Thursday, August 30, 2012

Food Cheats and Cole Saw Dressing

                   
                    

 
 i slew, i slaw, i slawnquered
Res Ipsa Loquitor

Every time I go to the food store I find something else that not only costs more, but has been resized downward.  Ice cream is the first thing I noticed a few years ago. The traditional half gallon package is gone, and quite often the contents are pumped full of air.   Ben &  Jerry's is a notable exception, and print their quart packages with a "Still a Real Quart" blurb.  If the Hershey Bar gets any smaller, they'll be chocolate chips. What this means in political terms is that the Obama price index is skewed, because the smaller weights are not accounted for.   But that's not what I wanted to tell you.  Here's my food tip of the day.

Over the years I'm spent an inordinate amount of time and money on what basically ought be a cheap salad of cabbage and dressing.  Cole slaw.  We love KFC slaw, but it's as pricey as the chicken to buy stand-alone. I have the recipe for it, but what a pain in the ass!  Besides, our dinners are last minute decisions, and I don't have time to let stuff mellow-out  in the fridge for a few hours.  Been using Marie's Cole Slaw dressing because it's acceptable, but @ 3.95 a jar, not cheap. 

A few weeks ago Don M sent me his own recipe for Cole slaw dressing. We had spareribs a few days ago, so I tried it out. 


DON'S COLE SLAW DRESSING


1/3 cup Best Foods Mayonnaise
1/3 cup Miracle Whip
2 Tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Sugar
2 Tablespoons Milk

Mix well and place in a container.
You can thin it with milk if necessary it thickens as it sits.

For Cole Slaw
Buy Angel Hair Cole Slaw available at Albertson's. Or thinly slice a head of cabbage.Serve the slaw like you would a salad. Cabbage separate from the dressing and dress at the table.

The Cole Slaw will be nice and crispy this way.
For a large group you can blend ahead of time but the cabbage gets soggy over time.

Great with any BBQ. Don't forget to put some Crispy Cole Slaw on your BBQ Pork Sandwich.

This dressing took less than 5 minutes to make, and it is so good I spooned half of it down me throat.  Next time I make it,  I'm going to substitute buttermilk and see what happens.  If it's better,  it will be TRKOF's Cole Slaw Dressing.  That's how things work here.  I'm a robber baron— er, king.



14 comments:

Mile 66 said...

With the exception of the cole slaw, that looks exactly like my Atkins road trip kit.

Anonymous said...

Great recipe and if you wanna push it over the top...add a teaspoonful of ground horseradish....Not enough to make it hot, just round it out.

Anonymous said...

I like some celery salt.

Casca

Anonymous said...

You lost me on Miracle Whip.

Freddie Sykes

Anonymous said...

Blue Bell, "the best ice cream in the country," is still 1/2 gallon.

It costs more than it used to, but it's damn well worth it.

I don't know how far out of Texas it is available...

jd

toadold said...

I guess I'm going to have to spring for some pre-sliced cabbage. I end up wasting to much of a whole head of cabbage just for myself.

Every once in a while I like canned corned beef. It seems only a few months ago I could a 14 oz. can for about $2, the other day a store brand can was going four $4.59.....WTF?

TimO said...

Similar to the Asian Slaw recipie I use (just use Rice Wine Vinegar instead of the Red Wine Vinegar.)

If you want to get fancy, throw in a can of Mandarin Oranges, too...

Anonymous said...

@jd

Lifelong Texan here, recently moved to Wisconsin and can't find it anywhere.

Interestingly, when I lived in Saudi Arabia, it was available at the Tamimi Safeway. Go figure.
baboy

DonM said...

The Miracle Whip is there for the sweetness and other nuanced flavors to balance the acid of the vinegar. If you don't like it just substitute mayo but don't attribute it to me please. I'm an Iowa boy we and used Miracle whip in alot of dressings. BTW Miracle whip is better than mayo on turkey sandwiches with a little salt & pepper. Again it brings out the flavor of the turkey much better.

leelu said...

DonM

Are you crazy, man?! Flame wars have been started for less.

Officially, Best Food/Hellman's is mayo. Miracle Whip is salad dressing.

That said, MW doesn't seem to taste the same as I remember from my kid-hood. I agree, it made *great* turkey sandwiches!!

Anonymous said...

Ben & Jerry could give their ice cream away and I still wouldn't eat it. I don't buy cop killer ice cream.

TJ

DonM said...

You're right Leelu. MW seems to be thinner as well from what I remember.

BlogDog said...

As much as people's tastes vary, the best commercial mayo sold is Trader Joe's house brand. If you have access to it, try it. Even "Cook's illustrated" picked it as best.

Also, to avoid the soggies in home made coleslaw, schnitz the cabbage and salt it in a colander over a bowl for a couple of hours beforehand. It will draw out the water in the cabbage.

Anonymous said...

I add halved grapes to my cole slaw. Hey - don't knock it unless you've tried it.

Also Marzetti's Dressing.

e~C

Post a Comment

Just type your name and post as anonymous if you don't have a Blogger profile.