi Rock before, but it was great.  Hibachi Rock is a sushi bar and grill.  None of us are sushi fans, so we opted for the “grill” part of the restaurant.  It’s a Japanese steakhouse, similar to Benihana.  Dinner started with salad followed by miso soup.  Then the cook came out and put on a great little show for us.  The kids loved it and so did the adults.  The food was outstanding — a little pricey, but good.  If you are looking for a fun dining experience, you should check it out.