Back in the 70’s, Eric Clapton – the original guitar god, founder of Cream and Derek & the Dominoes, writer of the immortal “Layla” – liked to eat at this quirky American restaurant in London, England, called the Hard Rock Cafe.

The diner was this funky old building that used to be a Rolls Royce dealership. It was run by a couple of young American guys who liked to keep it loose. Hard Rock Cafe was an instant classic. You could be yourself at the Hard Rock. It was good food and a good time.

So Clapton got to be friends with the American duo and asked them to save him a regular table – put up a brass plaque or something. And the young proprietors said, “Why don’t we put up your guitar?” They all had a chuckle, and he handed over a guitar, and they slapped it on the wall.

No one thought much more about it. Until a week later, when another guitar arrived (a Gibson Les Paul, by the way). With it was a note from Pete Townshend of The Who which read: “Mine’s as good as his. Love, Pete.”

The young proprietors put it on the wall. After that, the guitars never stopped coming.

The restaurant franchise continues this practice today with Hard Rock Cafes in more than thirty countries worldwide. Each Hard Rock Cafe is filled with Rock & Roll collectibles. Many famous musical artists continue to donate items to the restaurants.

Hard Rock Cafe features fun menu items like Blackened Chicken Penne Pasta, Hickory Smoked Chicken & Spinach Dip, Famous Pig Sandwich, Love Me Chicken Tenders with Honey Mustard Sauce, Rock Your World Chicken Quesadillas and their Purple Haze Mixed Drink.

>>> So if you want to prepare a delicious meal to impress family, friends or even a hot date – maybe someone you met on a romantic dating site – here is Hard Rock Cafe’s most popular meal of all – BAKED POTATO SOUP FOLLOWED BY CHICKEN QUESADILLAS & ORANGE FREEZE DESSERT…

–Hard Rock Cafe Baked Potato Soup–

8 slices bacon

1 cup Diced yellow onions

2/3 cup Flour

6 cups Hotchicken stock

4 cups Diced — peeled baked Potatoes

2 cups Heavy cream

1/4 cup Chopped parsley

1 1/2 teaspoon Granulated garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon Dried basil

1 1/2 teaspoon Salt

1 1/2 teaspoon Red pepper sauce

1 1/2 teaspoon Coarse black pepper

1 cup Grated Cheddar cheese

1/4 cup Diced green onions — white Part only

Additional chopped bacon –

Grated cheese and Chopped parsley for Garnish

Fry bacon until crisp. Chop bacon and reserve drippings.

Cook onions in remaining drippings over medium-high heat until transparent, about 3 minutes. Add flour, stirring to prevent lumps.

Cook 3 – 5 minutes until mix just begins to run golden. Add chicken stock gradually, whisking to prevent lumps, until liquid thickens. Reduce heat to simmer and add potatoes, cream, chopped bacon, parsley, garlic, basil, salt, pepper sauce and black pepper. Simmer 10 minutes; DO NOT ALLOW TO BOIL. Add grated cheese and green onions.

Heat until cheese melts smoothly.

Garnish each serving as desired with chopped bacon, grated cheese and chopped parsley.

–Rock Your World Chicken Quesadillas–

4 flour tortillas

1 grilled chicken breast

barbecue sauce

crushed pineapple

bacon bits

colby-jack cheese

cooking oil spray

Take flour tortilla and sprinkle half of it with cheese and 1/4 of cooked chicken.

Add bacon bits and a little bit of crushed pineapple (no juice) if desired. Pour a little bit of BBQ sauce on top. Don’t be too generous with the sauce or it will seep out of the quesadilla.

Spray the pan with cooking spray. Fold the tortilla in half and place in pan. It only takes a few short minutes to brown one side and then flip over to brown the other side.

When done, cut into wedges and serve with added BBQ sauce if you like to dip.

–Hard Rock Cafe Orange Freeze–

2 cups orange sherbet

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1/4 cup milk

1 sprig fresh mint (for garnish)

In a blender, place the sherbet, juice, and milk; blend for 15 seconds or just until the sherbet is smooth.

You may have to stop the blender and stir the mixture up a bit to help it combine.

Pour into a tall, chilled glass and place a sprig of fresh mint on top.

Serve immediately, either to drink or as a dessert.

Or try…

–Hard Rock Cafe BBQ Beans–

2 15-ounce cans pinto beans (with liquid)

2 tablespoons water

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/2 cup ketchup

1/3 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons diced onion

1 teaspoon prepared mustard

1/2 teaspoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

1/2 cup shredded pork or chopped bacon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour entire contents of the can of pinto beans into a casserole dish (with a lid). Dissolve the cornstarch in a small bowl with the 2 tablespoons of water.

Add this solution to the beans and stir. Add the remaining ingredients to the dish, stir well and cover.

Bake for 90 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Stir every 30 minutes.

After removing the beans from the oven, let the beans cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

–Hard Rock Cafe Grilled Vegetable Sandwich–

6 Tbl Mayonnaise

1/2 ts Fresh Parsley — Chopped

Dried Oregano

Salt to taste

1 Red Bell Pepper

1 sm Zucchini

1 Yellow Summer Squash

1/4 Eggplant

1/4 c Olive Oil

2 Sourdough French Roll

1 TB Parmesan Cheese — Grated

8 Onion Ring Slices

4 slices Tomato

2 Pieces Red Leaf Lettuce

Preheat the barbecue or stovetop grill.

To prepare spread, put 3 tbsp of the mayo into a small bowl and add the parsley, oregano, and a pinch of salt. Set this and the remaining mayo aside until you’re ready to make the sandwich.

Prepare the bell pepper by cutting it into quarters and seeding it. Brush the entire surface with olive oil. Slice the zucchini, squash, and eggplant into lengthwise slices with oil as well.

Cook the red pepper on a hot grill for 2 or 3 mintues. At that point add the remaining vegetables to the grill and cook everything for 4 to 5 minutes or until all the vegetables are tender.

Be sure to salt the vegetables and turn them halfway through the cooking time. When the veggies are tender and begin to char, remove them from the grill and prepare each sandwich by first cutting the french rolls in half lengthwise through the middle. Spread the parsley-mayo mixture over the bottom of the rolls.

Arrange the zucchini onto the rolls. Stack the yellow squash and then the eggplant.

Peel the skin off the red peppers and then add to the sandwiches. Arrange the onions over the peppers. Divide the parmesan cheese and sprinkle it over the peppers. Arrange the onions and tomato slices next.

Add the lettuce and spread the mayo on the top of the rolls. Close sandwiches and cut in half. Pierce each half with a toothpick and serve.

Dig In and Enjoy!

A Graduate of the Holland College Culinary Course, Brian Alan Burhoe has cooked in Atlantic Coast restaurants for over 30 years. He is a member of the Canadian Culinary Federation. Brian’s articles reflect his interests in food service, dreamstudy, imaginative literature and our best friends — our dogs.

His Home Page is A CULINARY MYSTERY TOUR – A Literary Chef. His articles have been reprinted on numerous culinary websites and various Blogs, including the popular Romantic Relationship site WUVING.com.

Other Popular items on the Hard Rock Cafe Menu:

Hard Rock Cheeseburger or Bacon Cheeseburger : Served with Seasoned Fries.

Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Topped with bacon, lettuce, tomato & Jack cheese. Served with Seasoned Fries & Coleslaw.

Hard Rock Cafe Veggie Burger: Served with a Side Salad.

Hickory Bar-B-Que Chicken: Served with Seasoned Fries, Coleslaw & Ranch Beans.

Entrée House Salad: Fresh mixed greens with shredded cheese, seasoned bacon bits, dried cranberries and in-house made garlic croutons. Served with choice of dressing.

I’ve always discovered that the scary and much maligned meatloaf is really the ultimate comfort food in both stomach and wallet. This is an important meal at a typical cost per serving of $1.20. You actually cannot go wrong making this recipe on Sunday! Doris’s delectable beef Loaf Makes 8 Servings one tablespoon olive oil one tablespoon butter 1 onion, chopped 1 cup mushrooms, cut half cup sour cream 1 cup oatmeal one teaspoon salt 1 / 8 teaspoon pepper 1 pound ground beef half pound ground pork 0.33 cup ketchup three spoons mustard two large spoons brown sugar 1. In a little frying pan, heat olive oil and butter over gentle heat. Add onions and mushrooms. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender and mushrooms have given up their liquid. Remove to big bowl and let stand for 10 minutes. Two. Heat range to 350F. Add ground meats, mixing with your hands until combined . Form into 2 loaves and place on a broiler pan. Three. In a small bowl, combine ketchup, mustard, and brown sugar and spoon over loaves. Tent meatloaves with foil and let stand for ten mins before serving. For the best meatloaf, try mixing all of the ingredients before you add the beef. Work the following mixture as little as feasible and don’t compact it. Let the meatloaf stand for 10 mins, covered, after it’s cooked. Be sure to cool remains soon. Leftover meatloaf can be used in place of meatballs in numerous recipes and naturally the world famous meatloaf sandwich could be a great leftover for the week.

These parties are generally held in the woman’s last trimester (3 months) although some others wait until afterwards like adoptions or from cultural beliefs. It is generally thrown by the woman’s close friends, relatives or co-workers of the expectant parent. It would be inappropriate for a family member to host the baby shower.

When these first started, baby showers were only held for mothers and only women were invited. However, tradition changed and men have been invited to join in. Also, it is no longer just for the first child. Even a second or third baby can have their own shower.

There are several activities done at baby showers. These include games, special activities, presents and most definitely…the food. Since food is a must,listed below are some easy to make baby shower food.

1. **** Crock Pot Barbecued Weenies ****

Barbecue sauce (Add to taste)
1 package of Little Smokies or Little Weenies
Pepper

1. Add little smokies and barbecue sauce to crock pot. Be sure to drench the smokies with the sauce so the flavor will soak in.
2. Add pepper to taste

3. Cook on high for 4 hours or begin it the night before and slow cook them for 12 or more hours.

Can be served alone or with chips

2. **** Pizza Sandwiches ****

Pizza sauce (this can be store-bought or made from scratch)
Cottage cheese
English muffins
Parmesan cheese

1. Mix 2 to 3 tablespoons of pizza sauce with 2 to 3 tablespoons of cottage cheese.

2. Spread the mixture onto one half of the English muffin.

3. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

4. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve.

3. **** Sausage Cheese Dip ****

1 roll of Sausage
1/2 pound of Velveeta Cheese
1 Can of Rotel
Milk
Bag of Ruffles potato chips

1. Thoroughly cook sausage until brown. Drain and set aside.

2. As the sausage is cooking, cut up cheese into slices.

3. Place cheese and sausage in saucepan. Use milk to keep from sticking (how much milk you use depends on the type of pan you have.

4. Mix Rotel can contents into saucepan. Mix together well.

Served two ways… place Ruffles on bottom of bowl, serve warm cheese dip on top and use fork or place all cheese dip into bowl and scoop and eat with chips by hand.

4. **** Deviled Eggs***

1 Dozen Eggs (will make 24)
Mayonnaise
Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Pickle relish (optional)
Paprika

1. Boil eggs then peel once down

2. Cut in half

3. Scoop hardened yolk into bowl; place egg white onto plate. Repeat until finished.

4. Crumble with spoon or fork the yolks to make them finely done.

5. Mix together mayo and mustard to taste. Shake pepper and salt in mix to taste.

6. Add this step only if you want pickle relish. Add to taste as well.

7. Spoon mixture into eggs.

8. Sprinkle paprika on top

Can be served right away or chilled for 1 hour

There are many recipes that can be made quickly. Have a variety of food to offer. Do not forget that you can make your own drinks too.

Honey mustard is one of the varieties of mustard and today has become very popular in the preparation of different kinds of foodstuffs. Honey mustard dressing recipe makes the food not only tasty but makes it healthy also. Making honey mustard is not complex. Add honey and vinegar to the mustard along with spices and herbs of different varieties and the honey mustard is ready. Honey mustard dressing recipe is widely used with sandwiches, onion rings, French fries etc. Along with olive oil and vinegar, it can also be used for salad dressing.

Honey mustard dressing recipes are easy to prepare.  The ingredients used are commonly available and the steps to follow are few in number and very simple.  One requires half a cup of honey and a quarter cup of reduced fat mayonnaise. Dijon mustard and stone-ground mustard, each two tablespoon is a must. A single container of light sour cream is added to all this and finally one should not forget to add two tablespoon of lemon juice.  After mixing all these items properly in a bowl it should be refrigerated at least for three days.  One should not forget to cover it properly otherwise the flavor will get lost and can also get spoiled.  Once it is ready, it will taste great and will enhance the flavour of the foodstuff. 

Honey mustard dressing recipes are used with non-vegetarians as well as vegetarian foodstuff.  It needs to be kept in mind that whatever foodstuffs we want to prepare using honey mustard whether vegetarian or non-vegetarian, the procedure as described above remains the same. Today honey mustards are used as a base for salads, it is used to dip finger chips, and it is put on sandwiches and is also used with chickens and hot dogs.  For example in the preparation of chicken along with the honey mustard the honey mustard paste is put on the chicken. 

The ingredients remain the same for the preparation of honey mustard.  One can drop one or two items as per his or her own taste.  The chicken along with the honey mustard paste is broiled for about sometimes and then the dish is ready for use. These kinds of foodstuffs not only taste better but also have rich nutrient contents such as protein, carbohydrates, sodium and fat.  Honey mustard dressing recipes are indeed great and have madding eating a pleasant experience.

Mustard belongs to the Brasssica family of flora.  The crushed mustard produces heat and it is spicy too.  The French used to add wine to the mustard.  The mustards were earlier used only for medicinal purposes.  Its culinary properties were discovered later. Renowned scientist Pythagoras used mustard paste to cure scorpion bites and later mustard plasters were also extensively used to cure toothaches and other diseases.  Christian missionaries used mustard in their religious activities.  Infact the Vatican had a mustard-maker exclusively for the Pope.

Earlier the mustards were mostly prepared at home.  The mustard seeds were hammered in mortar and the powdered seeds were later mixed with vinegar.  However, by 14th century Dijon of USA had distinguished itself as the mustard producing centre of the globe. The Creole mustard’s history dates back to 1720 A.D.  It was during this period that a technique was developed to get dry powder from the mustard seeds; this mustard powder had a very long shelf life. Jeremiah Colman in 19th century popularized the use of mustard.  He also became the mustard-maker for Queen Victoria of England in 1866. He made very high quality mustard flour, which is still popular today and is called Colman’s Mustard in his loving memory.           

Horse Shoe and Zatarain’s are the two famous brands of Creole mustard.  This variety of mustard is extensively used in different dishes but it finds its wide applicability in po-boys. It is hot, spicy, coarse and thick and before using it, it is marinated.  The mustard is mostly used in America and can be used in any kind of American recipes.  The Americans love the dishes prepared with Creole mustard.  It is a completely American variety of food. There are two varieties available in the market. One variety contains seeds, which are coarse, and the other variety is completely smooth.  Both the variety have wide acceptance among the people.

These mustards are generally preferred with variety of flavors such as with honey, peppercorns, citrus fruits, sherry or champagne. To what extent the flavor has to be used depends on the taste of the person.  These mustards are available through out the year and do not get spoiled if proper care is take.  It should be kept in the refrigerator if the pack is opened.  An unopened pack should be stored in a dark room. The mustard can be used with fish, pork, cabbage, sausages, avocado etc. Indeed both the vegetarians as well as the non-vegetarians can enjoy it equally.