From its opening in 1965, TGI Friday’s Restaurant has celebrated its name, “Thank Goodness it’s Friday!”

With great food like their Pecan-Crusted Chicken Salad, Strawberry Fields Salad with Chicken, Cedar Seared Salmon Salad, Jack Daniel’s Pulled Pork Sandwich, Jack Daniel’s Chicken Breast Dinner, Buffalo Wings, not to mention their famous Baked Potato Skins, Friday’s has become a great place for family or romantic get togethers.

In 1973, Newsweek reported, “It all began modestly enough. An unmarried New York City perfume salesman named Alan Stillman decided that the coolest way to meet the stewardesses in his neighborhood would be to buy a broken down beer joint, jazz it up with Tiffany lamps and mod young waiters and christen it – with an eye toward attracting the career crowd – the T.G.I.F. (Thank God It’s Friday) crowd.

“Within one week the police had to ring Friday’s (as it quickly became known) with barricades to handle the nightly hordes of young singles. Hundreds of blatantly imitative emporiums soon opened their doors in scores of major cities – and an industry was born.”

In 1982, Assistant Travel Writer, Judy Williamson, reported that “T.G.I. Friday’s is the grand-daddy of the Singles Bars… places come and places go, but Friday’s endures.”

Then, as Nation’s Restaurant News said, “The 1980′s changed the market, with romantic affairs yielding to family affairs.”

The menu features American recipes and has a special selection of foods marinated with ‘Jack Daniels’ liquor-flavored sauce.

 

>>> 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 are TGI Friday’s most popular recipes of all…

 

–TGI Friday’s Buffalo Wings–

15 fresh chicken wings (about 3 pounds) Note: If you want to use frozen chicken wings instead, don’t thaw them. cherry tomatoes, as garnish

carrot, cut in sticks,as garnish

celery, cut in sticks,as garnish

blue cheese dressing, for dipping in…

>> Sauce:

1/4 cup ketchup

2 tablespoons hot sauce

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 teaspoons canola oil

2 teaspoons garlic salt

 

1 Line a large broiler pan with a rack with foil in the bottom to catch drippings.

2 Place oven rack to 3-4″ from the heat source and turn on your broiler.

3 Cut each wing into three pieces- a mini drummette, a bent wing portion, and a pointy wing tip- discard the wing tips. 4 Combine sauce ingredients in a large bowl, then dump in chicken and mix to coat well.

5 Put chicken pieces onto the broiler rack, reserving the sauce in the bowl.

6 Broil for 12 minutes, then turn over the chicken and brush with reserved sauce.

7 Broil another 8-10 minutes or until chicken is browned and cooked through.

8 Place cooked chicken in a mound on a platter.

9 Surround the chicken with carrot sticks, celery sticks, cherry tomatoes, and a small dish of blue cheese dressing on the side. 10 Count out 30 frozen, precut wing parts and coat them with the sauce.

11 Bake (instead of broiling) in the lined broiler pan at the temperature suggested on the chicken wing package for the time indicated for that amount of chicken on your package- this will probably be longer than the time for broiling from fresh. 12 Brush with the reserved sauce halfway through the baking time.

13 Garnish as indicated above.

 

–TGI Friday’s Baked Potato Skins–

5 baked potato skins, cut in half (empty of most potato)

1 tablespoon melted butter

seasoning salt

1 green onion, diced

1/2 cup fried bacon, diced (about 5 strips) 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

 

Heat oven to 375F.

Brush potato shells with melted butter and sprinkle season all to taste and bake for 15-20 minutes until crisp but not dry and hard.

Remove and sprinkle with cheese, bacon and onion, place back in oven until cheese is melted.

Serve with sour cream.

For a bit of variety try Ranch dressing.

 

–TGI Friday’s Sex on the Beach Drink–

3/4 ounce vodka

3/4 ounce Midori melon liqueur

3/4 ounce Chambord raspberry liquor

1 1/2 ounces pineapple juice

1 1/2 ounces cranberry juice

Directions: Just pour over ice and serve!

 

Or try…

–TGI Friday’s Lemon Chicken Scaloppine–

2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts (pounded thin)

2 fluid ounces olive oil

8 ounces sliced mushrooms

2 lemons (halved)

4 fluid ounces heavy whipping cream

4 artichokes 4 teaspoons parsley

20 ounces angel hair pasta, cooked just al dente 8 tablespoons fried pancetta

4 tablespoons fried capers

 

>> Lemon Sauce

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 quart chablis

3 teaspoons butter

1 quart whipping cream

1 tablespoon thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

 

1 FOR THE CHICKEN: heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Pour oil and heat.

2 Add chicken pieces to the sauté pan and sauté on each side for one minute (or until no longer pink).

3 Add the sliced mushrooms to the sauté pan and sauté with the chicken for an additional minute. When the mushrooms are cooked, squeeze the juice from the lemons into the sauté pan and coat the chicken with the juice (ensure there are no seeds).

4 Add the cream to the pan and stir to incorporate.

5 Add the lemon sauce and stir to incorporate- DO NOT RETURN TO HEAT/FLAME!

 

>> FOR THE LEMON SAUCE: boil the chablis to reduce to 2 cups.

1 Add the lemon juice and butter and melt slowly.

2 Add the whipping cream and simmer on low heat until thickened.

Add the spices and cool to room temperature.

 

>> TO SERVE: in a large bowl, twirl the pasta into a nest.

Sprinkle the chicken pieces on the pasta and pour the remaining contents of the pan on and around the chicken. Then spread the artichokes, pancetta and capers over the entire dish. Garnish with chopped parsley.

 

–TGI Friday’s Chocolate Malted Cake–

1 cup oil, plus

3 tablespoons oil

1/2 cup milk, plus

2 tablespoons milk

1/2 cup plain yogurt

and 2 tablespoons plain yogurt

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

3 cups granulated sugar

3 cups flour

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

and 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder 1 1/2 tablespoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 cups boiling water

>> Malt Frosting:

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 pint whipping cream

1 1/4 cups instant malted milk powder

1/3 cup sugar 4 ounces softened cream cheese

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

 

>> FROSTING:

Melt one 12-ounce package of semisweet chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly.

Set aside to cool.

Beat whipping cream and malted milk powder in electric mixer on high until stiff but not dry, about 2 minutes; refrigerate about 30 minutes.

Whip sugar, softened cream cheese and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes, scraping bowl often.

Add melted chocolate chips and beat 1 more minute.

Add half of malt-cream mixture and beat until uniform in color. Fold in remaining malt-cream mixture by hand until frosting is uniform in color.

Refrigerate at least 2 hours before icing cake.

 

>> FOR CAKE: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Prepare 3 round 9-inch cake pans with butter and flour and line with parchment or wax paper.

Set aside.

Beat oil, milk, yogurt, eggs and vanilla with electric mixer until well blended, about 2 minutes.

Sift together sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in separate bowl.

Slowly add 1/3 of dry ingredients to milk mixture and beat until well blended.

Beat in 1/3 of boiling water.

Then add another 1/3 of dry ingredients and beat until well mixed; then beat in another 1/3 of water.

Add remaining dry ingredients, beating well, then add remaining water and beat until well mixed.

Scrape mixing bowl often.

Pour equal amounts of batter into prepared pans.

Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 45 to 55 minutes.

Cool pans on rack for 15 minutes, then remove cake from pan, take off paper, and continue to cool completely.

Frost top of one layer with Malt Frosting, then place second layer on top and frost; top with third layer and frost tops and sides. Refrigerate 2 hours before cutting.

 

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.

TGI Friday’s Restaurant Fun Facts & Food:

- TGI Friday’s is credited with inventing the world-famous Loaded Potato Skins. They served enough Loaded Potato Skins that if they were laid end-to-end they would reach from Anchorage to Dallas.

- TGI Friday’s was the first casual dining restaurant chain to offer stone-ground whole wheat bread, avocados, bean sprouts and Mexican appetizers.

- In 1973, TGI Friday’s restaurant opened in the Houston Galleria. Seven astronauts, led by Alan Shepard, attended the restaurant’s grand opening.

- Their latest TGI Friday’s Menu items include:

Big Mex Burger – a juicy burger topped with roasted Poblano pepper, melted jack cheese, black bean and corn pico de gallo, crisp lettuce and spicy Chipotle mayonnaise; served with fries.

Teriyaki Bacon Burger – a juicy burger basted with sweet soy teriyaki glaze and topped with five spice bacon, melted cheddar cheese, grilled pineapple, fresh lettuce, crisp noodles and peanut sauce; served with fries.

Honey Mustard Chicken Sandwich – a fire-grilled chicken breast topped with rich melted Swiss cheese, fresh lettuce, sliced tomato and crisp bacon on toasted Ciabatta with a sweet heat honey mustard spread; served with a choice of side item.

Ultimate Sicilian Chicken Sandwich – a layered sandwich stacked high with a juicy chicken breast, pepperoni, ham and melted provolone cheese served open-faced with fresh lettuce, Bruschetta mix, shaved parmesan cheese and a drizzle of house vinaigrette; served with a choice of side item.

Sizzling Parmesan-Crusted Chicken – Two Parmesan-Crusted sautéed chicken breasts basted with a touch of Caesar and served on a sizzling skillet of melted cheese and freshly prepared Bruschetta mix with a side of angel hair pasta topped with zesty Roma-tomato, basil and garlic marinara.

Sizzling Chicken Mexicali – Two seasoned chicken breasts sautéed to juicy perfection and served sizzling on melted Mexican cheese with roasted Poblano pepper, green onion, and pico de gallo and with slow cooked coconut jasmine rice with diced pineapple, onion, red pepper, cilantro, and green onion.

Italian Wedge Salad – Crisp iceberg lettuce drizzled with House Vinaigrette and topped with fresh Bruschetta mix and shaved Parmesan cheese.

Southwest Chicken Quesadilla – Spicy chipotle chicken stuffed in a crispy tortilla with melted Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheeses, served with roasted salsa, pico de gallo, crisp lettuce, sour cream and hand-chopped cilantro.