What's New: Marzetti Simply Dressed: Simply the Best!

My mother gave me her love of tea. My brother Michael gave me his love of peanut butter. And my sister Stephanie gave me her love of salad dressing.

Every time we went out to eat when I was a kid, my big sister would get french fries. And with her french fries, she always had to have a side order of blue cheese dressing. That was what she dipped fries in instead of ketchup. I didn't like blue cheese dressing at that point, and thought she was crazy. It was a habit she kept up all of her life.

But then along came Ranch Dressing to change my mind about salad dressings as condiments. I grew up in the fifties along side the packets of Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing. In those days, if you wanted salad dressing, you mixed it up yourself. For Ranch, you had to buy the packet of Hidden Valley seasoning, and add it to mayonnaise and buttermilk. It was my job to set the table for dinner every night, and my job to make the dressing for whatever salad we were having. My mother saved old mayonnaise jars so that I could mix up the ranch dressing. Every night that we used it, we had to stir it all together again. It was rich and creamy.

Gradually, I followed in my sister's footsteps, and started using Ranch as my condiment of choice. I like Ranch Dressing on pizza, wings, burgers, fries--all sorts of foods that really don't need the extra fat calories, but are improved by the flavor. (Try sprinkling some Ranch Dressing powder on your potatoes before you roast them.) I have always remained true to the Hidden Valley brand. I don't think anyone else's Ranch tastes as good. 

And if I am going to spend those calories on dressing, I want it to taste good. I hate fat-free dressings. They have a weird viscosity that always reminds me of a science experiment gone wrong. I won't eat anyone's fat-free Ranch, but I do like the light version that Hidden Valley makes.

Today when you wander down the salad dressing aisle of your local grocery store, there are hundreds of salad dressings to chose from, already made up for you in an amazing assortments of flavors. There are also the bottled dressings that contain ingredients that are not shelf-stable, and that are sold in the produce section in a refrigerated case.

And that's where you find the Marzetti. I have been crazy about Marzetti Honey Dijon dressing for decades. My favorite dip for sweet potato fries or onion rings is that dressing with some Ranch swirled into it--heaven! I like the Marzetti Blue Cheese dressing as well (Stephanie was right all those years ago)--and both the lighter versions of these two are very good. Marzetti makes lots of different dressings, and periodically I like to bring something new home to try. Want a killer combo for your next tossed salad? Try mixing the Marzetti Ranch half and half with their Blue Cheese. 

So I was thrilled when as part of the Foodbuzz Tastemaker's Program, I received a coupon for a free bottle of the new Marzetti line: Simply Dressed. These salad dressings are different from others on the market because they don't contain polysorbate 60 or propylene glycol alginate or anything else you need a chemistry degree to understand. The Simply Dressed Ranch contains ingredients like canola oil, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, spices, and buttermilk. I also got the Simply Dressed Champagne made with extra virgin olive oil, olive oil, sea salt, spices, and champagne and white wine vinegar. These dressings are full fat, so you need to use them modestly. However, the Simply Dressed ranch contains 2 grams less fat per serving than Hidden Valley Ranch.

So how did these dressings taste? 

For the Simply Dressed Champagne, I made a salad out of fresh garden veggies (soon to come to an end with a hard frost predicted this week): tomatoes, bell pepper, and cucumbers. To them I added celery, mushrooms, carrots, and romaine lettuce. And I threw in some Marzetti Whole Grain Croutons that I found in the produce section as well. I poured on a couple of tablespoons the dressing and tossed it all together. I thought the salad was very flavorful--the dried herbs in the dressing really helped jazz up the vegetables. My mother used to take flat
champagne left over after parties, and make champagne dressing with it. Her dressing had an alcoholic kick to it. The Marzetti version is much smoother in taste, and won't get you pulled over for eating a salad  and driving. My husband's verdict after eating the salad: "Not bad." (This is HIGH praise from him for a salad, believe me!) Next, I'd like to try this dressing as a marinade for chicken.

For the Simply Dressed Ranch, I tried it three ways. First, I dipped a carrot stick in it. Ranch dressing is my go-to dip to dress up raw veggies. It was wonderful. I like the flavor o buttermilk that the background. Next I put it on some deep dish pizza I had made. A lot of people eat
Ranch dressing on pizza. I've been doing it for a long time. Think about it. Most of the time I eat veggie pizza, no meat. So it's kinda like eating hot salad on a crust with some tomato sauce and cheese added. Ranch seems like a natural addition. Sometimes I even put cold lettuce on top of hot pizza with Ranch dressing. It works for me. The Simply Dressed Ranch on pizza is a winner. Finally, I also tried the Ranch on plain lettuce, the most simple salad. A little dressing went a long way,  and made the lettuce zesty.

I have a confession. I have been eating Hidden Valley Dressing for most of my life. The Marzetti Simply Dressed Ranch is better. Way better. I think that because it is made with buttermilk and other natural ingredients, it tastes fresher. Like you made it yourself instead of getting it out of a bottle. Marzetti Simply Dressed salad dressings are made with all natural ingredients, have to be kept refrigerated, and are more expensive than the others on the shelf in the salad dressing aisle, or in the refrigerated section of the produce section. They are worth it.

I think even my sister Stephanie would agree.

Comments

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Salad dressings that you may use depends on your preference. I guess it's the reason why some people are weird when it comes to dressing. they don;t follow norms, since there is no norms on the first place.