As you can see in the graph below, Ranch Dressing was the number 2 most sold condiment in the US between 2019 and 2021. I can’t imagine that position has changed in the meantime.
The Quick & Zesty Ranch Dressing you see here is what I call a “base recipe” from which you can improvise however you like – flavor rules! – and I’ll provide guides about how to do that soon. The ingredients, shown below, needed to make this Ranch Dressing are all commonly found, require no cutting or chopping and are a lot more wholesome…
…than the ingredients you typically see printed on labels of store-bought Ranch Dressings, like those shown below. (By the way, the mayonnaise I’m using, far left in the picture above, is homemade, which you can see how to make by clicking this link. The yellow comes from added turmeric powder.)
Once you have the ingredients good to go, all you have to do is put them together,…
…mix them well and then let the dressing rest in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to bring out the full flavors of herbs and spices you use.
Click this link or any picture on this page for picture book Quick and Zesty Ranch Dressing directions, and enjoy!
As shown in the Statistica graph below, ketchup was the number 3 selling condiment in the US between 2019-2021. I can’t imagine that’s changed between then and now.
At the same time, as shown in the images of store-bought ketchup nutrition/ingredient labels below, most of those store-bought ketchups contain about 1 teaspoon of sugar per tablespoon of ketchup (3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon).
Through most of my adult life, I’ve backed off ketchup mostly because I found it too sweet. But then, not too long ago, I found a sugar-free ketchup at a fresh food market in Easton, Pennsylvania. And though I loved the taste: fresh, zesty and rich tomato flavor, I wasn’t too hot on the price, something like $8.00 for the bottle you see below – and I found that price consistent for similar sugar-free ketchups on other store shelves across the country.
As noted in red above, though the recipe above looks perfectly fine (thanks, Lauren!), I improvised (any recipe is only a guide) by:
using crushed tomatoes because I like that better than tomato sauce
cutting the sugar amount from 4 tablespoons to one tablespoon
skipping water – no flavor – and because I used a can of crushed tomatoes (14.5 ounces) that was almost twice the size of the 8 ounce can of tomato sauce called for in the recipe above
cutting out the salt because I didn’t think it needed it
skipping the onion powder because I didn’t have it on hand and, instead, used 1 full teaspoon of garlic powder
added 1/4 teaspoon of ground clove because I love that flavor
skipped the red pepper/hot sauce just to find out how the ketchup would taste without it – I could always add either later
Bottom line: here’s what I came up with that’s “super” easy to make (no cutting needed), low in sugar and salt, and, most importantly, fully flavorful – that you can see how to make by clicking this link!
About a month ago, I posted this extremely easy-to-make Instant 5-Ingredient Salad Dressing that’s so versatile, it goes great, of course, on salads, but also on pasta, rice, sandwiches, cooked vegetables – imagination is your only limit.
This post is about how to make that dressing fresh-er just by substituting garlic powder with fresh garlic.
I’m a big fan of fresh garlic for its rich, bold flavor – and its broad spectrum health benefits that include: improved immune system, lowered blood pressure and cholesterol, cancer prevention, improved athletic performance – and more (for more details in short, easy-to-read form, click this Spice World link).
Two quick practical tips about fresh garlic. First, choose fresh garlic bulbs, like the one shown below, that are firm to a hand squeeze, heavier in weight (more water content) and show no signs of dark grey mold under the skin or green shoots growing out of the bulb.
Second, to make peeling the garlic skin easy, which is the least fun part about dealing with fresh garlic, first crunch the individual garlic cloves with a forceful press and satisfying garlic skin pop using the side of a wide-bladed chef’s knife, as shown here.
Once you chop the fresh garlic, as shown briefly below, the rest is all down hill. Just add mustard, ground black pepper, vinegar and yogurt.
You can see all the above – and more – by clicking this link for the complete Fresh 5-Ingredient Salad Dressing picture book recipe.
Last post showed how to make a fully flavorful, exceptionally easy to make, highly versatile Instant 5-Ingredient Salad Dressing. I made that dressing most recently to start a “Gotta’ Eat Smartly” series of food demos with AARP at Eastway Recreation Center in Charlotte earlier this month. That series is designed to give senior citizens the hands-on kitchen skills and knowledge they need to empower themselves to make life-promoting/quality of life improving meals.
If you’re a regular to this site – or know me personally, you know flavor rules – always! Here’s an example. Sure, we could’ve used that Instant 5-Ingredient Salad dressing on a traditional lettuce and tomato salad, but where’s the flavor fun in that? So instead, I showed the group of a dozen very engaged women how to make a Pear and Avocado Salad – and then how to improvise on that very easy base recipe. First, here’s what you need to make the base recipe – and you’ll see that we replaced a store-bought salad dressing in the top picture with our Instant 5-Ingredient Salad Dressing.
I mentioned “improvising” above, and by improvising I mean adding or substituting ingredients based on either/both your taste and/or ingredients you have on hand – and remember, recipes are just guides. So, for example, I asked the women if they thought it would be ok to substitute or even supplement the pears with apples. Sure! And then I suggested adding adding flavors as they liked based on personal taste.
That last sentence fired up a lively discussion. “Can I add chicken or any other meat?” Yes! “What about fresh herbs?” Sure!
“What about adding potato salad?” Absolutely! And that potato salad question led to a talk about mayonnaise in potato salad and which mayonnaise brand I like. My comment: I don’t like using processed foods, like store-bought mayonnaise, with long paragraphs of ingredients, some of which are NOT found in nature. So, I improvise and substitute mayonnaise with Greek yogurt, mustard and spices.
“If you do that, then what about making homemade mayonnaise?” one of the women asked. “A friend of mine makes it all the time and says it’s easy.” Great idea! I’ve never made it before, but I’ll learn and we’ll make it together next time we’re together.
Next time is coming up fast: Thursday, February 8th – and I’ve already started practicing.
I first picked a top-rated homemade mayonnaise recipe from Inspired Taste. I then improvised a bit, as they suggested, and will need to do more of that. You know the flavor deal. I’m not rolling out my version until that flavor kicks it full-on.
In the meantime, back to the Pear and Avocado Salad featured here. Please click this link and pass it on for the easy to follow picture book recipe shown below. And remember: that recipe is just a guide. Play with it. Improvise. And, most of all, have fun!
Last post mentioned work I’ve just started with AARP (American Association of Retired People) and Eastway Rec. Center in Charlotte, NC, to help senior citizens empower themselves in the kitchen to make life-promoting foods.
The first recipe we made together was the Instant 5-Ingredient Salad Dressing shown below, which is just as incredibly versatile as it is easy to make.
First, a quick back story. The first time I ever made this recipe was with a group of fellow veterans who were turning their lives around through Veterans Incorporated (Vets Inc.) in Shrewsbury, MA. One of the guys in the group, a fellow Navy veteran – and terrific character, chimed in when I listed the seven ingredients I intended to use: garlic powder, salt, ground black pepper, mustard, honey, vinegar and oil.
“Why do we need the added salt and sugar? A lot of guys here have diabetes and/or high blood pressure. We don’t need that _____(4-letter word for “stuff”)!”
I get blunt beautifully and had to agree about the added salt and sugar. But this was the first recipe I was rolling out with these guys and first time I’d ever met them. My inner thought: “Fine, I’ll cut the salt and honey – but, boy, this dressing’s gonna’ taste like crap.”
I quickly made the dressing and asked the guys to taste a spoon of it full-on before I tasted it myself. The stunner? They loved it – and so did I.
Not only does this dressing taste great (most important), but it’s also incredibly versatile. As shown in the few sample pictures below, it goes great on any kind of warm or cold salad, over cooked vegetables, meat, chicken, fish, pasta, rice – imagination is your only limit.
Here are the ingredients needed to make this salad dressing. You’ll actually see six ingredients below because I often use two different types of vinegars for added flavor, which you certainly don’t have to do.
Click this link or any picture on this page for a complete step-by-step picture recipe that includes information about the sourness of different vinegars and why this recipe is considered low in both salt and sugar.
Thanksgiving’s by far my favorite holiday! All that’s expected, and that’s best part of it, is a good meal and getting together with family and friends. Not much more to be thankful about than that!
Of course, for the host(s), making that meal can feel daunting. That’s what this post and those that follow leading up to Thanksgiving Day are all about.
The two keys to putting together a successful and stress-free Thanksgiving dinner: making sure you have all the ingredients you need in advance (stores are usually – and thankfully – closed on Thanksgiving Day) and coordinating timing in the kitchen.
To help you get the ingredients you need as efficiently as possible, click this link or the picture below for a grocery shopping list to make a traditional Thanksgiving dinner for 6-8 people that includes roast turkey, gravy, bread stuffing, fresh cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes and pie dessert. Of course, just adjust those quantities as needed based on how many people you expect to join you for Thanksgiving dinner.
And, though though it’s a little early to start actually preparing any Thanksgiving dishes, click this link or the picture below for a timing guide that lays out clearly just about everything you’ll need to do to put together a traditional Thanksgiving dinner.
More about specific Thanksgiving recipes to follow that we’ll have fun putting together!
Last two posts showed how easy it is to make fully flavorful fresh whipped cream and then how to boost flavor to that same whipped cream by just adding ground cinnamon. This post shows a couple ways to vary whipped cream flavor very quickly and easily – even if you’re lactose intolerant. As always here, imagination is your only limit!
Killer easy to make! As shown in the picture thumbnail sketch below,…
…just add pumpkin butter and pumpkin pie spice to the base fresh whipped cream recipe. And you don’t have to be limited by pumpkin butter. You can use apple butter, your favorite jam, butterscotch spread – anything you like to get the flavor you want.
Then if you or someone you know is lactose intolerant, here’s how you can easily switch out heavy cream with coconut cream and coconut milk to make both a basic coconut based whipped cream and then use the above ideas to vary the flavor any way you like.
The key here – as always – learn the base recipe and then use your imagination to have fully flavorful fun with it!
The other day I mentioned that I keep a vat of fresh whipped cream in the fridge. That vat went dry just after I wrote that. So, what a great opportunity to whip up a new one – and add flavor, all fun and very easily. As shown below, all I did was add a good shake of ground cinnamon (I do that all the time now) and use coconut sugar instead of regular white table sugar.
Whipping then took only 2 minutes as I’d used heavy cream right out of the fridge and a frosted glass measuring cup I’d put in the freezer over night.
You’ll notice in the last shot above that I didn’t whip the cream until it was firm enough to keep the ejected hand mixer blades standing. All fine. That’s the consistency I like, as it dissolves more easily in coffee, works great on anything else I top with it and makes it easy to pour into a “vat” I put in the fridge for easy access anytime I want it.
Click any picture on this page for step-by-step picture book Fresh Whipped Cream directions that you can vary however your personal taste desires.
Fresh whipped cream tastes far better than whipped cream spritzed from a can or scooped from a plastic tub – and it’s both as incredibly easy to make as it is versatile to use. I love it with the “rocket fuel breakfast” you see above: on fruit pancake, with yogurt and fruit, in coffee. But, as always, imagination is your only limit!
Here’s what you need for both for ingredients and equipment – easy.
Before you get started, here’s an easy tip. Make sure the heavy cream is cold and put whatever container you’re going to use to whip the cream in the freezer until it is well chilled as shown below. The reason: cold cream and a cold container make the cream whip faster – I like that!
Please click any picture on this page or this link for step-by-step fresh whipped cream picture book directions – and enjoy!
Top left & right: In DC for National Bike Summit. Bottom left: riding Fiesta Island with good Navy bud, Stormin’ Walker. Bottom right: “on the fly” improvised fruit pancake.
Here’s an “on the fly” example. Was in San Diego last week at my Navy big brother’s place and made this improvised strawberry, blackberry and banana pancake for breakfast.
I’ve certainly made lots of fruit pancakes but never one with strawberries, bananas and blackberries. No big deal.
The keys to improvising are having a good, reliable, easy to remember base recipe and trusting your taste to make what you want. Also no big deal – but a lot of fun.
My base recipe for fruit pancakes: apple pancake. If you’re an apple fan at all, I think you’ll find that pancake both fully-flavor-satisfying and one that will let answer the question, “I wonder how it would taste if I made it with _______?” As soon as you ask that question – and you’re willing to take a little leap in faith – you’re off to the “on the fly” improvised races!
April 24th, 2024 
