Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

Ingredients:

2 T. dried parsley

1 t. dried dill

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. onion powder

1/2 t. dried basil

1/2 t. pepper

Recipe:

1. Add each of the dried spices to a bowl and gently stir.

2. Store in a resealable plastic bag or small canning jar with tight fitting lid.

3. To make the ranch dressing, whisk together 1/3 c. mayonnaise with 1/4 c. milk and 1 T. of the homemade ranch dressing seasoning mix. (Makes about 4 T. of dressing)

4. Season with salt, to taste.

5. Use immediately or store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Rating: 3 of 5
So, this rating is not a full-on rating. I used the dry mix in a crock pot recipe, so I'm not sure if it tastes like Ranch dressing or not when it's all put together. But, it did smell like it! One thing that I think I'll do differently next time is crush up the parsley even more. 

Source: $5 Dinners, Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

Barbecue Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 hearts of Romaine, chopped *

1 can corn

1 can black beans, rinsed

15 grape tomatoes, halved **

3-4 cooked chicken breasts, cubed or shredded

1/2-1 c. favorite barbecue sauce

mozzarella cheese, shredded

*Went with our favorite lettuce: green leaf

**I used 3 hearty Roma tomatoes

Dressing:

1 envelope Ranch dressing mix

1 c. mayonnaise *

1 c. milk

1/2 bunch cilantro

1 clove garlic **

1 lime juiced OR 2 T. lime juice

* I actually did 1/2 c. mayo and 1/2 c. sour cream. Next time I'll sub out the mayo completely.

** I used about 1 t. minced garlic

Recipe:

Dressing:

1. Place dressing ingredients into blender or food processor and combine well. Let sit for a few hours to increase flavor of dressing. *

* My blender is not very good at blending. I should put a new blender or food processor on my gift list for Mother's Day......yes. Anyways.....I just whisked everything, but the cilantro, together. Then I chopped up the cilantro into ity bity pieces and stirred it into the mix.

Salad:

1. Place lettuce in a serving bowl. Layer with corn, beans, and tomatoes.

2. Mix cooked chicken with barbecue sauce and top over salad.

3. Sprinkle top with mozzarella cheese.

4. Drizzle with dressing.

Rating: 5 of 5

Yes, it's that good. The cilantro dressing and BBQ go really, really well together. Plus, it's got all of those good veggies in it! Very similar to Katie's Mexican Salad. I will definitely be making this one again. Oh, but it does make a rather large batch, so half it and plan on making taco with the leftovers the next night.

Source: Recipe Shoebox, BBQ Chicken Salad with Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Orange Strawberry Salad with Orange Dressing

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 pkg. spring mix greens *

1 pint strawberries, sliced

1 large orange, peeled, cut into small pieces **

3 green onions, sliced

1 c. sliced almonds ***

4 T. butter

4 T. sugar

* I just used a head of green leaf lettuce. It's our favorite

** OR 3-4 clementines, cut in half

*** I thought 1 c. of almonds was WAY too much. So, I recommend 1/2 c. almonds and 2 T. butter and sugar.

Dressing:

1/2 t. grated orange peel, or orange zest

1/3. c. fresh orange juice (1-2 oranges) *

2 T. red wine vinegar

2 T. sugar

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 T. dry Italian dressing mix

* OR 3-6 clementines, depending on how juicy they are

Recipe:

1. Put all salad ingredients together in a large bowl.

2. To make the candied almonds, mix almonds, butter and sugar in a saucepan over medium heat until the butter and sugar turn to a toffee color, stir constantly. Spread on waxed paper to cool.

3. Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar or Ziploc bag and shake well.

4. Serve dressing on top of salad. Enjoy!

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Seriously, so good! I loved the dressing. I never would have thought of mixing orange juice with Italian dressing mix. But, it is delicious!!! Sweet and tangy all at the same time. Add it with the salad and BOOM! explosion of flavor! The salad itself is a salad. I mean, we've all had oranges or strawberries on lettuce. But, the oranges and strawberries combined are pretty delicious. I really liked this one. Definitely a keeper. I do think you could add chicken to this one and make a main dish out of it. It'd be pretty good....

Source: See Jane Cook, Orange Dressing with Orange Strawberry Salad

Chicken Ranch Tacos

Ingredients:*

3 c. cooked chicken, cut up

1 pkt. taco seasoning (chicken or beef)

1/2 c. Ranch dressing

taco shells **

To Garnish:

lettuce, finely shredded

cheese

Ranch dressing

tomatoes, chopped

avocado, chopped

cilantro, chopped

sour cream

salsa

* I went the crockpot way for this recipe. Here's what I did as mentioned by those who commented on this gal's blog. I used a pkg. of taco seasoning, a pkt. of dry ranch dressing mix, and about 3/4 c. chicken broth, 4 chicken breasts(defrosted).

** I went with corn tortillas and soft fried them (aka: fried them in oil but didn't let them get crispy and kept them pliable.)

Recipe:*

1. Heat a skillet over med-high heat. Add chicken and warm it for a few minutes.

2. Sprinkle on the dry taco seasoning. Do NOT add any water.

3. Heat for 5-7 minutes until all heated through and powder is stuck to the chicken.

4. Add Ranch dressing, heat an additional 2-3 minutes to warm through.

5. Serve in taco shells with all the fixings you love - plus an extra squirt of Ranch.

*Crockpot version: put the chicken breasts in the pot. Sprinkle taco seasoning and ranch mix on top. Pour chicken breasts on top of that. The water is just barely enough to cover the chicken breasts so I rolled mine in the mixture a few times. I turned mine on high(I was in a bit of a time crunch), for 2 hours. At 2 hours I took the chicken out and shredded it. I then put the chicken back in for another hour. When it came time to serve the chicken I drained it of all the juices that collected at the bottom and served it in a new bowl. That amount of chicken fed LaDon, two missionaries, and myself about 16 tacos.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

In all honesty, I couldn't separate the chicken taste from the whole taco. So.....the chicken, plus the shells and everything I put on it was so delicious. I didn't put any ranch on my taco, though. Too much Ranch reminds me of my morning sickness with Ally and then all those sick-y feelings come rushing back. Anyways....I think the boys each averaged about 5 tacos, so it made a pretty good amount. The only thing I would have added is a lime wedge for a few squirts of lime juice. Yum! There is something absolutely delicious about cilantro and lime together. Oh, I'm sure that the way this recipe is supposed to be prepared is great, but it sure is nice being able to do everything in the crockpot. Especially when company is coming over.

Source: Do You Smell That!!?, Chicken Ranch Tacos

Crockin' Fettucini

Ingredients:

2-3 chicken breasts, cut into pieces

1 pkg. dry Italian salad dressing mix

2 T. olive oil

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 oz. cream cheese

1 c. chicken broth

Fettucini noodles

Recipe:

1. Place chicken in slow cooker and sprinkle Italian dressing over chicken. Drizzle with olive oil.

2. Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

3. Mix soup, cream cheese, and broth until smooth.

4. Add soup mixture to slow cooker and cook on low for 1 more hour.

5. Serve over hot, cooked noodles.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

I'm relying on LaDon's judgment tonight. I've got a cold and can't taste a thing. But, I do know that Daniel really liked his with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. From what I can tell, it is very similar to zesty chicken, just a lot more runny instead of thick. Although I couldn't taste it, you can't go wrong with a crock pot and small children eating it up!

Source: Crockingirls.com, Crockin' Fettucini

Cuban Midnight Sandwich

Ingredients:

1/2 c. mayonnaise *

2 1/2 T. Italian dressing *

4 hoagie rolls, split lengthwise and toasted **

1/4 c. prepared mustard

1/2 lb. thinly sliced cooked deli turkey

1/2 lb. thinly sliced cooked deli ham

1/2 lb. thinly sliced Swiss cheese ***

1 c. dill pickle slices

1/4 c. olive oil

* Since I was only making 2 sandwiches, I obviously cut the mayo and Italian way down. Same thing with the mustard

** I just made my own sandwich bread instead of buying it.

***Swiss is great and all, but Provolone is the way to go. Love that stuff.

Recipe:

1. In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and Italian dressing. Spread mixture on bottom half of toasted hoagie rolls.. Spread each roll with mustard.

2. On each roll, arrange layers of turkey, ham, and cheese. Top each with dill pickle slices. Add tops and brush tops and bottoms with olive oil.

3. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place sandwiches in skillet. Cook sandwiches for 2 minutes, pressing down with a foil-covered plate or spatula. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes or until cheese is melted.

4. Remove from heat, place on plates, and cut in half diagonally.

Rating: 3.75 of 5

I loved the taste of the olive oil on the bread. The cheese didn't melt at all in the 4 minutes of cooking in the skillet, so next time I think I'll use our Panini maker. LaDon really liked the sandwiches which is great! I've never been a huge sandwich lover though, so for me to say it was pretty good is probably something. Right? Maybe not.

Source: AllRecipes Dinner Tonight, pg. 18

Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

**I would have had a picture, but I was making it for someone else and in a hurry. Therefore, I forgot to take the picture :( **

Ingredients:

8 oz. (1/2 bag) of baby spinach *

1/2 - 1 head Romaine lettuce, chopped

1/2 thinly sliced medium red onion

1 large avocado, cubed

8 oz. mozzarella or Swiss cheese, shredded

1 12-oz. package bacon, cooked and crumbled

1 large can Mandarin oranges, drained

Poppy Seed dressing, to taste

* I just used a half bunch of spinach

Recipe:

1. Combine all ingredients except dressing in a large bowl. When ready to serve, toss with desired amount of salad dressing and serve immediately. If you anticipate leftovers, just let your eaters dress their own salads because the dressing will make the greens wilt.

Rating: 3 of 5

This isn't the most amazing salad I've ever had, but that could be because I don't really like onion in it's raw form. I thought it was a good salad, but I was surprised at the lack of taste despite ALL of the ingredients in it. Avocado is essentially flavorless (to me) and I know it's supposed to absorb the flavors around it so I felt like the avocado could have been left out. I love oranges in salads though. Actually, scratch that. I love most fruits in salads. So, despite my many criticism about this salad, I do like it.

Source: OurBestBites.com, Spinach Mandarin Poppy Seed Salad

Katie's Mexican Salad

Ingredients:

2 heads romaine lettuce, chopped

1 can black beans, drained

1 can corn, drained

1/2 red onion diced

2 roma tomatoes diced

1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

1 avocado, cubed

1 small can sliced olives

ranch dressing

BBQ sauce

2 grilled chicken breasts, sliced

Recipe:

1. Toss all together using equal parts ranch and BBQ sauce. You can also sprinkle some crushed tortilla chips on top. Super easy. Super yum.

Rating: 4.5 of 5

Seriously, so good. This one was my favorite of the night. It sounds strange, BBQ and ranch? Yeah, but it's soooo good.

Source: Katie Walker

Creamy Caesar Salad

Ingredients:

2 oil-packed anchovy fillets

1/4 c. whole milk

1 garlic clove , crushed and peeled

2 T. champagne vinegar

1 t. Dijon mustard

1 c. mayonnaise

2 T. buttermilk

1/2 t. fresh lemon juice

Kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

Recipe:

1. Put the anchovies in a small bowl and pour the milk over them. Soak the anchovies for 30 minutes. (Soaking will give them a sweeter flavor.)

2. Drain the anchovies. Chop coarsely and transfer to a small food processor. Add the garlic, vinegar, and mustard and puree. Transfer to a bowl and fold in the mayonnaise and buttermilk. Season with the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 1 week.

Rating: 4 of 5

Of course, I love Caesar salad. It is one of my favorites and this recipe really nailed it! It's really good.

Source: Lauren Hastings, from Ad Hoc

Santa Rosa Valley Salad

Ingredients:

Salad:

1 box Uncle Ben's Wild/Long Grain Rice, cooked

juice of 1 Lemon

3 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or chopped

4 green onions, sliced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3 oz snap or snow peas

1 avocado

1/2 cup pecans (opt)

lettuce for garnish

Dressing:

2 cloves garlic

1 T. dijon mustard

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. sugar

1/4 t. pepper

1/2 c. rice vinegar

1/3 c. olive oil

Recipe:

1. Mix the salad ingredients together and set aside.

2. Mix together the dressing ingredients.

3. Place lettuce leaves on a plate and pile salad mixture on top.

4. Pour the dressing on top of the salad or mix it in.

Rating: TBD

Once again, this was one I missed at salad night. It looked very delicious though!

Source: Sariah Tolley

Texas Caviar or Bean Dip

I've seen this recipe by a few names, but either way you call it, it's delicious!

Ingredients:

1 15-oz can black beans, drained

1 15-oz can corn, drained

2 tomatoes, chopped

1 avocado, chopped*

1 c. cilantro, chopped

1/2 c. green onion, chopped

1 package dry Italian dressing mix, prepared as instructions direct **

1/4 c. vinegar

3 T. water

1/2 c. oil

* I left out the avocados this time. Honestly, I don't really think they add much other than a mushy factor. Avocados, by nature, are rather bland and actually absorb the taste of the flavors it's around.

** I actually half the vinegar, water, and oil, but keep the full amount of dressing mix. I do this just because as the dressing sits overnight or for a few hours, the tomatoes tend to run. So....when I half it the dip isn't soupy by morning.

Recipe:

1. Dump all ingredients except for dressing in a medium bowl.

2. Mix Italian dressing together in a dressing vase or ziploc bag. To do so, pour in 1/4 c. vinegar and 3 T. water. Add the dressing and shake well. Add the oil to the mixture and mix again.

3. Pour dressing over vegetables in bowl. Mix together.

4. Refrigerate approximately 1 hour before serving. Serve with tortilla or pita chips.

Rating: 5 of 5

Honestly, this is one of our favorites! It can be put together in less than 10 minutes and, I think, is pretty healthy. Love it! Eat it! I do think a little garlic might be a tasty addition...or maybe just a hint of lime. I'm not sure....I'll have to try that next time.

Source: um...not sure, but I've seen it everywhere. Today I'll site Ann Griggs.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

Ingredients:

Dressing:

3/4 c. strawberry jam

1 t. salt

1/3 c. sugar

1/2 t. dry mustard

3/4 c. canola oil

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

Salad:

Spinach

green onions, sliced

fried wontons (you can buy uncooked wontons at the store and then just fry them in canola oil)

chopped mushrooms (optional)

sliced strawberries

chopped nuts (I like to use macadamia nuts or almonds)

Recipe:

1. Mix the dressing ingredients together in a blender, food processor, or with a whisk.

2. Place spinach in a bowl. Layer the remaining ingredients.

3. If serving the whole salad with the dressing, put on just before serving.

Rating: TBD

We do a cooking group in our ward twice a month, and honestly, I can't remember the specifics about all the salads I had that night. They were all oh-so-good! I'll have to make this one and then rate it.

Source: Stephanie Hansen

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing ~ Cafe Rio Style: Take 2

A few months back we tried to make Cafe Rio's famous "house" dressing. It was pretty good, but not quite there. So, here is a different recipe attempting to catch the same flavor as Rio's. Also, this version is was less labor intensive....not that there is that much to do when making a dressing, though.

Ingredients:

1 pkg. dry Ranch Dressing

3 T. salsa verde

1/8 t. Tabasco

1/2 bunch cilantro, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 c. mayonnaise

3/4 c. sour cream

1/2 grated lime peel and juice, to taste

Recipe:

1. Blend above ingredients in blender. Thin with milk if needed.

Rating: 4.75 of 5

I actually think this comes pretty darn close. I think it probably would have been spot on if I hadn't added as much lime juice as I did. I haven't had it on the salad yet, so it might taste more like it when all is added together. Either way, it's good. This one looks more like Rio's than the other recipe.

Source: Our ward's RS. I don't know where they got it from though.

Creamy Tomatillo Dressing ~ Cafe Rio Style

(This picture is not of the completed dressing. I forgot to take one, so imagine little pieces of cilantro and jalapeno blended in there and you got it.)

Ingredients:

2 c. prepared Ranch dressing (can use buttermilk ranch recipe) *

1 small bunch cilantro, large stems removed (about 1/2 c. chopped cilantro)

2 large or 4 small tomatillos

1/2 t. minced garlic

2 T. fresh lime juice

1 diced jalapeno pepper

* I made according to the directions on the package, but instead of mayo I used sour cream

Recipe:

Prepare Ranch dressing according to directions on the package or recipe you're following and set aside.
Remove large cilantro stems, then wash leaves and spin dry or dry with paper towels. Add cilantro to food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse until finely chopped. (If you don't have a food processor, I'd chop all ingredients well by hand and then blend dressing in a blender.) * Add tomatillos, garlic, lime juice, and Green Tabasco or chopped jalapeno to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are finely pureed. Add the 2 cups of prepared dressing and pulse just a few times, until ingredients are well combined. Chill dressing for an hour or two and serve.

* I don't have a food processor and just used my blender. I thought it did a fine job of getting everything all blended.

Rating: 4 of 5
If you are looking for a spot-on Cafe Rio dressing recipe, then this is not it. But it is pretty darn close. I think the problem with my batch of dressing is that I put in a larger jalapeno and not one of the smaller ones. I have never cooked with tomatillos or jalapenos so I'm not familiar with the strength of the taste. Next time I will just use a smaller jalapeno. All in all, we liked it. LaDon kept saying, "This is so good," so I think it's a keeper and repeat. Also, it makes a pretty big batch!

Source: http://kalynskitchen.blogspot.com/2009/07/recipe-favorites-cafe-rio-style-creamy.html