Good morning! How is Monday treating you so far? I’m in the final stretch of my script… the part where I either land it, or the wheels start coming off, LOL.
I am so thankful for the wonderful bloggers who have agreed to guest post for me this month while I’m busy with my 30-day writing challenge. Today, I can’t wait to introduce you to Suzy from suzyhomemaker. I was on a salad kick for a while, and she really got me thinking about the fact that I can make a healthy food choice even healthier by using fresh ingredients – not just fresh veggies, but using homemade dressings instead of the bottled versions. She has an amazing-looking collection of dressing recipes over at her blog, and I am shocked at how easy homemade dressing is! I asked Suzy if she would share one of her recipes here today – so if this one looks good, be sure to go check her out!
Hi, I’m Suzy. I am excited to be a guest blogger here at Happy Hour Projects. I recently started following Adrianne after seeing a yummy cocktail recipe. After that, I was hooked. My blog is suzyhomemaker.net. My background is in nutrition, so a lot of what I blog about is food, nutrition, ingredients, etc. but I also like gardening, farms, some crafts – all the things that make up a home. I have been making a lot of homemade salad dressings and today I am adding another one to the list – homemade blue cheese dressing.
Cobb Salad with a twist: tomatoes, avocado, bacon, boiled egg and cheddar with blue cheese dressing |
This is one of the first dressings I started making from scratch. I couldn’t believe how easy it was and once I did it a couple times I no longer needed to look at a recipe.
If you haven’t been following the series, I always compare the dressing I make to a bottle of the same you might buy in the store. It is always eye opening to see what the ingredients are in dressings.
Store-bought Blue Cheese Dressing Ingredients
Ingredients:
SOYBEAN OIL, WATER, BLUE CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), VINEGAR, SUGAR, SALT, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF SODIUM LACTATE, NATURAL FLAVOR, XANTHAN GUM, PHOSPHORIC ACID, POLYSORBATE 60, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE, DRIED GARLIC, DRIED ONIONS, LACTIC ACID, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, VITAMIN E, NATAMYCIN (NATURAL PRESERVATIVE).
Here is a fat free version
Ingredients
WATER, MALTODEXTRIN, WHEY, DISTILLED VINEGAR, MODIFIED CORN STARCH, SUGAR, SALT, CELLULOSE GEL, BLUE CHEESE (MILK, CHEESE CULTURES, SALT, ENZYMES)*, MUSTARD (DISTILLED VINEGAR, MUSTARD SEED, WATER), AUTOLYZED YEAST EXTRACT, PHOSPHORIC ACID, PARTIALLY HYDROGENATED SOYBEAN & COTTONSEED OILS*, XANTHAN GUM, COLOR ADDED, (SORBIC ACID, SODIUM BENZOATE, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA) USED TO PROTECT QUALITY, NATURAL & ARTIFICIAL FLAVORS (SOY), PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE, CELLULOSE GUM, LACTIC ACID, SPICE, ONION, DISODIUM GUANYLATE, DISODIUM INOSINATE, SODIUM CASEINATE (MILK), TOCOPHERYL ACETATE (VITAMIN E). *ADDS AN INSIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF FAT.
Here is my blue cheese dressing.
Ingredients
~ 1 cup mayonnaise (ideally, homemade mayo is best. I have yet to master it.)
~ 2 Tbsp. white vinegar
~ 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
8 oz blue cheese crumbles
1/4 – 1/2 cup heavy cream (use more or less depending on the flavor and thickness you would like)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix the mayo, vinegar, Worcestershire, and blue cheese crumbles in a bowl with a spoon or a whisk. Add the cream until you find the consistency and flavor you like. I always taste it as I add to get the correct amount.
I have never needed to add any salt or pepper, but again add to your taste.
That’s it. The nice thing is that besides the blue cheese, most people probably have all the ingredients on hand. Even if you do not have heavy cream, half and half would work, and although I have never tried it, milk may work just fine as well.
Thanks Adrianne for inviting me to guest blog!
Kyra says
I haven't tried also to make my own dressing, maybe because I'm a bad cook! :( Thank Anyways for sharing this amazing recipe. The spices of this recipe would add additional tests.
Kimberly says
Thanks, Suzy! I'm trying to use up the dressings I have in my fridge so I can try making my own. My family loves blue cheese dressing, so I can't wait to try this.
Kadie says
I have never tried to make my own dressing. This looks easy and delish!! Seriously y'all are making me hungry!! I wish I had some blue cheese on hand.
suzyhomemaker says
Thanks for inviting me. It was fun to do.
Our House Story says
YUM! I'm not sure which is yummier looking – the dressing or the salad!
Terry says
I love blue cheese dressing and am a big fan of homemade dressings. It's so quick and easy to whip up a small batch – I don't know why anybody buys dressing anymore, lol.