Though we’ve had some stellar summer days, we’ve lately had some that have been almost unbearable, too. The heat combined with the humidity hits you like a hot, wet blanket and feels almost smothering! You just want to climb into the freezer with a frozen margarita, a flashlight, and a good book!

It’s on these days that I just don’t hardly feel like doing a darn thing. Especially in the kitchen. Even just the mere thought of standing over a hot stove, or turning the oven on, has me thinking oh hellz no!

All I want is something cool, soothing and creamy. And since it’s not a very good idea to eat ice cream 3 times a day, (though I’d about LOVE to sometimes!), icebox-cold salad and homemade salad dressings really hit the spot and help us chill out!

My hubby and I don’t care for store-bought salad dressings, though. They don’t seem to have much flavor anymore and they just keep adding more and more syrupy sugar and “unwanteds” in there. They just seem to taste like creamy ketchup or barely-flavored mayonnaise anymore.

Salad dressing is simply too easy to make homemade, that everyone should just make it themselves. I used to make my own all the time back when I had my catering business. I mean, no way could you buy a gazillion small bottles of pre-made dressing for every large event, (such as 200 people for a wedding reception!), you know? It was more economical, fit into even a tight budget, and so much healthier! Besides, everyone raved over them and were always surprised that I had made them all myself, and often asked for the recipes!

My hubby has never been one to eat his veggies. And wouldn’t touch a salad. So I was stuck in a rut for awhile buying bottles of Ranch for myself. But quite awhile back, I decided to ask him what his all-time favorite dressing was when he was a kid. I thought, maybe if I made it homemade and served it on top of a spectacular salad, I could convince him that salads weren’t just for rabbits. 😉

He actually raved over it himself, and now I’ve created a salad monster! 😀

I’m LOVING it!! 😀

This is the latest dressing that I’ve made for us, that we’ve enjoyed two ways now. Ladled over homemade chef’s salad with lettuce, cucumber, tomato, lean roast beef and turkey, co-jack cheese, havarti cheese, red onion, and on his, chopped hard-boiled egg! One heck of a salad, right? 😀

Then, to top it off with homemade dressing? Oh, yea.

THAT will change someone’s mind about “rabbit food”! 😉

We also enjoyed this dressing on some homemade subs instead of the typical mayo and v/o! And it was delicious!! 😀 It would make a fun dip for anything from baby carrots, to fries, to chicken fingers, and would make for a nice sauce for a grilled chicken, a base for a cold, raw veggie pizza, or even a spread on a toasted bun on top of a juicy burger, too!

So, I hope this helps out a bit, convinces the picky eaters in your family that salad won’t actually “kill you”, and that you have fun using this recipe for many more wonderful things! The possibilities of uses are endless! 😀

Yield: 2 cups

Creamy Italian Salad Dressing

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Prep Time 10 minutes

Total Time 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup heavy mayonnaise such as Hellmann's
• 3/4 cup "salad dressing" such as Miracle Whip
• 1/4 cup buttermilk
• 2 1/2 Tbl. aged red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. dried minced onion
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp. sugar
• 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
• 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1/4 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp. dried mustard
• 1/4 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp. white pepper
• 1/8 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/16 tsp. onion powder
• 1 tsp. Kraft Parmesan Cheese (the "green can" stuff)

Instructions

In medium-sized bowl, add mayonnaise, salad dressing, buttermilk and red wine vinegar. Stir slowly doing a figure 8 to start so that you don't splash, then whisk until smooth.

Add rest of ingredients and stir until very well mixed.

Cover bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight is ideal! (*This is to let the flavors mellow, marry, and the dried onions to soften.) *The only ingredient that gets a little stronger is the red wine vinegar after chilling for a couple of hours. So don't add more than my recipe calls for until after you taste it once it has been refrigerated for at least 2-3 hours. Stir in a teaspoon at a time until it's reaches the tanginess that you personally enjoy. (*The vinegar will then re-mellow out overnight. So if you accidentally add too much vinegar, it won't be ruined.) In other words, the vinegar gets stronger after a few hours, then mellows out a lot overnight. Odd, but true.

Enjoy over your favorite salad, or use as a spread on a sub or grilled chicken sandwich, or even use as a dip for veggies!

Possibilities of uses are endless!