Rockin’ Ranch Salad Dressing and a Give Away

This is really quite exciting, at least for me! Welcome to my first give away!

Please note: This give away is now closed.

OXO sent me a fun Salad Dressing Shaker to try out for myself and another one to share with one of you. I am sweetening the pot, so to speak, by including an OXO Salad Spinner and an OXO Swivel Peeler. Although the salad dressing shaker is new to me, I have been using OXO’s Salad Spinner and Swivel Peeler for several years and they are two of my favorite pieces of kitchen equipment. Now I can add the Salad Dressing Shaker to the party.

About the Shaker, OXO says “Making a quick dressing is a cinch with the OXO Good Grips Salad Dressing Shaker. The watertight Shaker offers a clean, neat and convenient way to mix, serve and store dressings, sauces and marinades. The top unscrews to reveal a wide opening ideal for adding a range of ingredients like oil, vinegar, mayonnaise, mustard, garlic, onions and spices. The Shaker is made of a BPA-free, break-resistant and dishwasher safe material. Once ingredients are added, screw the top on and shake to quickly mix dressings with no spills. The top lever flips back for pouring and forward to seal. Use the airtight Shaker to store leftover dressing and sauce right inside the fridge.”

Rules

Open to residents of the United States or Canada only.
Leave a comment in the comment section of this post and tell me your favorite salad dressing.
Only 1 comment allowed per person. Anonymous entries are not eligible.
Leave a valid email address so that I can notify you if you win. You will have 48 hours to reply or a new winner will be chosen.
The winner will be chosen through random.org.
The give away will remain open until midnight, Mountain Standard Time, on Friday July 27, 2012. The winner will be announced here on Saturday, July 28, 2012.

I am a salad person, plain and simple. I like all different types of salads, with no single salad being my absolute favorite. In my opinion, salad dressing is central to a good salad, even if the dressing is simply oil and vinegar. Sometimes I like to sit down with a big bowl of plain ol’ tossed salad, dressed only with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a sprinkling of salt. That’s some mighty fine eating.

Realistically I think that salads are all about the dressing anyway, such as with blue cheese or ranch. These are my two most favorite creamy dressings. I truly believe that often a salad is merely an accompaniment for the salad dressing. Am I right or am I right?

In the post, Perfect Breadsticks with Buttery Garlic Seasoning, I introduced you to my copy cat version of my favorite garlic bread seasoning. Inspired by a dressing recipe on the back of the name brand bottle, I tried the garlic bread seasoning in a buttermilk and mayonnaise-based salad dressing.

Boy was I surprised by the flavor! So good! Plus, I think that I inadvertently cracked the code on Hidden Valley Ranch dressing. I almost feel guilty, as if I am breaking a trade secret. Now, if only I could crack the secret code on Olive Garden dressing, life would be nigh unto perfect.

So, while I continue to work on that bit of life’s perfection until the wee hours of the morning, here’s some opportunities for you to put your life on the perfection train platform. As Mary Murphy of “So You Think You Can Dance” fame would excitedly say at ear shattering decibels and pitches that I wish were outside of the human hearing range, “Wooohooooooo!”

To have a chance at winning the great salad make-over kit by OXO, leave me a comment telling me your favorite salad dressing.
Make your favorite tossed salad and some of this Rockin’ Ranch Salad Dressing.
Do a good deed for someone without thought of notice or reward. It will put a warm glow in your heart.

Rockin’ Ranch Salad Dressing

Yield: Makes 1 1/4 cups dressing

Recipe by Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Ingredients

For the Garlic Bread Seasoning/Ranch Dressing Mix

3 tablespoons dry, grated Parmesan/Romano cheese blend ( like the kind in the green bottle )
2 tablespoons dry granulated garlic
2 teaspoons dry parsley flakes, crushed
1 teaspoon salt ( I used sea salt )
1/2 teaspoon dry basil, crushed
1/2 teaspoon granulated onion
1/4 teaspoon dry oregano, crushed

For the Dressing

3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup mayonnaise ( I used low fat )
2 teaspoons garlic bread seasoning/ranch dressing mix ( recipe above )
1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt ( I used Johnny's brand seasoning salt. )

Instructions

For the Garlic Bread Seasoning/Ranch Dressing Mix:

Mix all ingredients together well. Store remainder in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

For the dressing:

In a bowl, jar with a lid, or salad dressing shaker, blend together well the buttermilk and mayonnaise.
Add the garlic bread seasoning and seasoning salt; whisk or shake until ingredients are well blended.
Allow to stand in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld well.

http://www.tsgcookin.com/2012/07/rockin-ranch-salad-dressing-and-give/

The setup.

Pour the buttermilk into your chosen container. The OXO Salad Dressing Shaker has easy to see standard measurements on the side.

Add the mayo.

Helpful hint: In a measured container, add the liquid ingredient(s) first, then add the mayo. You don’t have to measure the mayonnaise separately; simply add it to the container until the liquid ingredients have been displaced to the correct amount. Oh no! It’s math! Easy peasy math, though. Example: This recipe calls for 3/4 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. 3/4 cup + 1/2 cup = 1 1/4 cups. So, pour in the buttermilk and then just add the mayo until the buttermilk reaches the 1 1/4 cup mark. Like I said–easy.

Now shake up the buttermilk and mayo until smooth. I was surprised at how well the lever at the top of the bottle sealed. However, be sure to put your finger over the lever to make certain that everything stays in place while you are shaking the bottle. Ignore this picture of me NOT putting my finger over the lever. When I was shaking the ingredients for real, I definitely kept my finger over the lever. I do have to confess, though, when I was putting this container through its paces, I tested the quality of the seal while shaking the bottle without holding the lever in place. Guess what? It held very well.

Remove the lid and add the seasoning salt and my soon-to-be-uber-famous garlic bread/salad dressing mix.

Screw the lid back on the shaker and, well, shake. See? I have my finger over the leaver in this picture. I’m so smart.

Here it is, the finished product. The only warning I need to give you is regarding that magic leaver at the top. The seal is so strong that it actually contributes to creating a vacuum in the bottle. When the leaver is pulled back for the first time after the dressing is shaken, the pressure within the bottle causes some of the dressing spurt out. To help reduce the splatter, allow the dressing to sit for a moment or two before pulling back the leaver. Another option is to unscrew the lid a little and allow the pressure to release.

Make your favorite salad. I put together a fun chef’s salad for dinner. It included iceberg and romaine lettuce; a favorite cheese; radishes; sliced mushrooms; cucumber slices; diced celery; tomato wedges; boiled eggs, sliced; honey ham–several slices stacked, then rolled together and sliced crosswise; and quartered rounds of pre-sliced salami.

Now top everything with that ridiculously good dressing and you’ll have yourself a very fine summertime meal.

Comments

Andrea says:

July 23, 2012 at 08:10

mmm…that does sound like some awesome dressing! My favorite dressing is Ranch and I also LOVE garlic so I’m guessing your recipe will become my new favorite What a fun giveaway! Thanks for the chance to win!

Erika says:

July 23, 2012 at 09:56

My favorite dressing is Olive Garden’s Italian! YUM. Sometimes I buy myself a bottle as a little treat. I’m not big on making dressing, but this giveaway could help that
Thanks for the chance to win. I’ve just recently discovered your blog, and have really enjoyed looking at all your recipes.

Jenna says:

July 23, 2012 at 12:46

Yum! Nothing hits the spot like a well-dressed salad. =) And my favorite: balsamic vinaigrette. Nice and simple. Loving your giveaway!

jenna.satterthwaite@gmail.com

leahtbug says:

July 23, 2012 at 12:49

Wow, what a hard question. I like different ones but if I could choose only one it would be blue cheese. That tang that gets you under the jaw at first bite…yummm. I also like Ranch, Caesar and Italian I would say roughly in that order. I love salad, could munch on one everyday. Congrats on your first Giveaway and keep up the good work and good deeds!

Stella B's Kitchen says:

July 23, 2012 at 13:34

Fun!! Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette is my favorite for salads. I want that chef’s salad tonight:)

Julia @The Roasted Root says:

July 23, 2012 at 14:20

I love ranch dressing and have never made it homemade – will definitely try your recipe…Looks so great with all the fresh veggies, meats, and cheese! My favorite dressing of all time is the Annie’s Goddess dressing (or the Trader Joe’s Goddess dressing), though ranch is a close second

Melissa @IWasBornToCook says:

July 23, 2012 at 17:13

I can’t get enough of ranch dressing! Thanks for visiting my blog

BB says:

July 23, 2012 at 22:59

My favorite is to mix a little Ranch dressing with a little Thousand Island–yum!

bmaxbmax16@hotmail.com

amy beth marantino says:

July 24, 2012 at 00:01

my favorite is a mustard vinaigrette.

Anonymous says:

July 24, 2012 at 04:14

Definitely Ranch and Blue Cheese are my favorite dressings, also a simple Lemon n Herbs or some Balsamic Vinegar and EVOO! Thanx for the wonderful giveaway opportunity…

jennyarzola (at) yahoo (dot) com

Curry and Comfort says:

July 24, 2012 at 06:52

Ranch dressing is my all time favorite dressing. I am definitely going to give this recipe a try. I love how you plated the salad and showcased the dressing. Great job. Congratulations on your wonderful giveaway. Anyone will be lucky to win it.

Cheryl C. says:

July 24, 2012 at 12:57

Ranch dressing is my favorite salad dressing and I can’t wait to try this recipe.

cherylann66@windstream.net

Unknown says:

July 25, 2012 at 10:46

I’m fickle. I love salad but I’m always changing the dressing up. But if I need a quick salad dressing i take 1/4 cup of mayo and mix in 3 TBSP of Red Wine Vinegar and it tastes good on anything.

KarlaJ says:

July 25, 2012 at 12:11

It really is a toss-up between ranch and blue cheese. This salad is beautiful, perfect dinner for a hot summer evening.

kjurentkuff@efwall.com

Julie says:

July 25, 2012 at 13:05

Green Goddess is my current favorite salad dressing.
juliebelle87@gmail.com

Meghan Finley says:

July 25, 2012 at 21:29

I love chunky blue cheese dressing but this looks awesome. I’ll definitely add to the list to try this summer

immortalb4 at gmail dot com

erin says:

July 26, 2012 at 20:53

It really depends on my mood and the type of salad I am enjoying. I really enjoy blue cheese, honey mustard or a simple vinagerette!