Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing Recipe

Ingredients

• 1/2 - 3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
• 2-3 tablespoons sour cream
• 1-2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh tarragon, dill, parsley, chives or celery leaves (or a combination)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced with a microplane grater
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• few dashes Tabasco sauce (or hot sauce of your choice, but a little vinegar is what you're looking for)

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients into a mason jar.
2. Blend using a hand blender.
3. Open, taste, season to taste with salt and plenty of fresh black pepper.
4. Blend again using your hand blender.  Then seal the lid.

Spinach Salad with Bacon & Watermelon Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pkg.  (6 oz.) baby spinach leaves
• 6 cups  cut-up watermelon (1-inch balls)
• 10 slices  bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup  slivered red onions
• 1/2 cup  Buttermilk Ranch Dressing

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except dressing

2. Spoon onto platter.

3. Drizzle with dressing just before serving.

Layered BLT Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 10 cups  tightly packed torn romaine lettuce
• 2 cups  halved cherry tomatoes
• 2 cups  croutons
• 8 slices  cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1 cup  Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheeses
• 8 oz. Caesar Dressing

Directions

1. Layer all ingredients except dressing in large bowl.
2. Add dressing just before serving; toss lightly.

Serves 8

Blue Cheese Potato Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 pounds unpeeled new potatoes -- quartered
• 1 bottle 8 oz creamy blue cheese dressing
• 3/4 cup blue cheese -- crumbled
• 1 jar real bacon pieces
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried sweet pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried chopped onion

Directions

1. Place potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil and cook until potatoes are tender; drain and rinse with cold water to stop cooking process. In a large bowl, combine remaining ingredients; stir in potatoes. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to flavors to blend. Serve chilled.
2. Yield: about 9 cups potato salad.

Source: Quick Gifts of Good Taste.

Classic Creamy Potato Salad Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 pounds small new potatoes
• 3 hard boiled eggs -- peeled
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons dijon-style mustard
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• tabasco -- to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 medium cucumber -- peeled, seeded and
• -- chopped
• 5 scallions -- chopped
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Place the potatoes, whole with their jackets, in a large pot and add salted cold water to cover by 1 inch. Bring the water to a boil and cook the potatoes until just tender when poked with a knife. Drain the potatoes and allow to cool. Quarter the potatoes or cut into bite-size pieces and set aside.
2. In a large bowl finely mash the eggs with a fork. Add the mayonnaise, sour cream, mustard, white wine vinegar and sugar and stir to combine. Season with Tabasco, salt and pepper to taste. Add the potatoes, cucumber, scallions and parsley and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

Taco in a Bag Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 (1 ounce) package taco seasoning mix
• 4 (2.5 ounce) Doritos Nacho Cheese Chips
• 2 cups shredded lettuce
• 1 chopped fresh tomato
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

1. Place ground beef in a large skillet. Cook and stir over medium heat until browned. Drain excess oil. Mix in the taco seasoning and prepare according to the directions on the package.
2. With the bags unopened, gently crush the corn chips. Snip the corners off the bags using scissors and slit open the bags along the side edge. Spoon equal amounts of the beef mixture, lettuce, tomato, Cheddar cheese, salsa and sour cream into the bags on top of the crushed chips. Serve in the bag and eat using a fork.

Blue Cheese Coleslaw Recipe

Ingredients

Slaw

• 2 pounds Napa cabbage, cored and shredded
• 8 ounces blue cheese, crumbled
• 1/4 cup chopped green onions

Dressing

• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/3 cup cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon celery seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions

• To make the slaw, toss the cabbage. blue cheese, and green onions together in a large salad bowl.  Set aside or keep covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.
• To make the dressing, right before serving whisk all the ingredient together in a small bowl.  Pour over the slaw and toss to coat evenly.  The slaw will wilt after it is tossed with the dressing, so serve immediately.