recipe of the week: lora's ranch mix/dressing

i have several recipes that are lined up to post...but since this is one of the bases to several of them, i thought i'd go ahead and share my ranch seasoning mix and dressing recipe.


i stopped buying prepackaged seasoning once i realized how much sugar and chemical additives there are in the vast majority of them. this was probably about a year ago, and i have tried several combinations to get my seasoning just the way i like it.  a friend sent me a recipe (and i have no idea where she got it, so i can't give the credit) but it was a little too bland for me...however, playing around with ratios and a couple of added spices did the trick!


not only is this healthier than prepackaged mixes, it's WAY cheaper.  and it's not time consuming at all.  you can whip up a batch of the seasoning AND a container of ranch dressing in less than 10 minutes.


so, here's my recipe.

2 tsp parsley

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp salt

2 tsp pepper

4 tsp dill

4 tsp onion powder

1 tsp basil

mix and store in airtight container. i love the round spice tins for this, and they're less than $2

i love that this is truly a base recipe.  it's great on it's own, but it's also adaptable. if i want to make it a chipotle ranch, i just add a bit of chipotle along with the ranch mix when i make the dressing. i use a tablespoon of this mix in anything that calls for a packet of ranch seasoning. so far, that seems to be the correct ratio!

so for the dressing itself

1 tbsp dry ranch seasoning

approximately 1 cup each sour cream, olive oil mayo and skim milk

you know, mix together (i use an immersion blender). pictures are self-explanatory.

 

it'll keep in the fridge for a week or more, although it never (ever) lasts that long at our house.  enjoy!


(if you click on this picture, you're sure to find some tasty recipes. in fact, there's a lemon squares recipe that i'm salivating over at becky's blog!)

Recipe of the Week: The "Perfect" Bloody Mary

One of my absolute favorite drinks: the bloody mary. The spicier the better, and I am fully aware of which restaurants in town have the best. I have looked for the perfect bloody mary mix for...ever...and finally just decided to make one from scratch. Can't be that hard, right??

I started by googling "perfect bloody mary recipe".
Several came up.
After reading plenty of them one finally caught my eye.
I made a few modifications, and voila! *My* perfect bloody mary. May not be your, but there's room for more in this world!

*disclaimer: if you hate bloody marys or tomato juice in general, you may want to stop reading now.

**additional disclaimer: if you love/like bloody marys, yet have no idea what goes in one save the tomato juice and vodka, and you're somewhat picky about stuff...you may want to stop reading now. Some of the ingredients are interesting!

Tomato Juice (you can use V8 Spicy for a bit of a shortcut)
vodka (cheap = fine in a bloody mary. who knew?)
pickle juice
olives and olive juice
pepper (freshly ground)
celery salt
cayenne pepper
Cavenders all-purpose Greek seasoning
lime wedge
shake of Worcestershire sauce
pinch of horseradish
Tabasco sauce (more if you're not using spicy tomato juice)
ice

Put as much ice as you see fit in a tall glass
(my personal philosophy on ice in alcoholic drinks, particularly vodka drinks, is that less is more. no need to dilute the vodka!)
shake celery salt, freshly ground pepper, greek seasoning, and cayenne pepper into bottom of glass. Add horseradish, Tabasco and Worcestershire sauce. Stir. Pour in about a tablespoon each of pickle and olive juice. Stir. Add vodka to the strength you desire. Top off with tomato juice. You can stick a stalk of celery in it, spear some olives (though if you're like me you ate them while pouring in the olive juice), or do whatever you feel like to garnish the thing...

Bottoms Up!

(sorry for the crappy picture...but this is the first one I ever made! I have discovered that the V-8 makes for a much more red drink)