Restaurant Food

Restaurant food that we make at home

We don't eat out all the time

And over the years some of our favorite foods were first tasted at

restaurants.

We've found the recipes and now make them at home.

Our favorite

And made over and over again

It's one of our go-to celebratory dishes as well

SMOKESTACK

 baked beans

From Smokestack Restaurant -- the "father" of the current Jack Stack restaurants in Kansas City.  I've had the receipe "forever"!

TOP OF THE TOWER

 Irish soda bread

Top of the Tower Irish Soda Bread -- the restaurant no longer in business was at the top of the Commerce Tower in downtown Kansas City.    This was the bread that was served to every diner.   I was so happy when the recipe was published in The Kansas City Star.

COCK AND BULL 

salad

Another downtown Kansas City restaurant that is no longer.     Their salads were so different from the salad served as most restaurants.    And the white "cheese" is not feta but rather common old cottage cheese!

STROUD'S

 fried chicken

Strouds was one of the plethora of fried chicken restaurants that were all over Kansas City  after the war.    Sadly, one by one they closed.    Except for Stroud's.     Eating there is like having a Sunday fried chicken dinner when I was a kid!

WOLFERMAN'S 

four o'clocks

Wolferman's did have a restaurant -- a ladies place where one could have lunch with friends after a morning shopping in downtown Kansas City.     Downstairs was the grocery store and bags of these would come home with Mother.

WOLFERMAN'S

 hermits

Same Wolferman's.    And this was my favorite cookie.   Loaded with raisins and nuts and it was always a good day when Mom would bring a sack of these home after a day of shopping.

PLAZA III

Steak Soup

Plaza III is an old school and old time Kansas City steakhouse.  Back in the day, your choice of their "steak" soup or salad would be your first course, followed by your steak and potato of choice.
I'd eat the steak but I went for the soup!

OLIVE GARDEN

salad 

Olive Garden, the chain, serves a good salad (and in my opinion  is the only reason to eat there).   There salad is easy to copy and it is so good.     We don't have it once a week but we do have it several times a month especially if we're eating "Italian"!

WOLFERMAN'S

Tiffan Room Chicken Salad

Same Wolferman's that the cookies came from.   This is the chicken salad that mother and her friends would invariably eat for lunch if they chose to dine in Wolferman's Tiffan Room.     I became the second generation to lunch at Wolferman's when I went shopping downtown.    In the old days, when one could shop downtown!

FORUM CAFETERIA

stuffed peppers

The Forum Cafeteria was a Kansas City institution and one of the places  our family would eat Sunday dinner after church.    Mother favored these stuffed peppers and this is the recipe I favor when I make stuffed peppers.

STEPHENSON'S

chicken and butter and cream

green rice

Stephenson's Restaurant was an old restaurant in Kansas City that closed after celebrating over 60 years of business.    The Green Rice served there is one of my favorite dishes and it was served in a small portion with all dinners     I usually ordered their smoked brisket but husband Jim loved this chicken dish.    It was known as The Apple Farm for the restaurant grew out of their orchard business and  apple cider was available while you waited for your table.   Apple fritters also accompanied every meal and their apple daquaries were famous.

Stephenson's baked chicken and cream and green rice casserole

The recipes:

STEPHEN SON'S BAKED CHICKEN 'N' BUTTER AND CREAM

8 pieces frying chicken

2 cups flour

1 T. salt

1 T. pepper

2 t. paprika

1 stick butter, cut into 8 pats

2 cups half and half or cream

Dip chicken in cold water.    Mix together flour, salt, pepper and paprika.    Coat each piece of chicken thoroughly in flour mixture.    Place pieces skin side up in a 13 x 9 inch pan.    Bake uncovered at 450 for 30 minutes or until brown.   (Recipe may be prepared ahead up to this point.)    Pour cream around chicken, place 1 pat of butter on each piece and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

(*Note I used chicken breasts -- with bone in and skin on)

STEPHENSON'S GREEN RICE CASSEROLE

1 c. chopped parsley

1/4 c. green pepper, chopped

1/2 c. grated Cheddar cheese

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1/2 t. seasoned salt

1/3 c. onion, chopped

14 1/2 oz. Pet milk

3 c. cooked rice

juice and grated rind of 1 lemon

1 clove garlic, minced

1 T. salt

Mix rice, parsley, cheese, onion, green pepper, garlic in greased 2 quart casserole.    Blend rest of ingredients.    Mix into rice.    Sprinkle with paprika.    Bake at 350 about 45 minutes or until like a soft custard.

MOTHER'S FORUM'S CAFETERIA STUFFED PEPPERS

Creole Sauce

1 pound ground beef

1 small onion

1/3 c. chopped green pepper

1/2 t. chili powder

1/8 t. salt

16 ounce can whole tomatoes

16 ounce can tomato puree

1 cup cooked rice

6 whole green peppers

Paprika

Prepare Creole Sauce and allow to simmer while preparing stuffed peppers. Mix beef and onion, chopped green pepper. Add chili powder, salt, tomatoes and cooked rice and mix well.

Cut 6 whole green peppers in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Spoon stuffing mixture into each pepper half. Place stuffed peppers in a single layer in large shallow baking dish. Sprinkle with paprika and pour can of tomato puree over and around peppers.

Bake at 350 about 30 minutes until browned and meat and peppers are done. Spoon hot Creole Sauce over peppers and serve.

CREOLE SAUCE

1 large onion

1 t. minced green pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 t. chili powder

1 can tomatoes

1/2 t. salt

1/8 t. sugar

Mince onion; combine onion, green pepper and garlic in a skillet to which you've added olive oil. Saute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until vegetables are tender. Add tomatoes and continue to simmer. If it thickens too much, add water. Serve over stuffed peppers.

OLIVE GARDEN SALAD

• 1 (12 ounce) bags iceberg garden salad
• 1/4 small red onion, sliced paper-thin
• 6 -12 pitted black olives
• 6 mild pepperoncini peppers
• 1 -2 small roma tomato, sliced
• 1/2 cup crouton
• Italian dressing ( or use a recipe for Olive Garden's House Dressing)
• freshly grated parmesan cheese, to taste
• fresh ground black pepper, to taste

1. In a large glass or wooden salad serving bowl, toss together the lettuce mix, onion slices, olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes, and croutons. Add dressing and toss to combine.
2. Serve with fresh Parmesan cheese and black pepper to taste.
   PLAZA III Steak Soup
   
   • 8 T. unsalted butter
   • 1/2 C. flour
   • 4 (10 oz.) cans beef consomme
   • 1/2 C. diced carrots
   • 1/2 C. diced onions
   • 1/2 C. diced celery
   • 1 C. diced canned tomatoes
   • 1 1/2 t. Kitchen Bouquet sauce
   • 1 beef bouillon cube
   • 1/2 t. ground black pepper
   • 10 oz. frozen mixed vegetables
   • 1 lb. ground sirloin, browned and drained (make sure to get ground steak - regular ground beef can work, but the ground steak is what makes this special.)
   
   
   1. Heat a large soup/stock pot to medium heat and melt butter.
   2. Once butter is melted (and before it browns), add flour and stir together to form a roux.
   3. Cook roux for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
   4. Whisk in consomme and stir until smooth and slightly thickened. Bring to a full boil.
   5. Add in vegetables, tomatoes, Kitchen Bouquet, bouillon cube, and pepper. Allow to return to a full boil.
   6. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until vegetables are just barely tender (20 to 30 minutes).
   7. Add frozen vegetables and the cooked ground steak. Simmer for 15 minutes until the flavors meld.
   
   
   Wolferman's Four O Clocks
   
   
   Wolferman's always sold these delicate tea cookies.   Sometimes they are formed into small balls or crescents.
   
   
   1/2 pound sweet butter, softened
   1/2 c. powdered sugar
   1 cup pecans, finely ground
   2 cups white flour
   1/4 t. salt
   Confectioner's sugar (to drop cookies in)
   
   
   Preheat oven to 350
   Mix butter, sugar and nuts.    Add flour.   Mix thoroughly.     Roll thinly between waxed paper.    Cut out into small rounds the size of 1/2 dollars.    Bake 3 to 5 minutes.    Drop in extra powdered sugar while still hot.
   
   
   COCK AND BULL SALAD

   
   

   (Makes 4 to 6 servings)
   1 head iceburg
   3/4 c. olive oil
   1/4 c. vinegar
   garlic powder to taste
   1/2 t. salt
   1/2 t. pepper
   1 t. oregano leaves
   1/4 c. cottage cheese (rinsed and drained)
   2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
   4 to 6 bottled marinated peppers, drained
   ripe olives
   

   Tear lettuce into bite size pieces. Mix olive oil and vinegar until well combined and pour over lettuce. Sprinkle with seasonings. Add cottage cheese and mix well. Garnish with eggs, peppers and olives.

   
   

   SMOKESTACK BAKED BEANS

   
   

   4 slices bacon

   40 ounce can pork and beans, drained

   3/4 c. brown sugar

   1 T. minced onion

   1 T. chili powder

   1 T. mustard

   1 t. liquid smoke

   1 cup barbecue sauce

   1/4 c. sorghum

   
   

   Combine all ingredients except bacon.    Put in large baking dish.    Put bacon on top of the beans.

   Bake uncovered in 325 degree oven 60-75 minutes.

   
   

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