| Good Saturday morning, everyone. People say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, which I suppose is true a lot of the time. (Maybe not when my kid is mimicking everything I say in a decidedly unflattering tone.) That's certainly the case when you've had a dish you love so much at a restaurant that you're determined to re-create it at home. Take a spin through our archives and you'll find plenty of from-scratch dupes of popular recipes, including Red Lobster-Style Cheddar Biscuits, DoubleTree Signature Cookies, Ikea's Swedish Meatballs With Cream Sauce and the locally famous YWCA-Inspired Chocolate Chip Cookies. I don't see these types of recipes as a threat to the real thing. As it is, given time and money restrictions, most of us probably aren't going to hit up a given restaurant as often as we might want to when a craving strikes. The recipes may even just inspire more people to seek out the original. (I can't tell you how many times people tell us they'd rather just go out and buy whatever we're trying to replicate.) Joe Yonan has already tackled one of his go-to fast-casual orders in his Cava-Style Salad Bowl With Spicy Feta. This week he set out to build a homemade version of his favorite menu item from Sweetgreen, and it was refreshing to hear that chain co-founder Nicolas Jammet was not at all worried about undermining his company's sales. Joe's Sweetgreen-Style Crispy Rice Bowl With Spicy Cashew Dressing is full of the same medley of colors and textures, boasting two types of rice, cubes of seared tofu and lots of vegetables. Prepare the ingredients in advance so that you have several days' worth of lunches ready to assemble for the workweek. Keeping on theme, Aaron Hutcherson tackled a more … indulgent … restaurant dish with his Taco Bell-Style Crunchwrap. This take on the chain's Crunchwrap Supreme is crammed with seasoned ground beef, a crunchy tostada, sour cream, tomatoes, cheese and lettuce, though the joy of making it at home is playing around with your preferred fillings. The tidy little parcel then goes into the skillet to brown and crisp the flour tortilla. "Fun" is the best way to describe this weeknight-friendly meal. Food writer Ben Weiner took a different approach to imitating a beloved dish with his Gnocchi Mac and Cheese. Instead of using pasta, he smartly turned to store-bought potato dumplings (frozen or shelf-stable). These have a few advantages, including keeping the recipe to one pan — no need to boil in a separate pot! — and contributing extra starch to help emulsify and thicken the sauce, goals that are also furthered by the presence of grated American cheese. Nonalcoholic drinks are another increasingly popular way to capture the spirit of something familiar in a different vein. Allison Robicelli has shown us how to make NA versions of a Bellini and bloody mary, and this week she taught us how to enjoy Verdita, a peppy pineapple and herb drink, without the typical tequila you sip right before it. Instead, Allison tops the vibrant green base (there's cilantro, mint and jalapeños in the mix) with tonic or carbonated water for a refreshing, interesting quaff. Passover is coming up soon, meaning people observing the Jewish holiday will be eschewing a variety of foods. With her Chocolate Matzoh Clusters With Coconut and Dates, Ellie Krieger is making sure no one feels left out when they can't have some of their favorite desserts. These family-friendly, no-bake bites are simple to make, so they're an ideal treat to have on hand for noshing throughout the week. Last week's live chat was a fun one, touching on one couple's disagreement about cleaning cast-iron pans; how to reseason a gnarly cast-iron skillet; and ways to perk up a bland potato salad. I expect there will be plenty more good questions when Aaron and I are back in the hot seat next Wednesday at noon Eastern. Send along your cooking inquiries now, then return for the conversation in real time. Until next week, happy cooking. | 
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