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Vintage Recipe
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Dear Dr. Julie-Ann,
We love eating salads but I’m becoming concerned about all the unpronounceable ingredients in the bottles of dressing I buy at the store. Do you have any vintage recipes that you can share with me?
Sincerely,
Undressed
Dear Undressed,
If you’ve only had bottled salad dressing (or the packets of dressing) from the store, you’re going to love the three quick and easy vintage recipes for herb, ranch, and blue cheese dressings I’m going to share with you today. Most of those unpronounceable ingredients in bottle or packet dressings are there to extend the shelf life. To me, they diminish the flavor of the dressing and make it seem a bit industrial-tasting. These three classic salad dressings are so delicious, they don’t need preservatives in them because they’ll be used up long before they go bad.
If you love Italian dressing, the herb dressing is for you. The herb dressing recipe relies on dried herbs you probably already have on your spice rack. Play around with the type of oil you use for different undertones. You can also add other herbs or seasonings to it–I sometimes add garlic powder–it is that flexible of dressing. This salad dressing is adapted from an early 1960s Ladies Home Journal Cookbook.
Homemade Herb Salad Dressing {Vintage Recipe}
Yield: 1 Cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
If you've only had bottled salad dressing (or have used the packets of dressing) from the store, you're going to love this homemade herb salad dressing recipe just like Grandma used to make. And the best part? It doesn't have all of those unpronounceable ingredients found in bottled dressings that are there to extend the shelf life of the salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup salad or olive oil
- 3 Tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
- 1 teaspoon tarragon
- 1/2 teaspoon basil
- 1 teaspoon parsley flakes
- 2 teaspoons dried chives
Instructions
- Pour the oil into a container that you can easily shake. Add the cider vinegar.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the oil and vinegar. Shake until blended.
- Olive oil becomes solid in the refrigerator. Simply remove the dressing approximately 10 minutes before use to bring it up to room temperature. Shake again before serving.
Notes
Adapted from: Ladies’ Home Journal Cookbook, 1964
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Ranch is the most popular type of salad dressing. I found a clipping for this vintage ranch dressing recipe in my grandmother’s recipe box. The clipping claims it is for the original ranch dressing developed at the Hidden Valley Ranch in California. Now, I don’t know if it is true or not but it is very delicious and has a light flavor to it. You’ll end up pouring it over everything–we love it over roasted veggies. The original recipe called for using MSG flavor enhancement, such as Accent, but I don’t think it needs it and don’t use it.
Homemade Buttermilk Ranch Dressing {Vintage Recipe}
Yield: 1 Cup
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Additional Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
If you've only had bottled ranch dressing (or have used the packets of dressing) from the store, you're going to love this authentic vintage buttermilk ranch dressing recipe just like Grandma used to make. And the best part? It doesn't have all of those unpronounceable ingredients found in bottled dressings that are there to extend the shelf life of the salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Mayonnaise
- 1/2 C Buttermilk
- 1/4 tsp. dried parsley flakes
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/8 tsp. garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp. onion powder
- Pinch dried thyme
Instructions
- Combine mayonnaise and buttermilk. Stir until blended.
- Add herbs and seasonings. Stir until blended then shake for about one minute until smooth.
- Refrigerate for at least one hour before using.
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The third recipe is for lovers of blue cheese salad dressing. Unlike the first two recipes where you can just dump the ingredients into a jar and shake them up, this one requires a couple of rounds of blending to get the creamy, yet lumpy, texture we associate with blue cheese dressing. That said, it is still a really easy dressing to make. This vintage recipe is adapted from The Royal Coach Hotel in Texas. It lasts about a week so feel free to also use it as a dipping sauce you can enjoy its goodness before it goes bad.
Easy Homemade Blue Cheese Salad Dressing {Vintage Recipe}
Yield: 1.5 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
If you've only had bottled blue cheese salad dressing, you're going to LOVE this easy vintage recipe that comes to us from the Royal Coach Hotel in Texas. And the best part? It doesn't have all of those unpronounceable ingredients found in bottled dressings that are there to extend the shelf life of the salad dressing.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cucp blue cheese, crumbled
- 1 TB dried minced onion flakes
- 1/2 clove minced garlic
- 1/2 C mayonnaise
- 1/2 C sour cream
- 1 TB lemon juice
- 1 TB vinegar
- Dash pepper
Instructions
- Combine cheese, onion, and garlic in a small bowl. Using a stick blender or mixer, mix on low speed for 3 minutes.
- Add remaining ingredients. Blend or mix until dressing is smooth, about 2 minutes longer
Notes
Dressing keeps for approximately one week, so enjoy the goodness on your salads and as a dipping sauce.
Adapted from a vintage Royal Coach Hotel recipe clipping.
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Your Turn
What is your favorite salad dressing recipe? Is it an old family favorite? Share your thoughts and recipes in the comments!
To your fabulous Technicolor day!
Dr.JulieAnn
