A lot of my friends, I’ve noticed, are either ranch lovers or blue cheese dressing fans. I’ve never asked why they prefer one over the other…but as I started to think about it this morning I wondered why? I have never loved ranch – it’s too acidic and tangy for me – so if given the choice, I always opt for blue cheese. But to be fair, one of the things in life I love the most is cheese, so this is not a hard choice. Just the mention of ‘ranch’ usually makes me want to gag except when ordering mexi fries at Taco Time {don’t judge}.  There is something so yummy about dunking that tot into their ranch dressing and then into the hot sauce. So the other day when I had my once-every-four month tatter tot Taco Time outings, post a hard workout mind you – way to blow the workout, huh? – I wondered why do I like their ranch dressing when I usually hate it? Decided to find out what really is in the dressing so looked around on the internet. All the recipes are basically the same – most of the same ingredients with just variances in amounts. Dinked around a bit and came up with the recipe below. A girlfriend told me she likes tabasco with her ranch to which I replied, “This recipe has tabasco in it!” So now I think that it is the secret ingredient.  If you’re not a ranch lover by nature, give this one a try. It is better than any store bought one you will find. Overstating? Maybe, but it is g-o-o-d. Let’s be honest, this is not a low-cal dressing but you will save some nominal calories making it at home {117 calories compared to most bottled ones at 140 calories per serving}. You could use low fat mayo but really, life is too short. 

Ranch Dressing
makes just shy of 2 cups
serving size: 2 tbsp

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup light sour cream
¹⁄³ cup buttermilk
1 clove garlic, finely minced
½ tsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
2 dashes tabasco 
pinch of cayenne pepper
¼ tsp paprika
2 tbsp chives, finely sliced
3 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl; whisking until thoroughly combined. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes. Will keep refrigerated in a sealed plastic container for one week.