Best Darn Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

Best Darn Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

Prep Time: 5 Minutes

Difficulty: Easy

One condiment you will find abundantly stocked in our home is Ranch Dressing. Since our second child was young (by far the pickiest of our three children), Ranch dressing was the quintessential condiment and the only way we could entice him to eat vegetables, chicken tenders, burgers, and pretty much anything. Whenever our children stayed at their grandparents' homes, we forewarned them to keep Ranch dressing on hand or suffer the consequences. 

To this day, Ranch is still our son's preferred condiment, but he's hardly the picky eater he was in the past. He considers himself "The Master Taster Tester" of the family (something he coined when he was younger). I had never made Homemade Ranch before until our son asked, "Mom, what is in ranch dressing?" I was stumped. So, we looked up the ingredients, and as it turns out, I had everything on hand, including fresh herbs from our garden. I sensed a method to his madness, so after playing with a few ingredients, I surprised him later with homemade ranch dressing. His smile said it all.

From The "Master Taster Tester's" lips, "Mom, this is the best darn ranch dressing ever!", It only seemed fitting to share this recipe with the world and label it The Best Darn Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe. Embodied in creamy buttermilk, Cherchies® Lem'n Dill, Cherchies® Garlic 'n Herbs, and other fresh herbs, this tasty ranch dressing recipe will appease even the most discerning ranch lover; but beware, you may never go back to the bottled ranch dressing again! Use this dressing in all your favorite recipes: a dip for vegetables, chicken tenders, fries, a spread on sandwiches, and a salad dressing.

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup mayo

• 1/2 cup sour cream (could substitute Greek yogurt)

• 1/2 cup half and half

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) lemon juice

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) coarsely chopped fresh chives

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) chopped fresh parsley (3/4 teaspoon dried)

• 1 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic 'n Herbs No-Salt Seasoning

• 1/4 teaspoon (tsp) ground black pepper

Preparation

Add all the ingredients to a food processor or blender.  Pulse to combine.  If the recipe is too thick, add more half-and-half or milk to the mixture.  

Refrigerate and chill for at least an hour, but overnight is preferable, as the flavors will marry. Serve over your favorite salad or as a dipping sauce for fries, chicken tenders, pretzels, vegetables, or whatever your heart desires.

Enjoy!

**Note: In the post, I mentioned buttermilk. I rarely have buttermilk on hand, so I use half and half and a teaspoon of white vinegar to simulate buttermilk. It is a quick and easy substitution.

Best Darn Homemade Ranch Dressing Recipe

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe

Imagine for a moment the sweet aroma of freshly baked banana bread wafting through the air. It sounds like heaven, right?  Is your mouth watering? One of my favorite treats growing up, was my mom's banana bread, by far the best banana bread ever and now a breakfast staple in our family. 

This moist and flavorful banana bread recipe was given to my mom many years ago by a little old lady in Hawaii.  My mom's (the little old lady's) original recipe, consisted of shortening and a lot of sugar, which probably is why it was so decadent, but not practical by today's standards.  I substituted butter for the shortening and Cherchies® Apple Butter Spread for some of the sugar, and because I was feeling adventurous, I added chocolate chips. The real question, could my version compete with mom's recipe?  Only our discerning and I quote, "master taster testers" (our kiddos) would soon reveal the truth.

Hot diggity dog! (Okay I am dating myself).  My version passed with flying colors!  Moist, flavorful, just like "Grammy's," music to my ears!  I usually triple this recipe because this decadent treat disappears almost instantaneously, and freezing extra loaves extends the disappearing act by a little.  

So friends, if you are looking for your new favorite banana bread recipe, it is time put your overripe bananas to good use and make this tasty recipe today!  You will not be disappointed:)

Thanks for visiting!

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Cherchies Apple Butter Spread
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) baking soda
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) salt
• 2 cups flour
• 5 Tablespoons (Tbsp) *sour milk 
• 1 teaspoon (tsp) white vinegar
• 4 ripe bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
• 1 cup chocolate chips (optional)
• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) flour

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350.  

To make the *sour milk, add 5 Tablespoons of milk to a small bowl.  Add the white vinegar to the milk, stir and set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream the butter, sugar, and Cherchies Apple Butter Spread together.  Then add eggs, baking soda, salt, flour and measure out 5 Tablespoons of the sour milk.  Discard the remaining sour milk.

Mash the bananas with a fork and add to the batter.  In a small bowl, mix the chocolate chips with 1 Tablespoon of flour.  This helps prevent the chips from sinking to the bottom.  Gently fold the floured chocolate chips into the banana bread batter.

For two loaves, divide the batter evenly into two greased (with cooking spray) loaf pans, or into one greased loaf pan for one loaf.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1/2 hour or until done.   Enjoy!

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

Cooking Time: 15-20 minutes  
Difficulty: Easy

Today's recipe is a copycat version of our family's beloved Philadelphia's Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread. It is chock full of vegetables and fresh herbs and is a fraction of the cost of the store-bought brand. I have to say, this recipe is pretty darn close to the original.

Bagels and cream cheese are a staple breakfast or afternoon snack in our home, especially bagels slathered with Philadelphia Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese, our family's favorite. Unfortunately, the small tubs found in grocery stores do not last long in a home with young adults and their friends, all with voracious appetites. Anyone with teenagers or young adults can attest to how quickly food disappears. Yeesh!

Re-creating recipes at home is my thing, so I took a stab at re-creating my family's beloved veggie cream cheese spread because I could make larger quantities and control the ingredients. It took a couple of tries experimenting with the ingredients (apparently, cucumber was a no-no), but according to our "Master Taster Tester," as my son calls himself, this recipe got a thumbs up!

With just a few ingredients and a few minutes of chopping and mixing, the result was a creamy, dreamy, savory spread, the perfect addition to bagels, crackers, sandwiches, and more! This recipe is so tasty and economical that you may never use the store tubs again!  

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have tried this tasty recipe. Return again for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients

• 3 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, softened

• 1/2 whole green pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

• 1/2 whole red pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

• 1/2 whole yellow pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped

• 6 whole green onions, sliced

• 1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped

• 1 stalk of celery, coarsely chopped

• 1 clove of garlic, peeled

• 1 1/2 Tablespoon (Tbsp) coarsely chopped chives (more to taste)

• 1 Tablespoon (Tbsp) Cherchies® Lem'n Dill Seasoning (more to taste)

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Garlic Seasoning (more to taste)

*Feel free to add or subtract any veggies or herbs to your liking.

Preparation
Coarsely chop the peppers, the onions, carrot, celery, and herbs.  Add all the ingredients, except the cream cheese, to a food processor and pulse until desired consistency.  My family prefers chunks of vegetables in their veggie cream cheese spread, but you are welcome to pulse until really fine. Scoop out the vegetable mixture from the food processor and place into a bowl. Set aside.  

*Note:  if you do not have a food processor, don't fret, this recipe can easily be made by finely chopping up all the ingredients and adding to the softened cream cheese.

Combine the cream cheese in the food processor until smooth.   Remove the cream cheese from the food processor and add to the vegetables.  Mix to combine.  Refrigerate the mixture for at least a half hour to marry the flavors.

Spread this heavenly mixture on just about anything, bagels, crackers, sandwiches, wraps, or use as a dip.  Enjoy!

Vegetable Cream Cheese Spread Recipe

Tuna Pinwheel Recipe

My mom used to make these all the time when my sister and I were growing up.  This recipe was from an old Betty Crocker cookbook (remember those?)  She would bring these pinwheels to our neighborhood parties and they would be gobbled up in no time. It's funny how tuna salad, presented in these tasty buttery bites, could be so addiciting.  Of course I took mom's recipe and tweaked it with a hint of Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and some with our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard.

My mom used to make these all the time when my sister and I were growing up.  This recipe was from an old Betty Crocker cookbook (remember those?)  She would bring these pinwheels to our neighborhood parties, and they would disappear in no time. It's funny how tuna salad, presented in these tasty buttery bites, could be addictive.  Of course, I took mom's recipe and tweaked it with a hint of Cherchies® Champagne Mustard and some with our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard.

The true test was trying them on our children, our favorite "taster-testers" (their word for themselves as they were growing up).  They have come a long way over the years in trying new things, but tuna is definitely not their favorite.   I made these delicious morsels just in time for their after-school snack.   To my delight, they loved them; they were devoured in minutes, even the ones I brushed with our spicier Hot Banana Pepper Mustard!! 

This recipe would make the perfect tasty appetizer or afternoon snack, but save some for yourself because they will disappear quickly. 

Thanks for stopping by:) Comment below if you have made this tasty recipe. Return for more family-tested recipes, entertaining ideas, and cooking tips using all our favorite Cherchies® gourmet products.

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Ingredients 

• 1 can (6 1/2 oz.) white tuna, drained and flaked

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1/2 cup finely chopped celery

• 1 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) sweet pickle relish, drained

• 1/2 teaspoon (tsp) dry mustard

• 1 teaspoon (tsp) Cherchies® Champagne Mustard (or for a spicier palate, try our Cherchies® Hot Banana Pepper Mustard

• 20 slices square sandwich bread, crusts removed

• 4 Tablespoons (Tbsp.) melted butter

• Paprika

Preparation   
Carefully remove the crusts from the bread with a knife.  In a medium bowl, combine the tuna with the remaining 5 ingredients.  

For easy clean-up, place a sheet of parchment paper over a baking sheet.  Line the slices of bread on the baking sheet.  Thinly brush each slice of bread with half of the melted butter, reserving the other half.  Spread each slice with tuna salad.  (This time, I spread a few slices with our Hot Banana Pepper Mustard to see how they would turn out).

Roll each slice like a jelly roll and place three toothpicks into the bread to secure. Slice each tuna roll into 3 pinwheels.  

When ready to serve, brush the pinwheels with the remaining melted butter, sprinkle lightly with paprika, and broil the pinwheels until lightly toasted.  Makes about 60 pinwheels.

Remove these delicious morsels from the oven and serve immediately.  Enjoy!

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