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Classic Thousand Island Salad Dressing

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I hadn’t had store-bought Thousand Island Salad Dressing in many, many years. I’m forever trying to get the hubs to eat more veggies and salads, so awhile back, I suggested that he pick up a bottle from the store, as it was BOTH of our childhood favorites. I had been making this memorable dressing from scratch for years, but after I had to stop catering due to health issues, I hadn’t made it homemade in eons and thought that my recipe would make too much for two people to possibly consume in a short amount of time and that store-bought should be at the least, edible and “ok”. I was wrong. 

While I was enjoying my homemade Blue Cheese Dressing, the hubs was slowly making his way through his salad with the “mystery sauce” on top, made by the most well-known company, and I thought everything was fine. Uhm – – not. I thought I was finally gaining ground on salad-eating in this house until I asked a few days later if he wanted another salad with the next meal. He defiantly with a scowl said, “Noooooooo!!!!” After prompting what the problem was out of him, he confessed that the dressing just wasn’t even “edible”. What? THAT bad?? I shamefully thought he was just being Mr. Picky Pants again and how bad could it be? I mean, really?? So I opened the over-priced, teeny-tiny little bottle to try this stuff myself. Uhm….. it was AWFUL.  Not a little bad, but he put it perfectly – – INEDIBLY bad. Seriously gross. OUCH. 

I could NOT believe such a big company could destroy such a simple product the way they did. Wow. That bottle has been sitting in the fridge taking up space ever since the day we bought it. And now, it’s in the garbage. Done. And I will NEVER EVER have us waste money on salad dressing again. 😉 My apologies to my hubby and our entire digestive system. 

Salad dressings really are no mystery and are always made from simple staple items you already have. As I’ve said many times before, and I’ll say it again. If they were difficult to make and costly, companies would not make them and not reap disgustingly high profits off of them. 

So here is another salad dressing that used to be one of my most requested dressings back when I catered. This “mystery dressing” is no mystery and my version, trust me, is just like any you’ve had in a very fine restaurant that makes theirs homemade, too. 

*And a special thanks to my fellow blogger and friend, Patty, (from Cooking On A Budget), who reminded me that I need to pitch that GAWD awful bottle and make my own again when she posted her wonderful recipe as well! Be sure to go to her blog and check out her recipe, too! 😀 Though we all make the classics a bit differently, one thing’s for sure. Homemade beats store-bought HANDS DOWN. (*Understatement!! 😀 😉 )

And if I’ve only made the mistake of making too much, it will never go to waste as I’ll just simply share a jar with the neighbors! 😉 And you can, too! Homemade salad dressings, especially this time of year, make awesome gifts and are always appreciated by the hostess of a backyard barbecue! 

Thousand Island Dressing isn’t just for salads, either. 😉 It also makes for a wonderful condiment on burgers, fish sandwiches, Rueben’s, added to casseroles, and even a naughty dip for fresh veggies and even chicken fingers! 😉  

So I hope you find this recipe not only helpful, but that it saves you quite a few pennies and you find it just as delicious as we do, too! I hope you enjoy my recipe for many years to come! 🙂 Have a most wonderful day! 😀

 

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CLASSIC THOUSAND ISLAND DRESSING

Makes a little over a quart (*recipe is easily halved)

 

1 hard-boiled egg, very finely chopped into “crumbs”

4 cups regular heavy mayonnaise, I prefer Hellmann’s

1/3 cup Heinz Chili Sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup sweet pickle relish

2 Tbl. dried minced onion, or a fourth of a sweet onion very finely chopped

1 Tbl. chopped pimiento pepper (jarred, and I chop mine myself / small dice)

1 Tbl. fresh finely chopped parsley, *can sub 1/2 tsp. dried

1/2 tsp. rice vinegar

1/4 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. smoked sweet paprika

dash each salt and pepper, to taste

 

DIRECTIONS:

In medium-sized bowl, add all ingredients and stir until well mixed. Chill to meld, and so the sugar can dissolve and the dried onion rehydrates. 

*If halving the recipe, simply add the other half of the hard-boiled egg into the salad or sprinkle on top as a garnish.

**Rice vinegar subs if none on hand: regular distilled vinegar, apple cider vinegar, or sweet pickle juice.