Restaurant copycats, well kinda sorta....

I saw a recipe floating around social media for Big Mac Smash Tacos so I decided to give it a try. I will skip right to the review - these taste EXACTLY like a McDonald's Big Mac on a tortilla! And wait until you see just how easy these, plus a bonus recipe, are to make!

I started by making my copycat Big Mac sauce which consists of one half cup mayonnaise, two tablespoons each sweet pickle relish and grated onion with juices, two teaspoons yellow mustard, one teaspoon sugar, one half teaspoon white vinegar, one half teaspoon each paprika and onion powder, and one quarter teaspoon each garlic powder and kosher salt. I combined and set aside in the fridge while I built the tortillas.

I seasoned one and a half pounds of ground beef with salt and divided into six equal quarter pound portions. I spread one quarter pound of beef almost to the edge of a small corn tortilla and repeated with the rest of the meat on the remaining five tortillas.

I placed the first three tortillas, meat side down on a preheated 350 degree griddle and seared for five to six minutes until the beef was cooked. I then flipped them and added a slice of cheese.

I added traditional Big Mac toppings including shredded lettuce, sliced pickles, chopped red onions, the sauce, and of course, white sesame seeds. So much fun to make and eat, whether you are a Big Mac fan or not!

But wait, there's more! As the Smash Tacos were such a huge hit, I decided to try the recipe again a few days later, but this time I made them into Big Mac Nachos. Same recipe except I browned the ground beef in a skillet and scattered it on the tortilla chips along with shredded cheese. I baked at 350 degrees until the cheese was gooey and the chips warmed. I added the pickles, red onions, sauce, and served them right off of the sheet pan. HUGE hit!

Now to totally change gears, but not the subject - another twist, this time on my favorite restaurant sushi roll - Sushi Ya's Volcano Roll. The roll is made of salmon and tuna, topped with spicy mayonnaise, and then baked. Utterly delicious. I turned this amazing sushi roll into Salmon Tuna Sushi Cups!

The sauce is made by combining two teaspoons of sesame oil, one half cup of kewpie mayonnaise, two tablespoons of sriracha, and one teaspoon of salt. I diced approximately two pounds of fresh salmon and tuna, and combined with a few tablespoons of thinly sliced scallions and half of the sauce. I also cut three nori sheets into four squares, for a total of twelve.

I sprayed a twelve-muffin tin with cooking spray, placed one nori square on each well, added a heaping tablespoon of sushi rice, and pushed down into the wells. Any sushi rice recipe will work, but I used this sushi rice recipe to make the rice in my Instant Pot.

I divided the salmon/tuna mixture between all twelve cups and then added another spoonful of sauce on top of each cup.

I baked at 400 degrees for ten minutes and then turned on the broiler. I broiled for two minutes until the tops became golden and bubbly, removed from the oven, and let sit for a few minutes before removing to a platter.

I garnished with the remaining sauce, more fresh scallions and sesame seeds. They were gone in minutes.

I could literally eat these every day! So who says you have to go out to enjoy your favorite restaurant dishes? Try them both and see what you think!