The Homemade Ranch Dressing Lesson


I've learned a couple of things already this first year with the attempt of teaching my kiddo to cook.

First is that he will be lazy no matter what and that if he can get away with me doing the work, he will (I already knew that my kiddo has a very bad case of lazyassitis, but one can hope it'll go away). This means I cannot do the work for him, as he will learn squat if I do.(The story of the little red hen comes to mind...)

Second is that I need to walk him through every thing, even if it's common sense, because what is common sense to me, isn't to an eleven year old boy who doesn't know how to cook.

saladandranch1

Third, and most important, is that I need to be patient. If I'm patient and don't get frustrated with the two above, then he will learn and will actually be excited about making something himself and have everyone eat it.

Fourth, buttermilk doesn't exist in Portugal. Well it does, but it takes two people discussing it on Twitter to find out a month later that it belongs in an expensive store in an expensive mall that is just too far for me to go to for buttermilk.

Fifth, ranch dressing is easy to make and doesn't require buttermilk. 


Salad with Homemade Ranch

Homemade Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup (60ml) mayonnaise 
1/2 cup (120ml) plain yogurt
1 clove garlic
a small bunch (about a tablespoon) fresh parsley
4 teaspoons (20ml) pickle juice 
Salt and pepper to taste

In a bowl place mayonnaise and yogurt. Mince the garlic and parsley and add to the bowl. Add in the pickle juice and whisk everything together. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.  

Pour on top of a nice garden salad or whatever guilty pleasure you enjoy ranch dressing with (I like it on french fries... Just sayin').
makingofranch

Oh and very last... Kiddos, they like to see the photos of what they did and know that a bunch of people are going to see how awesome it is when they accomplish something.

(This wasn't all that the kiddo learned to make this time around. He did learn the simple but very yummy, spaghetti with a basic bolognese sauce.)

6 comments:

Shannon @ JustAsDelish said...

I just read an article where a mother got her sons to cook by trading with their washing up chores, so clever! I too prefer to cook than wash up :) I can't imagine what's it like teaching kids to cook, now learning all the tips.
It's difficult to find buttermilk where I live too, so I just replace it with yogurt and it's healthier :) I read that adding milk to buttermilk will duplicate it, just like making yogurt. maybe you can try next time you get hold of some buttermilk

Nancy said...

Good life story to keep in mind when I have my own kiddies. I've read on so many expats websites that buttermilk is very hard to come by. I'm lucky because it is so easy to find, unlike ranch dressing. Thanks for sharing I'll have to try it out soon.

Unknown said...

It can be a pain to teach them but very rewarding when they are excited to share what they learned and made :)

Amrita said...

My mother thought my lazyassitis would go away too...but it didn't unfortunately, so I'd be wary if I were you.

I made a potato salad yesterday and didn't have any ranch dressing which is what it needed exactly. Yours look lovely...I'm bookmarking this for future potato salads.

MyRecessionKitchen said...

I've been looking for a recipe for ranch dressing, thanks.

Anonymous said...

This website has a recipe for making the dry ranch mix. My family is allergic to dairy and eggs, so I make the dry ranch seasoning and make my own dip and dressing. Go to Allrecipes and search for Dry Ranch Mix. It is the one that has parsley, saltine crackers and dill. That is the recipe I like the best. The dill and parsley are important to the mix. Making it yourself will save you a TON of money.

 

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