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The Kitchen Table

What is Your Favorite Salad Dressing?

Marilyn Sue McClintock

14 years ago

I would have to say mine is a good poppy seed dressing, not that I don't like a lot of the others. My husband will only eat Thousand Island, he is missing out on a lot of other good flavors! So do you have a favorite?

Sue

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Comments (29)

rthummer
14 years ago
Mine is the Ranch one you make yourself...Is it the Hidden Valley Ranch? I cant remember the name of it. But it is one cup of milk, one cup of mayo, and l packet of the store bought dry dressing. Mix all together, let sit for awhile and Oh so good. Creamy and smooth. I don't like the bottled Ranch Dressing as they are to strong. I like a more smooth mellow dressing.
donna_loomis
14 years ago
My absolute favorite is not a mixed dressing, per se. Pour a little olive oil over my salad, sprinkle a little salt, then splash on a generous amount of red or white wine vinegar. My next favorite is Hidden Valley Ranch Buttermilk dressing, the one made with buttermilk, not regular milk.
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favorite homemade salad dressing?
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Here are a few: Green godess: 2 cups mayonnaise 4 anchovy fillets, minced 1 green onion, chopped 2 teaspoons chopped fresh parsley 2 teaspoons chopped fresh chives 1 tablespoon taragon vinegar 1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon Directions 1 Mix together mayonnaise, anchovy, green onion, parsley, chives, vinegar and tarragon. 2 Refrigerate until ready to serve and pour over favorite salad or greens. Makes 6 servings Fran Lozano's zesty blue dressing 4 oz Maytag blue cheese 1/2 cup olive oil 1 tsp grated lemon peel juice of ½ a lemon 1 cup sour cream 1 clove minced garlic. Mash cheese with fork and mix in oil until creamy. add remaining ingredients. Donns Delight 4 oz Maytag blue crumbled 1 cup of mayo ( I use Kraft) 3 oz ( about 1/3 cup) milk or cream 2 tsps sugar 2 tsps dried parsley 1 ½ Tablespoons lemon juice 1 ½ Tablespoons cider vinegar 1 Tablespoon fresh grated onion 1 Tsp Lee and Perrins worchestershire 1 tsp horseradish ½ tspoon garlic powder. Mix gently so as to leave some lumps, and serve over a green salad or on sliced tomatoes or cukes and onions or as a dip for raw veggies. Serves about 6 to 8 Basic vinaigrette 1T dijon mustard 1clove of garlic, crushed (or chopped very fine) 1T honey 1/3 cup cider vinegar Mix together, I use a wire wisk 1/2 cup olive oil...whisk the oil in a slow stream, whisking all the while Then I like to add some dried or fresh herbs....most of the time I use oregano...I Dont' add salt because of the salt in the mustard, and I pepper it on the plate or in the bowl....like they do in a restaurant!! Now, if you substitute catsup for the mustard and use brown sugar instead of the Honey, add a bit of cayenne and basil instead of the oregano, you have something Different. If you substitute mayonnaise for the mustard and white sugar for the honey and add some chopped chives or green onion tops...it's different still. Try doing the Mayonnaise thing and using walnut oil instead of olive oil....or substituting raspberry vinegar for the cider vinegar...or balsamic vinegar....or lemon juice....try adding some poppy seed or celery seed...for a fruit salad, leave out the garlic. The variations are endless....once you know the basics! And then there's my famous "dump and toss".. Mix your greens in a wooden bowl which has been rubbed with a cut clove of garlic, drizzle a little OVOO over it all and toss until every leaf is coated, sprinkle very lightly with salt and av ery little bit of sugar (brings out the flavor)...keep tossing...add herbs and seasonings of choice....tarragon, oregano, basil, marjoram, cilantro...whatever floats your boat....keep tossing....finish up with a sprinkling of the vinegar of choice....taste a leaf....perhaps add more vinegar or salt or sugar....and pass the pepper grinder. This works best with 2 people, one tossing and the other adding stuff, it's hard to go wrong and makes you look like such a pro in the kitchen! Linda C
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What is your favorite salad?
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Comments (24)
I found this thread with some interesting recipes from SharonCb and thought it deserved to be revived. Also, I had not added my own favorite salads; here's my number one fave: Crab Louis 1 pound King Crab legs/claws, or 2/3 pound crab meat several leaves of green leafy lettuce, such as Romaine, Butter, Green Leaf, or Red Leaf 1 large Haas avocado, fully ripe, peeled and halved, with seed removed 1-2 tomatoes, depending on size 2 hard-boiled eggs, sliced 3-4 white or brown button mushrooms, thinly sliced 8-12 black olives, sliced in half, optional 1-2 green onions, minced (one large or two small) Louis salad dressing* Remove all crabmeat from the legs and set aside. Arrange two plates with leaves of lettuce, just enough to cover the plates. Halve the avocado and thinly slice each half, keeping the slices in place. Transfer each half to a plate with the cavity side up in the center of the plate. If you can’t keep the slices in place, you can arrange the slices like the spokes of a wheel. Place the crab meat in a heap in the center of the plate. Cut the tomatoes into wedges, approximately 8-12 wedges per tomato, depending on size. Arrange the tomatoes around the avocado halves in a spoke pattern. Arrange the hard-boiled egg and mushroom slices between the tomato wedges, and sprinkle with olive slices and green onion. Pour about 2-3 tbsp Louis salad dressing on top of the crab. Serve with garlic toast and Champagne or dry white wine, preferably sparkling. Note: you can substitute chopped, cooked asparagus for the avocado. *Crab Louis Dressing: 2/3 cup mayonnaise, 1/3 cup chili sauce, 1 Tbsp minced green onion, 2 tsp lemon or lime juice, 1 tsp prepared horseradish dash of hot sauce or cayenne Combine all ingredients and mix well. This is my number two salad, which I found here: Raw Tuscan Kale Salad 1 bunch Tuscan kale (for ex: black or lacinato) 2 thin slices country bread, or two handfuls good, homemade coarse breadcrumbs 1 garlic clove 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus a pinch 1/4 cup (or small handful) grated pecorino cheese, plus additional for garnish 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus additional for garnish Freshly squeezed juice of one lemon (scant 1/4 cup) 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes Freshly ground black pepper to taste Trim the bottom few inches off the kale stems and discard. Slice the kale into 3/4 inch ribbons. You should have 4 to 5 cups. Place the kale in a large bowl. If using the bread, toast it until golden brown on both sides and dry throughout. Tear into small pieces and pulse in a food processor until the mixture forms coarse crumbs, or crumbs to your liking. Using a mortar and pestle or a knife, pound or mince the garlic and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into a paste. Transfer the garlic to a small bowl. Add 1/4 cup cheese, 3 tablespoons oil, lemon juice, pinch of salt, pepper flakes, and black pepper and whisk to combine. Pour the dressing over the kale and toss very well (the dressing will be thick and need lots of tossing to coat the leaves). Let the salad sit for 5 minutes, then serve topped with the bread crumbs, additional cheese, and a drizzle of oil. Adapted from the Raw Tuscan Kale Salad with Chiles and Pecorino recipe in Melissa Clark's In the Kitchen with A Good Appetite.
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Your favorite french/Italian salad dressing
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Comments (11)
Here's my go-to recipe. The three to one oil:vinegar ratio is a classic for a reason--it tastes good. Tarragon Vinaigrette 6 oz Olive Oil (see note) 2 oz White Wine Vinegar 1 tsp dried tarragon 1/8 to ÃÂ¼ tsp salt (preferably kosher) generous grinding of black pepper 4 to 6 dashes of Tabasco about ÃÂ¼ tsp of Dijon mustard Put all the ingredients in a container and blend well with a fork or whisk. If you want it a little thicker, put an ice cube in it while blending it, removing the ice cube prior to dressing the salad. It can be made up earlier in the day and stored in a glass container, covered, in the fridge; just whip it up again immediately prior to dressing the salad. Makes about one cup. Note on olive oil: this recipe is only as good as the oil you use. DonÃ¢ÂÂt use cheap olive oil (or--horrors--"Ã¢ÂÂliteÃ¢ÂÂ olive oil.) Use a good green Ã¢ÂÂprimaveraÃ¢ÂÂ extra virgin oil, no blends. Bertolli is fine. If you can find (and afford) a French olive oil from Provence like Hilaire Fabre or James Plagniol, get it; itÃ¢ÂÂs fantastic. Variation 1: use walnut or hazelnut oil instead of the olive oil. Variation 2: for the vinegar, use half vinegar and half lemon juice. However you vary it, though, make sure you follow the proverb Ã¢ÂÂA spendthrift with oil and a miser with vinegarÃ¢ÂÂ =="the oil to vinegar ratio should be about 3:1. Trader Joe's has a pretty good selection of olive oils. Of all their varieties I have tried, I've never had a dud. But if you aren't close to a specialty store, the supermarket may carry Bertolli or Colavita, and I find both of those satisfactory. This post was edited by arley on Wed, Nov 26, 14 at 8:54
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My new favorite bottled salad dressing
Q
Comments (9)
Nope, but I will. I love Caesar salad but, like you, I've never cared for the bottled stuff. Thanks for the heads up! Wanted to make a Caesar salad while my sister is here. Is it on the aisle with the salad dressings or in the produce department? Anybody find it at Publix or Winn-Dixie?
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sea_shell
14 years ago
Blus cheese tops my list followed by Ranch, also like fresh lemon juice on salad.

Sue
grammahony
14 years ago
Blu cheese/Roquefort is mine too. I haven't made the Hidden Valley Ranch in a long time. I also like to make the Good Seasons packet for the Italian dressing. Only I double everything but the packet of mix. Also, I use Red Wine vinegar in it.
Leslie
country_bumpkin_al
14 years ago
Depends on what I'm eating. Gotta have Bleu Cheese with Hot Wings!! With spaghetti I want Ranch or Italian.
chubby_rat
14 years ago
Catalina...then the Cucumber Ranch one. Don't care for plain Ranch.I like Zesty Italian too.
vicki_lv
14 years ago
On salad? Bleu cheese AND French

With chicken wings? Bleu cheese

On pizza? Bleu cheese
trinitytx
14 years ago
bleu cheese here too, second would be thousand.

Trin
jel48
14 years ago
Dorothy Lynch.
hounds_x_two
14 years ago
The kind you make yourself...with good quality olive oil, balsamic vinegar, fresh garlic, and whatever other things the creative muses lead you to stir in!
mrsmarv
14 years ago
I'm with hounds.
patti43
14 years ago
I like the homemade ones best, too. I made a good poppyseed dressing the other day--very thick and creamy. Homemade blue cheese is the best!! I used to have a French dressing recipe that was really good--I think it had a can of tomato soup in it. It sure was good on tomatoes. Give me bottled ranch dressing for my wings though!!
angelaid
14 years ago
I go through spurts

Hidden Valley Ranch (from the dry packet, with buttermilk)

Lite House Blue Cheese

Lite House Blue Cheese and Catalina

Zesty Italian w/parmesan cheese added (like this heated on spinach salads too)

Lite House Caesar Dressing for Caesar salads (add a squeeze of fresh lemon after tossing)
vannie
14 years ago
1. bleu cheese
2. honey mustard.
love 'em both.
dotmom
14 years ago
Lite House (brand) chunky bleu cheese and once in a while I'll mix in a little Western dressing. bTW, Western dressing makes a terrific marinade for chicken or beef kabobs. I learned that trick from Mr Steak restaurants. Do those restaurants exist any where, anymore? Dottie
carla35
14 years ago
My favorite is homemade.. a vinegar and oil like donna's except it also has sugar (a lot). Nothing beats a homemade sweet vinegar and oil. There's a lot of non-chain Italian restaurants in our area and most serve their salads with a sweet italian style dressings -- I love all variations!

I sometimes add a spoon or so of mayo to my homemade dressing to thicken it and put on broccoli or pasta salads, etc.

My favorite bottled dressing is one called Hendrickson's --YUMMY!
caflowerluver
14 years ago
Homemade Blue cheese or Roquefort. Next is Catalina or Ranch. DH always has olive oil and Balsamic vinegar, never anything else.
Clare
pris
14 years ago
Count me in with hounds too.
rosebudms
14 years ago
Paul Newman's Lite Lime Vinergrette... well, I can't spell it but it is a fantastic dressing. Vinagrette. Something like that!LOL
glenda_al
14 years ago
My former MIL's buttermilk roquefort dressing. Yumster
danihoney
14 years ago
Homemade - Flax seed oil, apple cider vinegar, and a squeeze of spicy mustard. Or just freshly squeezed lemon.
gemini40
14 years ago
I have several....all time favorite is one I make myself. EVOO and a splash of rice wine vinegar...delightful. parmesan peppercorn, absolutely yummy.

june
carol_in_california
14 years ago
My own homemade honey mustard for DH. I like my own sun-dried tomato, basil vinagrette.
I don't keep any store bought dressing in the house.
roseluver
14 years ago
Homemade comeback salad dressing.
lindyluwho
14 years ago
Good Seasons Italian.

Linda
Cherryfizz
14 years ago
If I buy salad dressing it would be Renee's Chunky Blue Cheese or the packets of dried Ranch that I mix with mayo.

99 percent of the time I make my own. I love extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon juice or I make a vinegrette with Dijon mustard, canola oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and a bit of honey.

Anne
mooner
14 years ago
I am with you Fizz, but I like the Renee's Caesar one. But I can't find it in the states when we go to Texas, so I try to take enough along for the winter.
marilyn_c
14 years ago
Homemade Thousand Island, homemade french, or Hidden Valley Ranch, made with the packet, mayo and buttermilk.
liira39
14 years ago
1. Asian Seasame
2. Russian
3. Creamy Cucumber

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