Heather says:
Ranch dressing from scratch with no MSG. Who knew? I spent maybe five minutes on this, ten if you count the phone call from the grocery store asking Mr. Heather to double check the recipe. Why then have I not bothered to make ranch, if it’s so easy? We could come up with a lot of reasons, but it comes down to I couldn’t be bothered, that is until I recently had a mind blowingly good salad. The secret? The restaurant made their own dressings. I used to make dressing at my last restaurant, ginormous proportions, but still. I knew it was better, but I slipped into the it’s just easier mindset.
This brings me to my obligatory Fearless Friday Spiel.
Fearless Fridays are an exercise in kitchen bravery. It’s not about grossout games like Fear Factor, no, Fearless Friday is trying to learn a new skill. It’s a time to stop making excuses and try to cook, even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly. It’s serving a vegetarian dish to your meat and potatoes family or taking a walk down the freezer aisle deciding to try make one of those items on your own. For some, Fearless Friday is cooking a meal or not eating out. We all have our starting point, the key to becoming successful is to keep going, even if it doesn’t turn out perfectly.
Got it? Then tell me, what did you do for Fearless Friday? If you have a blog, share your link. If not, please share in the comments. Here’s a badge to add to your post, but it’s not a requirement.
Simple Ranch Dressing Mix
Ingredients:
- 17 Saltines, finely crushed
- 2 cups (470 ml) parsley flakes
- 1/2 cup (120 ml) Onion Flakes
- 2 Tbs (30 ml) Dried Basil
- 6 Tbs (3/8 cup)(90 ml) Kosher or sea salt (Sorry Heidi, I never have sea salt on hand)
- 5 Tbs (75 ml) Garlic Powder
- 5 Tbs (75 ml) Onion Powder
See the ingredients above? Mix and store in an air tight container. A 1 quart canning jar is perfect. If you have a reasonable source for spices, this is a great Christmas gift, unless you know me, because. Yeah. I’m going there, sorry to ruin the surprise.
- 1 Tablespoon Ranch Dressing Mix
- 1 cup mayonnaise (Preferably Dukes or Hellman’s if you’re a West Coaster it’s Best Foods, and yes, I just got brand snobby)
- 1 cup buttermilk (If at all possible, full fat)
At least one hour before serving, mix the three ingredients. Cover and refrigerate. The flavors must mingle. If you taste the dressing before it has had time to chill, it’s going to taste like mayonnaisey, tangy, spices and I hate mayonnaise. Be patient. Once in a while the magic ingredient is time. So chill out and make your salad.
Enjoy.
Once you’ve made your own dressing, try making your own croutons. You’ll never go back. It also works well for ranch seasoned potato wedges
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