Eating out is something most of us enjoy.

For many, the appeal isn't in the lack of dirty dishes, but in the belief they could never create a meal that tastes as good as a restaurant's.

With the right recipes, however, all things are possible.

To cure your craving for restaurant-quality food when eating out isn't practical, the Austin Daily Herald has gathered a collection of recipes from local eateries.

Bon appetit!

Piggy Blues' Kansas City Cheezy Corn

Owner Ron Meyer says "we discovered this in Kansas City and we thought it was really, really good, so I asked the guy how to make it and surprisingly, he told me."

Now, Meyer says the recipe is part of their catering menu and occasionally they have it as a special at the restaurant.

Ingredients:

3 cans whole kernel corn

1/2 box Velveeta cheese

1/2 red pepper, diced

1/2 jalapeno pepper, chopped fine

1/4 cup milk

5 soda crackers, crushed

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. In a large saucepan, over medium heat, melt the cheese. Add the milk and stir until smooth.

3. Add the corn, red pepper, jalapeno peppers and soda crackers and stir until well-mixed.

4. Pour into a large baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.

Serves 5-6

Coffee House on Main's Main Street Mocha

Mark Rabideau of Coffee House on Main says this drink didn't start out as the coffee house's specialty, but it was ordered so often that "we just started calling it the Main Street Mocha."

The drink's "secret" is the blend of the carmel and chocolate. "Throughout the ages, in gourmet candies, you always find carmel and chocolate together, like ebony and ivory," Rabideau says.

Ingredients:

1 shot espresso

3 parts steamed milk (if your espresso machine makes a 1-ounce shot, you'll need 3 ounces of

milk; if your espresso machine makes a 1-1/2-ounce shot, you'll need 4-1/2 ounces of milk.)

1 heaping tablespoon

Ghirardelli chocolate

1/2 ounce caramel syrup

Whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Directions:

1. Make espresso according to your machine's

manufacturer's instructions.

2. Stir in milk, chocolate and caramel syrup.

3. Top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate.

Makes one 8-ounce serving.

Watts Cookin's Seafood Pasta Salad

"This is a great summer meal. We serve this with fresh fruit, tomatoes and garlic bread sticks," says Kermit Watts, owner of Watts Cookin'. "It's really a make and season-to-taste salad. You can serve it with a little less mayonnaise if you want to make it drier or you can serve it with a little more mayonnaise if you want to make it a little soupier."

Ingredients:

1 pound colored rotini noodles

1 pound imitation crab meat

1/2 pound small shrimp, cooked

2 celery ribs, finely diced

1/2 onion, finely diced

1/3 cup black olives

1-1/4 cups mayonnaise

1/3 cup Italian salad dressing

2 tablespoons sugar (to cut the sharpness of the Italian dressing)

White pepper, celery salt to taste

Directions:

1. Cook the noodles accordingto the instructions on the package.

2. Combine all ingredients and stir to evenly mix the mayonnaise and salad dressing.

3. Season with pepper and celery salt.

Serves 5-6

Lansing Corners Supper Club's Caribbean Barbecue Chicken

Ron Valentine, owner, says he found this recipe at a Sweet Baby Ray's Barbecue Sauce display at a restaurant trade show. "It's sort of unique and really good," he says. "We serve it over wild rice."

Ingredients:

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 strips hickory-smoked bacon, cut into quarter-inch pieces

1 onion, diced

1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced

1-1/2 to 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/4 cup Captain Morgan Spiced Rum

1-1/4 cup Sweet Baby Ray's Hickory Barbecue Sauce

1 banana, cut into 1-inch pieces

1/2 mango, cut into 3/4-inch pieces

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped fine

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. In a large, heavy pan, heat the olive oil. Add the bacon, onion and garlic and saute until soft.

2. Add the chicken and start to brown.

3. Add the rum to de-glaze the pan. Let it flame to burn off some of the alcohol.

4. Add the barbecue sauce and cook for a minute or two.

5. Add the banana and mango pieces and cook for two minutes to heat and slightly cook the fruit.

6. Remove from heat and add the red bell pepper and cilantro.

Serves 5-6