Monday, November 26, 2012

MIY Ranch Seasoning Mix and Dressing

You may be wondering if the "MIY" in the title is a typo: I put it there with a purpose, friends. MIY stands for make it yourself! This sentiment could also be phrased as "try your hand at old-fashioned goodness," or, "don't be a lazy ass," or, "stick it to the food corporation man." Perhaps, "find your own Hidden Valley" suits some of you. Whatever floats your boat.

I made the transition to homemade ranch seasoning mix and ranch dressing some months ago, and I have not once gone back to store bought ranch products! Even Mr. J, who is a ranch fanatic and refuses to eat pizza without ranch dressing, is a complete convert.

Making seasonings yourself, whether it be ranch or taco mix, gives you complete control over what goes into them and when they are made. YOU get to select the ingredients and adjust the flavors to suit your taste buds. What could be better than that?
 
                                             

Ranch Seasoning Mix

In a blender, combine until smooth:

   1/2 cup dry buttermilk (try Saco Cultured Buttermilk Blend)
   1 Tbs. dried parsley, crushed
   1 tsp. dried dill weed, chopped
   1 tsp. onion powder
   1 tsp. dried onion flakes
   1 tsp salt (you might want a dash more)
   1/2 tsp. garlic powder

   1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Use 1 Tbs. of this mix when a recipe calls for an envelope or ranch dressing mix.


To make ranch dressing:

Combine 1 Tbs. ranch seasoning mix with 1 cup mayonnaise or Greek yogurt. Whisk in 1/2 cup of milk SLOWLY. This is the recipe I use for the ranch Mr. J likes with pizza because it's consistency is very close to that of Ken's or Hidden Valley. Refrigerate before and after use. Should last up to 10 days to 2 weeks in your refrigerator. Because there are no preservatives, I would not use it after 2 weeks.

Add another 1/2 cup of milk for a thinner dressing you could use for potato salad.

Enjoy! xo



4 comments:

  1. Thanks for sharing this recipe! I'm not a big fan of ranch but I am a fan sticking it to the food corporation, man, so more power to you :D I wonder how a recipe like this would come out if you substituted fresh herbs?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your comment! Ooh, I imagine that fresh parsley and dill would be delicious if you could make and use it immediately! On the flip side, the dried herbs allow for a longer shelf life.

      Delete
  2. My family could not live without Ranch dressing. I'm gonna give this recipe a try and let them taste test... or maybe stealthly sneak it onto their salads and see if they notice the fresh difference.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You'll have to keep me posted on the conversion of your ranch lovers! We can't live without our homemade stuff now :)

      Delete