Ranch Dressing

This ranch dressing is incredible and without a doubt better than any ranch you can buy. We used to buy the refrigerated kind even though it was more expensive than the regular kind because it tasted a lot better, but this is even better and cheaper! It doesn't even have to sit in the fridge for the flavors to blend. I got it from one of my favorite cooking blogs, Our Best Bites. For once I didn't alter a single thing in the recipe because it's perfect as is! We use it as salad dressing of course but more often than that we dip raw veggies in it, especially raw zucchini and whole sugar snap peas this past summer. I was surprised to learn that a lot of people think raw zucchini sounds gross. It's actually really good and you should try it if you haven't yet.

The original post says you can make this into dip by using sour cream instead of buttermilk. I haven't done that yet so can't vouch for it but thought I'd toss it out there! Also if your dressing turns out too thin (it should not if you measure properly), just stir in a little more mayonnaise.

Quick note: Often you can make a buttermilk substitute by stirring together milk and lemon juice, but I do not recommend trying that with this recipe. Just buy a little carton of buttermilk. You can use the leftovers in lots of recipes. Later this week I will post a recipe for biscuits or pancakes or whatever I decide to do with the leftovers. Embrace the buttermilk!

When I visited my family in Seattle this summer, my mom and I went to Crate and Barrel and I found this fantastic little bitty pitcher that's perfect for homemade salad dressing or syrup. It doesn't fall over easily (unlike other dressing containers I've tried), has a lid to keep out gross flavors, and is cute.


Ranch Dressing

1C mayo
2/3 C buttermilk
1 1/2 t dried chives
1 t dried parsley
1/4 t seasoned salt
1/4 t garlic powder
1/4 t onion powder
1/8 t dried dill
1/8 t black pepper
1/8 t dry mustard
1/4 t white vinegar

Stir together all ingredients in a bowl. It will stay good refrigerated for 1 week if your buttermilk is fresh.

Yield: 1 2/3 cups