Category: Deluxe

Marzetti Classic Original Slaw Dressing (Copycat Recipe)

Boy, oh boy, did this Marzetti Classic Original slaw dressing copycat recipe ever hit the spot. I was looking for that great Marzetti flavor but in a homemade version that, if I wanted to, I can play with a bit. A little less vinegary perhaps. A little sweeter maybe. Or just like the original. I can make the call. This is good stuff and it makes for a mighty good coleslaw, whether I make it the ‘right way’ or ‘my way’.

Marzetti Classic Original Slaw Dressing (Copycat Recipe)

Mighty Good

This Marzetti Classic Original slaw dressing copycat recipe is much like the great dressing you can find in your grocer’s refrigerated section (by the packaged salads and refrigerated salad dressings). Creamy with a bit of that vinegar ‘tang’ and a little sweetness. This recipe makes enough for a 14-ounce bag of slaw mix. By ‘makes enough’ I mean the slaw will be nicely dressed but not overly so. If you like a coleslaw with a whole lot of dressing, you’ll either have to make more or grab some at the store!

I like to use the slaw mix that has carrots and stuff in it. But you can go with the straight-up cabbage mix instead. Or for that matter, you can shred your own cabbage. Add what you want. Leave out what you don’t want!

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Cold. Really Cold.

I have a thing about my coleslaws. I like them cold. Not like ‘sorta cold’ but really, really cold. So I make sure my dressing spends some quality time in the fridge first before I use it.

Go Light

It’s ok to use a light mayonnaise and a sugar substitute in this slaw. The dressing may end up being a little thinner, though. For the full-on Marzetti greatness, though, use the real stuff.

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Also try my McAlister’s deli potato salad copycat recipe!

Marzetti Classic Original Slaw Dressing (Copycat Recipe)
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5 from 1 vote

Marzetti Classic Original Slaw Dressing (Copycat Recipe)

Best served chilled.
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword coleslaw, copycat, dressing
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 472kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

For the dressing

For the coleslaw

  • 14 ounces coleslaw mix with carrots, etc.

Instructions

  • For the dressing
  • Place all ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.
  • Add the coleslaw mix and fold until well-combined and the sugar is dissolved.

Notes

Stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 25g | Monounsaturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 384mg | Potassium: 184mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 20g | Vitamin A: 134IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Batter-Fried Shrimp

I’m usually a crunchy-fried-shrimp kind of guy. You know, a bit of flour, a bit of cornmeal. These batter-fried shrimp are a bit different, yet still crunchy. The batter is much like you would find on, say, fried cod for a fish sandwich or a basket of fish and chips. Because I have an unnatural addiction to fish and chips, it’s not surprising that I’m now addicted to these shrimp. The batter stuck perfectly, the shrimp cooked up beautifully golden brown delicious, and all was right in the world again. And I ate more than I should!

Batter-Fried Shrimp

Deliciously Soft Batter

The batter makes these batter-fried shrimp look a lot bigger than they are. Even though it’s thick, it’s not ‘ewwwy’ thick at all. It’s light and crispy, just like I like. I’d definitely use this same batter on cod. Or chicken legs (who remembers peg legs from Long John Silver’s? They were my favorite!).

Crunchies

Ok, so speaking of Long John Silver’s. I know I am not the only one that always asked for more ‘crunchies’. I so much loved those little bites of deep-fried batter. Crunchy. Hot. Delicious. So guess what? You can make them with this batter!!! Yes! Just take a spoon of batter (you’ll probably have a bit leftover just for this!) and drizzle it around into the hot oil. Fry a few minutes until golden brown then remove to a paper-towel. Boom! Crunchies!

Since there’s just the two of us, I use a Fry Daddy fryer for these shrimp. It’s the perfect size for something like this.

I get out my big deep fryer when it’s time to fry a large batch of food. It comes to temperature quickly and it maintains that temperature perfectly. It has a built-in oil filter and storage unit so I can re-use the oil several times.

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For a twist, add a few shakes of Old Bay or Creole seasoning to the batter before dipping the shrimp.

Also try my fried shrimp basket.

Batter-Fried Shrimp
Print Pin
4.75 from 4 votes

Batter-Fried Shrimp

The batter recipe would also be great on code fillets.
Course Appetizer or Main
Cuisine American
Keyword deep-fried, shrimp
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 395kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Bake Space

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Pat shrimp dry.
  • Heat a few inches of oil to 350 F in a Dutch oven or a deep fryer.
  • Combine 1/2 cup of oil and the egg and beat well. Add remaining ingredients except oil for frying and stir until smooth.
  • Working in batches, dip shrimp in the batter and coat well.
  • Add shrimp to the fryer and fry for 1 minute. Turn and fry another 1 minute or until golden brown. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack to drain.

Notes

The coating is reminiscent of fish and chips.

Nutrition

Calories: 395kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 18g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 609mg | Potassium: 94mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 109IU | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Cowboy Pasta

It was a cold windy day. I do mean windy, too. Every time I looked out the window I saw more and more of our neighbor’s Christmas decorations in our yard. That meant it was time for some stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Nothing fancy, just something to warm me up before I went outside to rescue the inflatable Santa. But not fancy doesn’t mean not flavorful! This cowboy pasta is good tasty stuff. Cheesy shells, super-flavorful beans, tomatoes and chiles, and ground beef all make for a delicious dish. This so hit the spot and made me forget about the weather outside.

Cowboy Pasta

Shake Off Those Winter Blues

This cowboy pasta definitely hit the spot on a cold day. You can choose your heat level (or not) by using spicy (or not) Rotel. I went with the mild. The Ranch beans have such great flavor by themselves, I didn’t want to drown them out by using super-hot Rotel. It’s your call, it’ll be great either way.

Don’t drain your Rotel or your beans before adding them to the mix. You want all those tasty juices. So get them in there!

While I’m on the subject of Ranch-style beans…. I love them. They are the tastiest beans ever. I keep them on hand and often substitute them in dishes that call for ‘regular’ canned beans. Our go-to grocery store doesn’t carry them, but some others do. You might have to look around. You can order them online, too, of course.

Veni, Vidi, Vici

This recipe is great made with ground beef. But you can also use ground chicken. Or Italian sausage! And yes, even meatballs. It’s quite a flexible recipe, so mix it up. If you want to. It’s great as it is of course!

In A (Pasta) Shell

You can also make this dish using boxed mac-and-cheese. Just make it like it says on the box, and add it in!

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Also try my copycat Pizza Hut meaty marinara!

Cowboy Pasta
Print Pin
4.17 from 6 votes

Cowboy Pasta

These cowboy beans definitely hit the spot on a cold day.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword comfort food
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 257kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Crumble the beef into a large pot over medium-high heat.
  • Season with salt and pepper and brown until cooked.
  • Drain.
  • Stir in the beans and tomatoes.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and keep warm while cooking the pasta.
  • Cook the shells & cheese according to the package.
  • Add to the meat mixture and stir.
  • Add more salt and pepper to taste, if desired, and stir.
  • Cook another 5 minutes to heat thoroughly.
  • Serve.

Notes

Serve topped with a little finely shredded cheddar for more delicious cheesiness!

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 815mg | Potassium: 728mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 73IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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Bread Machine Southern Biscuits

Only 1 in every 5 of my attempts to bake from scratch comes out successful. That’s up from 1 out of 6 a few years ago, but still not anything to brag about. So, the more I can use my bread machine, the better. And it’s even better when what I make comes out fantastic, like these bread machine southern biscuits. They have a great buttery flavor, light texture and smell absolutely divine. Now, they aren’t super light and flaky like dough you’d make by hand (if you weren’t me that is) but they are a great substitute for those biscuits you get in a tube, that’s for sure!

Bread Machine Southern Biscuits

Great Biscuits Make For Better Days

You can substitute maple syrup for the honey and end up with the perfect biscuit for a sausage breakfast sandwich. And of course, bread machine southern biscuits are perfect for the best thing ever made, deep fried biscuits. Oh yes!

For the best results, use whole milk, real butter and eggs.

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The Easiest Best Breakfast Sandwich

My wife loves her breakfast sandwich maker. A biscuits (or English muffin), a cracked egg, a sausage patty, a piece of cheese and a few minutes make for a fantastic way to start the day. Tastier than the fast-food version. And oh so much cheaper. Cleanup is pretty easy too. These biscuits are perfect for it, too. She can freeze them and then, the night before, take on out and let it defrost in the fridge. Same with the sausage patties. For those, I take a roll of breakfast sausage, cut into 10 slices that I pound out just a bit and bake until done. I freeze them between small pieces of wax paper. They’re perfect for these sandwiches too!

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Slather these bad boys with some bacon jam and you’ll be in for a real treat!

Bread Machine Southern Biscuits
Print Pin
3.04 from 25 votes

Bread Machine Southern Biscuits

The more I can use my bread machine, the better. And it’s even better when what I make comes out fantastic, like these southern biscuits. 
Course Bread
Cuisine American
Keyword biscuits, bread machine
Prep Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 213kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the ingredients into your bread machine in the order suggested by the manufacturer. For mine, I begin with the wet ingredients and then add the dry.
  • Process on the dough cycle until done.
  • Remove dough from bread machine and roll out until 1/2″ thick. Try to not over-work the dough.
  • Cut into desired sizes and transfer to a buttered sheet pan.
  • Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about an hour.
  • Preheat oven to 425 F.
  • Bake biscuits for 15 minutes or until lightly golden in color.

Notes

Use whole milk for best results.

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 263mg | Potassium: 100mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 225IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

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