Applebee's French Onion Soup

3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 medium white onions, sliced
8 cups good quality beef broth
1 cup water
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
5 hamburger buns
10 slices provolone cheese
10 teaspoons shredded parmesan cheese

Heat vegetable oil in a large soup pot or saucepan over medium high
heat. Add the sliced onions and saute for 20 minutes until the onions
begin to soften and start to become translucent. Add the beef broth,
water, salt, garlic powder and black pepper to the pan and bring the
mixture to a boil. When soup begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer
for 45 minutes.
To make the croutons, separate the bottoms from tops of the hamburger
buns. Set aside the bottoms, and cut the crown of the tops to make them
the same size and shape as the bottoms. This gives you 10 BIG croutons.
Preheat oven to 325F. Place the bread in the the oven directly on the
rack and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until each piece is golden brown
and crispy. Set aside.
When the soup is done, spoon about 1 cup into an oven−safe bowl. Float
a crouton on top of the soup, then place a slice of provolone cheese
on top of the crouton. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of shredded parmesan cheese
over the provolone. Place the bowl into your oven set to high broil.
Broil the soup for 5 to 6 minutes or until the cheese is melted and
starting to brown (you may need to broil longer if you are making more
than one bowl at a time). Sprinkle an additional 1/2 teaspoon of shredded
parmesan cheese over the top of the soup and serve. Repeat for the
remaining bowls.

Bob's Big Boy

1 pound ground chuck
8 jumbo sesame seed buns
1 cup shredded lettuce
4 slices real American cheese
salt

Sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons sweet relish
2 Tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons water

In a small container, combine the mayo, relish, ketchup, and water.
Set aside. This is your Big Boy sauce.
Carefully form the beef into eight equal sized, round patties about
4" in diameter. Do this on waxed paper. Discard the top half of four
of the eight buns. Toast the the buns until golden. The extra bottom,
or "heal" is your middle bun, or "club".
After the buns are toasted, grill your freshly formed beef patties.
Salt liberally. Cook for about two minutes, then turn and add another
dash of salt. Cook for about another two minutes.
While the beef is cooking, dress your Big Boy buns as follows:
Put half the sauce on the toasted bottom, and the other half on the
middle, adding 1/8 cup of lettuce to each. The slice of cheese goes
on top of the lettuce on the true bottom bun.
When the beef is done, drain excess fat by tilting the patty to the
side while holding it to the spatula with your free hand. Put one
patty on each dressed bun, stack the center (non−cheese) patty/bun
on top of the bottom (cheesed) patty/bun. Finish by placing the
toasted crowns on top.

Steak & Ale's Burgundy Mushrooms

1 1/4 pounds mushrooms
2 quarts water
1/4 cup lemon juice
4 tablespoons margarine
3/4 cup yellow onions, diced
1/2 cup Burgundy
1 tablespoon beef bouillon granules
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/3 teaspoon ground white pepper

Clean and thoroughly dry mushrooms. Combine water and lemon juice
in covered suacepan. Bring to boil. In another saucepan, melt
margarine and saute onions until glassy (about 5 minutes).
In a bowl, add spices and bouillon to Burgundy. Whisk until bouillon
is dissolved. Add wine mixture to onions. Simmer over medium heat
about 10 minutes (until alcohol has evaporated). Remove from heat.
Add mushrooms to boiling lemon water. Return to boil. Remove blanched
mushrooms from heat and thoroughly drain. Add mushrooms to wine sauce
and stir until blended.

T.G.I Friday's Pot Stickers

Dough:
2−1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup hot water
1 tablespoon shortening or oil

Filling:
1 pound ground pork
2 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon grated ginger
pinch of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
3 green onions, chopped
1 egg
1 tablespoon corn starch
1 can water chestnuts, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced

Dipping Sauce:
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup white vinegar
1 teaspoon chili oil
1 green onion, chopped

Combine the flour, salt, hot water and shortening in a bowl and
incorporate into a smooth dough. Allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes,
covered. Combine the filling ingredients. Combine the dipping sauce ingredients.
Roll the dough out about 1/8 thick. Use a biscuit cutter or a glass to
cut out 3 inch circles. Brush a little water over the circles and place
about 2 teaspoons of filling in center. Fold the circles in half and
press to seal, making sure to squeeze out any air. Stand the dumplings
up on the folded side and press slightly so that they stand up nice.
To cook, bring a pot of salted water to boil, and boil the dumplings
until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Drain well. The dumplings may
be frozen at this point for future use; this recipe makes about
8 dozen. Heat a skillet with about 2 tablespoon oil and fry the
dumplings on one side only, until nicely browned. Drain on paper
towels. Serve with the dipping sauce.

Prudhomme's Poultry Magic

1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon rubbed sage
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon cumin

Mix all ingredients together and store in an air tight
container. Use as a seasoning for chicken, turkey, or
any other poultry.