I LOVE Gloria Pitzer. (AKA the Make-alike Thread)
 

Gloria Pitzer was (for me) the original Recipe Detective. Her recipes for well-known American food such as 'Gloreo' Cookies, 'Wednesday's' Frostys & Chilli, 'Big Bucket In The Sky' Chicken, 'Dent Knee's' Cheese Soup, 'Lone John Sliver's' Battered Fish, Orange 'Judas', 'Recess' Peanut Butter cups, 'Share-A-Lee's' Carrot Cake and many other Make-alike recipes were just what I needed to get my intercontinental cuisine fix.

Many handy ingredients such as Good 'Reasons' Salad Dressing Mix, 'Eager'-Brand Milk, Kraft Creamy French Dressing (orange, not the red), and 'Geez' Whiz were also handed down in recipe form for me to emulate in a land where they weren't available.

I have found many (around 200) Make-alike recipes of hers and from other chefs via the net, but I thought we could share here some of the best.

Sooooo... What's YOUR favourite Make-alike recipe? It can be from Gloria, Todd Wilbur or any of the other Make-alike (AKA Clone) chefs out there.

Here's the recipe for making a Bisquick Make-alike for those times when you've run out and can't make it to the market (or if you're in Australia and can't get it anywhere...)

Bisquick Mix:
8 cups Flour
1 ¼ cup Nonfat Dry Milk Powder
¼ Cup Baking Powder
1 tablespoon Salt
2 cups Shortening

Combine flour, milk, baking powder, and salt in a very large bowl.
Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Store in tightly closed container in a cool place.

Makes about 10 cups.

Recipe by Gloria Pitzer, The Recipe Detective

Seems you read my mind. I was just googling Pop Tarts (looking for a factory) and found a blog where someone had figured out her own recipe for them, with the caption "Homemade Pop Tarts - Yes, Really!".

I was struck by the concept that at one point there was a thing called a tart, which people made, at home or at restaurants...and then someone came up with a tart you can pop in a toaster any time...and now it's being reverse engineered, with the fact that you can make one at home supposed to surprise me.

Are we really living in that apocalyptic future where no one remembers where food comes from? ;)

Anyway - I salute lash's pursuit of all things prepackaged. Makes me wonder, if I moved out of the States, would I miss Kraft Mac & Cheese enough to try recreate it at home?

CP - I was an exchange student for a year and I would have killed for a taco.

I've been trying recipes from Hungry Girl - they're all lower cal, lower fat versions of favorites. So far I've made....

Bonless Buffalo Wings - this one has 175 calories/serving. Recipe makes two servings - super easy.

8oz raw bonless, skinless, lean chicken breast cut into 10 nuggets

1/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)

1 ounce (about 14) pringles light fat free barbeque potato chips (or another fat free bbq flavored potato chip)

3 Tablespoons Frank's Red Hot Original Cayenne Pepper Sauce

Dash Onion Poweder, Dash Garlic Powder, Dash Cayenne Pepper, Dash Salt, Dash Pepper

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

In a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One into a breadcrumb-like substance.

Crush potato chips completely, in a small dish mix crushed potato chips with cereal crumbs. Add spices and stir well.

Place chicken in a seperate dish. Cover with Frank's RedHot and toss to coat.

Spray a baking sheet with nonstick spray. Give each chicken piece a shake so it's not dripping with sauce, and then coat evenly with crumb mixture. Lay crumb-covered nuggets on the baking sheet.

Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, flipping nuggets halfway through, until outsides are crispy and chicken is cooked troughout.

Onion Rings - 153 calories recipe makes one serving

1 Large Onion

1/2 cup Fiber One Bran Cereal

1/4 cup fat-free liquid egg substitute

dash salt

Optional: additionial salt, pepper, oregano, garlic powder, onion powder (I've also added a little cyanne pepper)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Cut ends off onion and remover outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2 inch wide slices, and seperate into rings.

Using a blender or food processor grind Fiber One into a breacrumb like consistancy.

Pour Fiber One "breadcrumbs" into a small dish and mix in salt and any optional spices you like.

Fill a small bowl with egg substitute. One by one, coat each ring first in egg and then in the "breadcrumbs" (give each ring a shake after the egg bath).

Evenly place rings on a baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Bake in the over for 20 to 25 minutes, flipping rings halfway through.

Fear not CP - your prayers are answered...
 

Just in case you need to leave the country... ya know. ;)

Kraft Deluxe Original Macaroni And Cheese Dinner

8 cups Water
2 cups Uncooked elbow macaroni
1/3 cup Shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Cheez Whiz (I have a recipe on how to make this too, if ya like...)
2 tablespoons Whole milk
1/4 teaspoon Salt

1. Bring 8 cups (2 quarts) of water to a boil over high heat in a large saucepan. Add elbow macaroni to water and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally

2. As macaroni boils, prepare sauce by combining cheddar cheese, Cheez Whiz, and milk in a small saucepan over medium/low heat. Stir cheese mixture often as it heats, so that it does not burn. Add salt. When all of the cheddar cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth, cover pan and set aside until macaroni is ready.

3. When macaroni is ready, strain water, but do not rinse the macaroni.

4. Using the same pan you prepared the macaroni in, combine the macaroni with the cheese sauce, and mix well. Makes about 4 cups.

Recipe by Todd Wilbur

BTW: Katiesue, I love that recipe, and you can get a thicker ring if you leave two joined together when separating the onion. More like the Burger King/Hungry Jacks ones. I also use Panko for crumbing to get them really crispy.

Planet Hollywood Sweet & Cap'n Crunchy Chicken

234 Calories makes two servings (I did not make the dipping sauce)

8 ounces raw bonless skinless lean chicken breast tenders

1/2 cup Cap'n Crunch cereal (original)

1/4 cup Fiber One bran cereal (original)

3 Tabelspoons fat free liquid egg substitute

2 Tabelspoons Hellmann's/Best Foods Dijonnaise

2 Tabelspoons Honey Mustard

1/8 teaspoon onion powder

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder

Dash salt

Dash black pepper

Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One into a breadcrumb-like conistency. Set aside.

Put Cap'n Crunch in a sealable plastic bag and seal. Using a rolling pin or can, coarsely crush the cereal through the bag. In a wide bowl, combine the Fiber One crumbs, the crushed Cap'n Crunch, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Place the chicken in a seperate medium bowl. Pour the egg substitute on top and flip the chicken to coat. Shake off any excess egg substitute. Coat the chicken with the cereal mixture.

Spray a large pan with nonstick spray and bring to medium heat. Gently place the coated chicken pieces in the pan, spacing them out as much as possible. Cook for 5 minutes and then carefully flip. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until cooked through.

Combine Dijionnaise and honey mustard in a small dish and mix well. Serve with the chicken.

I'm sure you can. They're a little on the dryer side - but that's how I like my rings anyway

Ah, so THAT'S the secret ingredient! I've never actually had Cheez Whiz.

My all-time favorite copycat recipe is for the Rainforest Café chicken salad's dressing. It's here. It means nothing that my search also brought up hits for an adhesive wound dressing from China.

Years ago, the fabulous Jane and Michael Stern reverse engineered Twinkies. I didn't have any luck googling that but did find their famous Undescended Twinkies.