Homemade Ranch Dressing Mix

With fresh veggies for dipping and salad greens ready to pop out of the ground, you may want to keep a bit of ranch dressing mix on hand. Everyone is, of course, familiar with Hidden Valley. This version is one that someone else gave me and that I then "tweaked" a bit to suit my tastes. I encourage you to do the same thing. This stuff will keep in an airtight container for a while and is great to have on hand for dressings, dips, and recipes. I've included a few variations I like below. Experiment and enjoy...and let us know if you have a variation you'd like to share - thesoutherndish@gmail.com!

Ranch Dressing Mix
2 t. salt
2 t. dried minced garlic
3 T. dried minced onion or dried chives
2 t. freshly ground pepper
2 t. sugar
2 1/2 t. paprika
2 1/2 t. dried parsley flakes

Grind the dried herbs in your food processor or blender. Pour into an airtight container and mix in the remaining ingredients.

To make traditional ranch dressing: whisk together 1 c. good quality mayo (or sour cream or plain yogurt), 1 c. buttermilk, 1-2 T. homemade ranch dressing mix, depending on preferences. Chill for a few hours for flavors to blend.

To make traditional ranch dip (great with chips or veggies): stir together 8 oz. sour cream, 8 oz. softened cream cheese, 2 T. homemade ranch dressing mix (adjust to taste). Chill a few hours or over night.

For a mild blue cheese dressing: use the traditional ranch dressing recipe above and crumble small pieces of blue cheese into the dressing prior to refrigerating. This makes a great salad dressing and is also beyond wonderful with homemade (or store bought) sweet potato chips!

For a Tex-Mex avocado ranch dressing: use the traditional ranch dressing recipe above and stir in 1/4 to 1/2 mashed ripe avocado that you've sprinkled with lemon or lime juice. Perfect with a grilled-chicken-topped salad with tortilla chips and fresh salsa.