The CuisiNerd

Ranch dressing is one of those things that is easy to make, yet it’s something folks buy premade at the store. Here’s a quick recipe that uses no unpronounceable or questionable ingredients. It’s adapted from this recipe. Units listed are proportional parts.

• 1  ground dried thyme
• 2 onion powder
• 4 garlic powder
• 6 ground pepper
• 8 seasoned salt
• 8 dried parsley

For a single batch of dressing, 1 part = 1/8 teaspoon and yields 1 tablespoon of seasoning mix for 1 pint of dressing.

To make a large batch for use later, 1 part  = 1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) and makes 1.5 cups of mix, enough for 24 batches (1.5 gallons) of dressing.

To make the dressing, mix:

• 1 Tablespoon seasoning mix
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup of
  • • Yogurt for thick dressing (you can also use varying amounts of yogurt and whey to adjust consistency)
    • buttermilk for thin dressing
    • sour cream for dip

You can also use this seasoning mixed with bread crumbs for breading chicken.

This is a dill dip similar to those you find in veggie trays or in the produce department at the store, and it’s way cheaper to make yourself from scratch, and it’s tastier.

Equipment:

• Wire whisk or hand blender
• small bowl (1qt should be fine)

Ingredients:

• 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp water
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1.5 Tbsp dried dill weed
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp dry mustard
• 1/4 tsp salt

put the egg yolk, water, lemon juice, garlic, and salt into the bowl and blend until smooth. add a little bit of the oil and emulsify. slowly add the oil and blend until smooth.

(Congratulations, you’ve just made mayonnaise!)

Add the sour cream and the rest of the ingredients and blend until smooth. Let sit for an hour or two for the flavors to blend. Serve with your favourite veggies.

If you’re scaling this recipe up, you don’t need to add an extra egg yolk – a single egg yolk is enough to make several cups of mayo.