Blog Tour: Copycat Cooking by Six Sisters' Stuff

Copycat Cooking by Six Sisters' Stuff

Book Description:

The popular Six Sisters’ Stuff bloggers come to the rescue with a new collection of more than 100 easy-to-make recipes of popular restaurant dishes and takeout favorites for busy families. Make meal planning a breeze as you mix-and-match side dishes from one restaurant with main courses from another and finish it off with a dessert from a third. Save money while spending more time with your family. Change dining-out to dining-in for a memorable experience your whole family will enjoy.

Includes recipes for Texas Roadhouse Cactus Blossom, Panda Express Orange Chicken, Olive Garden Chicken Parmesan, Disneyland Monte Cristo Sandwich, Chili’s Molten Hot Lava Cake, Sprinkles Red Velvet Cupcakes, and Universal Studios Butterbeer. 

Andrea's Review:

I'm a huge fan of Six Sisters' Stuff cookbooks, so I jumped on the opportunity to review their new recipe book, Copycat Cooking.

First, a disclaimer. I haven't actually eaten most of the original recipes that are being copied, so I can't compare the final product to the original. However, I can say that the recipes I made were easy to make (as promised in the description). They were also pretty tasty.

I like the format/presentation of this recipe book. Each recipe has a color photo of the final product. That is a must have in recipe books for me. I think the only thing that would make the book better would be if it was spiral bound so it would lay flat on any recipe without me having to find something to hold it open (and potentially cover part of the recipe I'm trying to follow). The cover is a durable soft cover that would be easily cleaned if something splashed on it.

I made the "Famous Dave's Cornbread Muffins" to go along with some chili (not from the recipe book). They are definitely on the sweet side (I like my cornbread to be less sweet with chili), but my family downed quite a few with dinner, and my husband said they were better the next day.

We have some friends who'd never eaten macaroni and cheese, so I made the "Panera Bread Mac & Cheese". I've tried many mac & cheese recipes, and honestly I haven't found one that I love. But, we served this along with two boxed varieties and this was by far the winner out of the three. I wasn't able to find white American cheese, so I used standard orange American cheese and orange extra-sharp cheddar (instead of white extra-sharp cheddar). I think the only difference is the coloring. My family was turned off by the use of American cheese in the recipe, but I assume it was required to provide creaminess. Our German friend thought this recipe was too salty (but she wasn't much of a fan of mac & cheese in any of the varieties). Our Puerto Rican friend liked this recipe quite a lot.

I made the Funfetti Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies that are with the "Baked Bear Ice Cream Cookie Sandwiches". I didn't do the ice cream part, but had the cookies for my kids after their first day of school, and I took the rest to a young women activity. The cookies were a hit. I was concerned that the Funfetti Cookies were too dry when I handled the dough and because they didn't spread out much while baking, but they tasted really good. If I make them with the intent to use them for ice cream cookie sandwiches, I'd have to flatten the balls of dough out before baking them. The Chocolate Chip Cookies were the favorite out of the two. I think the instant pudding package in the mix really added a lot. I would definitely make these again.

My daughter made the "Nestle Tollhouse Cookie Pie". It was easy for her to make, and didn't last long in our house.

The "Olive Garden Cream Cake" was our family favorite. It has three steps, and my blender had some issues while pulsing the crumb topping, so we didn't have nearly as much topping as called for. I don't think that hurt it at all though-and maybe I'd do without it next time. Anyway, it smelled divine while baking, and was a hit with family and friends. I will definitely add this to the recipes I want to make again.

Out of the six recipes we tried, I can see myself definitely making two again, and probably making one of them again, and maybe making the other three again.  There are still quite a few recipes I'm looking forward to trying.

Rorie's Review:

I love Six Sisters' Stuff - I'm pretty sure I own every one of their cookbooks - so I was definitely excited to try this one out. When I got the book in the mail, I sat down and drooled through the entire thing. I love that the recipes are usually pretty easy, and that there is always a picture of what the food should look like. Full disclosure: I did not follow the recipes exactly as they were written. I either left out ingredients because I don't like them (cilantro) or thought I had it and realized too late that I didn't (teriyaki sauce. How do I not have that? I ALWAYS have that!) And sometimes I modified the recipe to fit the way we eat (using cauliflower instead of potatoes.) That being said, I really enjoyed the recipes that I have made so far.

The first one I tried were the avocado egg rolls. Oh my. I baked them instead of frying them, but they still turned out so yummy. Since I was only making them for me, I cut the recipe in half - or maybe thirds - and it was probably a good thing that I did so, because I would have eaten all of it if I had made the entire thing.

Next up were the Monte Cristo sandwiches. I've maybe had one of those once, many, many, many years ago, so I wasn't sure what to expect, but I really liked the puffy crust that the batter makes. Sadly, the outside cooked long before the insides got all nice and gooey and melty, so that was kind of disappointing to me. I might make these again, but only if I can figure out how to get the middle melted. And I'd probably leave off the meat, because it's all about the cheese in my book.

We had the lettuce wraps for dinner one night, and that was where I realized too late that we were out of teriyaki sauce. It was still good - all of my family ate it, which doesn't happen all that often - but it was pretty salty. I'm thinking the sweetness from the teriyaki would have helped cut the saltiness a bit.

The French Pot Roast was made mostly with my husband in mind. I'm not a huge beef fan, unless it's ground beef, so when I make roasts and things like that, it's really just to appease him. But that being said, this was pretty tasty, and I would make it again. I don't know what I did wrong with the gravy, but when I added the cornstarch slurry, instead of mixing in with the liquid, it just solidified into a lumpy mass. So, no yummy gravy.

My son made the Butterbeer recipe for us one afternoon. We have both had butterbeer at Universal Studios, and thought it was absolutely delicious there. (Mine was hot, since it was in the winter. That was to die for!) We both agreed that this did not taste like the Universal Studios version, but it was OK. My second son finished his, I think, but my youngest two didn't finish theirs.

My son also made the Molten Hot Lava cake for us one night. When my husband and I were on a cruise several years ago, they served that for dessert and that is what we chose every night, so this recipe had a lot of high expectations to live up to. It did not disappoint. We timed it wrong and it had to sit for quite awhile while we finished dinner, but it was still gooey and yummy. We'll definitely be making this one again.

I love Zuppa Toscana, and make it frequently, but I honestly don't know if I've ever had the soup at Olive Garden. I used cauliflower instead of potatoes, and didn't put the bacon in (I love bacon, but only when it's nice and crispy. I don't like it chewy.) This is also a meal that everyone will eat, so it is definitely in our regular rotation.

There are still several recipes that I would like to try in this book, and I am very happy to add it to my collection.

Tarah's Review:

I love cook books. I love to look at them, and I love to dream of the tasty food I see in them. However, cooking is not a great talent of mine, and it isn't something I enjoy doing on a day to day basis. I like cooking for lots of people for a gathering, but dinner everyday? Who needs that? :) So I get a little nervous cooking since it's not a talent of mine, but these pictures made it look really good, and the recipes looked really easy.

That might have been my favorite thing about this cook book...the ease of the recipes. I haven't tried many of the originals from the restaurants, so I can't compare to those, but I think most of the ones we tried were winners.

We tried the Outback Steakhouse Coconut Shrimp, and I'm going to admit that I didn't even try to eat them because I don't enjoy seafood. I have a lot of people in my family who do though, and these little things did not last long at our gathering. Everyone said they were really tasty. I did have a hard time getting the batter to stick to the shrimp, and the dipping sauce made  A LOT, but like I said, everyone devoured them.

Everyone in my family loved the Monte Cristo Sandwich. They even took some to lunch the next day (which I didn't think would work well, but they loved it). It definitely isn't a healthy meal, but it's a fun treat every once in a while.

We tried the Wingers Sticky Chicken Fingers, and again, I'll admit I didn't eat any because I don't like spicy food. My family liked them, but they said I used the wrong chicken for them. I took some to extended family and they all said they were really good.

I was excited about the Panera Bread Asian Sesame Chicken Salad, and it was good, and then I realized I forgot to put the chicken on. It was still marinating in the fridge. Oops. I'm sure it would have been extra delicious with all the ingredients.

I was in a hurry one day and threw together the Panera Bread Mac and Cheese. Honestly, no one in my family really enjoyed this one, and most of us really like mac & cheese. I won't be making this one again.

The Wendy's Frosty was a hit. I'm not sure it tasted exactly like a frosty, but my kids devoured it and since it was so easy to make I kept making more and more. We will definitely be making that one again.

Title: Copycat Cooking
Author: Six Sisters' Stuff
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Published: September 2018
ISBN: 1629724432
Source: We received copies from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Purchase: Amazon | Deseret Book