Carlena with her version of Starbucks’ apple croissant
Carlena’s new book
An acclaimed home cook and content creator is sharing her versions of chain restaurant favourites
NEWCASTLE, UNITED KINGDOM, January 24, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — A MARYLAND home cook who has more than 2.4 million followers thanks to her no- nonsense style, has unveiled her own versions of fast food favourites.
Carlena Davis – aka spilling_the_sweet_tea – has fans across the globe thanks to her Southern recipes, which led to her highly successful first cookbook.
And now she’s about to release her follow-up book, after producing a whole range of dishes based on best sellers from chain restaurants and takeaways.
You Can Make That S#!T at Home has 47 of Carlena’s best “copycat” recipes, which she started to showcase on her social media platforms last year.
Carlena created her own version – using just three ingredients – of Starbucks’ Apple Croissant which went viral and inspired her to create a whole host of other recipes, based on restaurant dishes.
“If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I will absolutely figure out how to make my favorite restaurant dishes right in my own kitchen and make them better,” she said.
“ This cookbook was born straight out of the viral copycat recipe series I started online, where I took the internet’s most-loved fast food and chain restaurant dishes and showed how to recreate them without leaving the house.”
Carlena added that she’s “watched trends come and go” but has remained constant in her commitment to showing followers how they can recreate their favourites at home.
That includes her take on dishes such as KFC’s honey barbeque wings, Five Guys’ grilled cheeseburger and McDonald’s iconic fried apple pies.
She’s also drawn inspiration from chain restaurants such as The Cheesecake Factory, Starbucks and TGI Friday.
“Let’s be honest, these restaurants aren’t giving what they used to give,” she said.
“Portions are shrinking, prices are climbing, and half the time the food is just… mid.”
“In this economy we don’t have time OR money to be disappointed. My mama always told me, “When you cook at home, you know exactly what you’re eating.” And she was right.”
Each recipe also comes with a QR code which goes to a shopping list of ingredients, to make them even simpler to replicate, along with some blank pages at the back of the book for people to jot down their own notes.
“So many people eat out and say I could make this at home,” said Carlena.
“Well now they can, in a way that’s designed to fit into busy lifestyles and won’t break the budget.”
Carlena started cooking at 14, helping out at home when her mom was busy at work.
She started posting recipes on line during the pandemic and quickly gathered a huge following of cooks who loved her personal take on Southern favourites such as collard greens, mac and cheese and oyster stuffing.
Carlena’s recipes were featured in her first cookery book, Memories On A Plate, which showcases her favourite creations learned from her mother, which is now being followed up with You Can Make That S#!t at Home.
Both books have been published by Found –www.found.us – a platform which takes online creators’ recipes and turns them into high quality publications.
They can be bought at www.found.us
ENDS
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