18000 Island Dressing

You could put boring ketchup on your hamburger. Or maybe some mayonnaise. You could slather on some Thousand Island dressing. Or, you could just skip all that and go with big flavor instead. Bold flavor. And kick. 18000 Island Dressing is truly 18 times more flavorful than the classic. There’s nothing boring about it, thanks to a healthy dose of chopped jalapenos. Anywhere you used the ‘boring’ stuff, use some of this instead.

18000 Island Dressing

A Great Sauce For Everything

18000 Island Dressing isn’t just for burgers either. It’s great on sandwiches or our favorite, wraps. And hot dogs (if you haven’t tried mayonnaise-based sauces on your hot dogs you should, it’s a very welcome change from just using mustard). Anywhere you want bold flavor, it brings it.

These little sauce dipping cups are great for serving salad dressings. They keep me from over-dressing my salads, which is something I’m prone to do since I’m a dressing-aholic. They’re easy to clean up, too. And they’re also great for dipping nuggets, tenders or even chicken wings.

Check out some of my other great burger sauces, like Nancy’s, a copycat of Smashburger’s sauce,  and of course, a copycat of the sauce on the McDonald’s Big Mac.

Also try my more traditional dressing.

18000 Island Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

18000 Island Dressing

18000 Island Dressing is truly 18 times more flavorful than Thousand Island dressing. There’s nothing boring about it, thanks to a healthy dose of chopped jalapenos.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade salad dressing
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 1602kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a blender.
  • Process until smooth.
  • Refrigerate until ready to use.

Notes

This dressing is crazy good on grilled burgers, chicken sandwiches, sub sandwiches and even hot dogs!

Nutrition

Calories: 1602kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 168g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 2358mg | Potassium: 288mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 797IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Avocado Ranch Dressing

I love when avocados are in season here. They’re perfect on a salad, be it sliced, chopped or in the dressing itself. This avocado Ranch dressing is quite easy to make. It packs a nice subtle avocado flavor, with the wonderful creamy herb flavor of Ranch. It has a very mild spiciness to it too. You can make it spicier if you like, or leave out the hot sauce entirely. I like my dressing pretty thick, so that’s how I made it. But if you prefer yours a little thinner, just add some more milk.

Avocado Ranch Dressing

Thick Enough For A Dip

Avocado Ranch dressing isn’t just for salads either. It’s perfect as a dip, or use it as a substitute for sour cream on tacos or nachos. It’s also great as a sandwich spread. Just make it a little thicker then spread on bread. Add your favorite sandwich meat and boom, excellent!

Feel free to use different kinds of hot sauce besides the ‘usual’. Go smoky, or super hot, or lime-infused… whatever works for you!

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

For a little more kick, try my jalapeno ranch dressing.

Avocado Ranch Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

Avocado Ranch Dressing

This avocado Ranch dressing is quite easy to make. It packs a nice subtle avocado flavor, with the wonderful creamy herb flavor of Ranch.
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword homemade salad dressing
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 4 cups
Calories 531kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Scoop out the avocado and place into a blender or food processor.
  • Add remaining ingredients except salt and process until smooth.
  • Taste, add salt as needed, and pulse a few more times to mix.
  • Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Notes

If the dressing gets too thick, stir in a bit more milk before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 531kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 52g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 38mg | Sodium: 753mg | Potassium: 632mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 410IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 100mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Blue Cheese Dip

This is a slight variation on my used-to-be-favorite wing dipping sauce. Now I love them both. The other version has a little kick thanks to Cholula hot sauce. This recipe for blue cheese dip is creamier and more blue cheesy, with a little green onion bite. It also works great on more than just chicken wings. But, it was perfect for cooling me off after a few bites of my scary hot wings.

Blue Cheese Dip

A Great Dip For Everything

Unlike some recipes for blue cheese dip, this one does not include lemon juice. Lemon juice can break down the sour cream so you have to use the dip that day. This version will last for a while in the fridge, so no need to rush! Although, honestly, it’s not going to last a day so maybe a little lemon juice wouldn’t be such a bad idea after all!

I made a big ole batch of this crazy good dip and served it with some homemade Buffalo Wild Wings teriyaki chicken wings and a basket of deep fried jalapeno bottle caps.

I almost always use Blue Plate mayonnaise in the dishes I make. I think it is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.

There were no leftovers.

Blue Cheese Dip
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4 from 1 vote

Blue Cheese Dip

A fantastic dip for everything from chicken wings to deep fried jalapeno bottle caps.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword blue cheese, dip
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 1 cup
Calories 860kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together the sour cream, mayo, salt and pepper until smooth.
  • Gently fold in the blue cheese and green onions.
  • Refrigerate at least one hour before serving.

Notes

Add a little milk and stir if the dip is too thick.

Nutrition

Calories: 860kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 84g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 3723mg | Potassium: 498mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1772IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 529mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Buffalo Wing Dipping Sauce

Visit my other site, For The Wing, for all things chicken-wing!

Blue cheese, although great, can be a little strong to us. So, we were a little skeptical about all the blue cheesiness that was in this recipe for a Buffalo wing dipping sauce. Well, the sauce is fantastic. No more Ranch dipping sauce for us. This is the only sauce we’ll ever need or make.

This sauce has a great bite from the blue cheese with just a little heat. Nice and cool for hot wings. Don’t skimp and use a cheap blue cheese dressing. Get the real stuff. And if you’re worried it might be too blue cheesy, substitute Gorgonzola cheese.

Also try my blue cheese dressing.

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5 from 1 vote

Buffalo Wing Dipping Sauce

Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 247kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the cream cheese, dressing and hot sauce into medium bowl.
  • Microwave for 1-2 minutes until melted.
  • Whisk mixture until creamy smooth.
  • Fold in the blue cheese.

Notes

This sauce gets better with time.

Nutrition

Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 27mg | Sodium: 3124mg | Potassium: 179mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 358IU | Vitamin C: 45mg | Calcium: 292mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Apple Brine for Pork

I use this apple brine for pork on grilled pork tenderloins, giving them a nice light apple flavor with a little kick to offset the sweetness. It works great also on bone-in or boneless pork chops. The brine does contain a bit of sugar. Make sure you shake off the excess marinade before cooking since the sugar might have a tendency to burn or at least char quite a bit.

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Stuffing

One Delicious Pork Tenderloin

Check out our awesome grilled pork tenderloin recipe. The pork is sliced thin and then topped with a fantastic apple and stuffing mix. It’s almost like having pork apple pie!

If you’re grilling chicken instead of pork, give my chicken brine a try!

Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Stuffing
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5 from 1 vote

Apple Brine for Pork

I use this apple brine for pork on grilled pork tenderloins, giving them a nice light apple flavor with a little kick to offset the sweetness. It works great also on bone-in or boneless pork chops.
Course Brine
Cuisine American
Keyword brined, pork
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 114kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

Makes enough for 4 medium pork chops or 1 pork tenderloin

  • Add juice to a large pot along with 1 cup of water.
  • Bring to a simmer, then stir in the remaining ingredients until both the salt and brown sugar are dissolved.
  • Remove pot from heat and add 2 cups of ice cubes. Let sit until the liquid has cooled.
  • Place pork into a large resealable baggie. Add marinade and seal.
  • Marinate 4-24 hours.
  • Shake off excess marinade before cooking pork.

Notes

Do not reuse the brine.

Nutrition

Calories: 114kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 7091mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 158IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Balsamic Smoked Honey Vinaigrette

My wife and I were grabbing lunch at one of our local favorite pizza joints not long ago. The lunch special comes with a small side salad. For the dressing my wife went with the balsamic smoked honey vinaigrette. I was intrigued. She was intrigued. Smoked honey? You know, that has to be good. Well, it was. It was “bring me a bottle of that dressing so I can drink it” good. Of course, that means I had to make a version of it when I got home.

Balsamic Smoked Honey Vinaigrette

A Different Kind Of Dressing

This is a great, simple dressing without the smoked honey. With it, this balsamic smoked honey vinaigrette becomes something a bit different. The smoke flavor isn’t overwhelming, but it’s there. Depending on the honey that you use, I recommend adding just a bit at first and tasting to see if you want to add more. Me, I want that smokiness up front and center. You might now.

Smoked honey is fun to cook with. I like substituting it for ‘regular’ honey in any recipe that calls for it.

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

Also try my blue cheese vinaigrette.

Balsamic Smoked Honey Vinaigrette
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4 from 1 vote

Balsamic Smoked Honey Vinaigrette

Smoked honey? You know, that has to be good. Well, it was. It was “bring me a bottle of that dressing so I can drink it” good.
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword honey, vinaigrette
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 1273kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together all ingredients.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 1273kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 108g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Sodium: 2346mg | Potassium: 144mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 11IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Blue Cheese Dressing

This blue cheese dressing was one of the first recipes I made from Brother Jimmy’s BBQ: More than 100 Recipes (a cookbook I can not longer seem to find online!). I picked it because it just so happened that I was making wings for lunch that day and I needed something (other than bottled Ranch dressing) for dipping. This was it. And this will be it from now on, because this is the easiest, best blue cheese dressing you can make. Not only great for wings, it’s great on salads or for dipping veggies. Anything.

Blue Cheese Dressing

Easy. And Great. With Just The Right Funk.

I prefer Gorgonzola versus say, Roquefort, when a recipe calls for blue cheese. It’s a little milder and doesn’t overpower the dressing.

There are so many great cookbooks, and so little time. Our local library has online checkout of literally thousands of cookbooks. They come right to my PC or Kindle. That’s great and…. sorta not! Easy access to tons and tons of cookbooks means I read them for hours and hours on end. I end up bookmarking recipe after recipe. And then my stomach starts to growl. So then I end up making recipe after recipe. And the spiral continues! Day after day!

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

Also try my Buffalo wing dipping sauce.

Blue Cheese Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

Blue Cheese Dressing

This is the easiest, best blue cheese dressing you can make. Not only great for wings, it’s great on salads or for dipping veggies. Anything.
Course Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword blue cheese, homemade salad dressing
Prep Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 2 cups
Calories 897kcal
Author Inspired by a recipe from Brother Jimmy’s BBQ

Ingredients

  • 1 cup mayonnaise not light!
  • ½ cup blue cheese crumbled, or Gorgonzola
  • Pinch sugar
  • ¾ teaspoon lime juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice freshly squeezed
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 4 teaspoons sour cream

Instructions

  • Whisk together all ingredients. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 897kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 95g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 77mg | Sodium: 1479mg | Potassium: 125mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 381IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Popeye’s Blackened Ranch Dipping Sauce

There’s no reason to go through the trouble of making homemade chicken nuggets and then serving them with a boring sauce. Heck, there’s no reason to heat up pre-made nuggets (or homemade) and dip them in a lame sauce either. Indeed, this copycat Popeye’s blackened ranch dipping sauce isn’t boring or lame. It’s nothing but creamy spicy yumminess. You won’t be able to dunk your chicken bites quick enough. Or deep enough.

Copycat Popeye's Blackened Ranch Dipping Sauce

Great On So Many Things!

You don’t just need to make this copycat Popeye’s blackened ranch dipping sauce for dipping nuggets. It’s great on a po boy sandwich. It’s fantastic on a crispy fried fish sandwich. Or use it for dipping fries. Or veggies. It’s a great all-around sauce, but it’s perfect for nuggets or chicken tenders too! Consequently, if you like your sauce a little thinner, add a bit more buttermilk. Thicker? Yep, you guessed it. Add less. Just make the decision for less sooner rather than later!

By and large, I like to use these little dipping sauce cups for serving. They’re the perfect size for dipping nuggets or tenders. And they help keep me from over-serving myself, which can be a problem with a sauce as good as this one!

Also try a copycat Popeye’s Delta dipping sauce.

Copycat Popeye's Blackened Ranch Dipping Sauce
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4 from 1 vote

Copycat Popeye’s Blackened Ranch Dipping Sauce

There’s no reason to go through the trouble of making homemade chicken nuggets and then serving them with a boring sauce. Heck, there’s no reason to heat up pre-made nuggets and dip them in a lame sauce either. 
Course Dipping Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword copycat, dipping sauce, Popeye’s
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 811kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients into a food processor. Puree until just smooth.

Notes

Stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 811kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 86g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 1846mg | Potassium: 185mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 1015IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 99mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Catalina Salad Dressing

I’d say that about half the time, we make our own salad dressings and the other half of the times we buy them. There’s nothing wrong with bottled dressings, but sometimes we prefer something fresh and something we can ‘tweak’ a bit if we want. This Catalina salad dressing is one of our all-time favorites. It’s quite easy to make and always delicious. It also uses ingredients that we almost always have on hand, and that’s a definite plus too!

Catalina Salad Dressing

The Onion Is Key

The grated white onion is one of the key ingredients in this Catalina salad dressing. Don’t skip it and don’t skimp on it. I used about a tablespoon, but you might want more. Or less. I used a Microplane grater to get the onion just perfect. It’s easy to hold and does a fantastic job.

This dressing gets even better after sitting in the fridge for a few hours. Just make sure to give it a good shake before serving.

I always double this recipe when making it.

Check out my new site, Dress My Salad, for more great salad dressing ideas!

I also find myself using these sauce dipping cups more and more when serving salad dressings. They help me control my servings a bit better.

Also try my Honky Tonk Sweet and Spicy salad dressing.

Catalina Salad Dressing
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5 from 1 vote

Catalina Salad Dressing

We loved this simple and delicious homemade Catalina salad dressing. Why would you buy dressing at the store when you can make an even better version at home?
Course Salad Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword salad dressing
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 1434kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place all but the onion in a blender.
  • Pulse a few times.
  • Add white onion to taste and blend until smooth.
  • Store in the fridge until ready to use.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 1434kcal | Carbohydrates: 122g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 110g | Saturated Fat: 89g | Sodium: 3062mg | Potassium: 277mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 117g | Vitamin A: 578IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Beer-Cheese Sauce

I made this great beer-cheese sauce the other night and poured it all over grilled hamburgers. The end result was crazy good. And even better was the fact that any of the cheese sauce that dripped off was immediately sopped up by hot-out-of-the-oven fries. Next time I’ll make extra sauce and pour some over the fries.

Beer-Cheese Sauce

A Cheese Sauce For All Occasions

This sauce is also great for dipping warmed pretzels. Trust me. I did it. And it’s also great over grilled hog dogs. Anywhere you need cheese sauce, you need beer-cheese sauce.

I highly recommend that you shred or grate your own cheese at home. Don’t buy the pre-shredded or pre-grated stuff. It has stuff added to it to keep it from sticking together. That ‘stuff’ affects how the cheese melts. Shred it yourself and use the good stuff.

Also try my other version of beer cheese sauce. Same great flavor, but a little creamier and thicker. Ideal for just about anything, including as a dip!

Beer-Cheese Sauce
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4 from 1 vote

Beer-Cheese Sauce

I made this great beer-cheese sauce the other night and poured it all over grilled hamburgers. The end result was crazy good. 
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword beer, cheese, sauce
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 3 cups
Calories 333kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
  • ¾ cup beer more or less depending on the desired consistency
  • ½ cup half-and-half cream
  • 1 ½ cups extra sharp cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
  • green onions chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  • Whisk in the flour and mustard powder and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the flour is cooked but not brown.
  • Whisk in the beer and bring to a simmer.
  • Whisk in the half-and-half and let simmer, whisking constantly until thickened. If too thick, add more beer in very small amounts.
  • Add the cheese and horseradish and stir until melted.
  • Fold in the chives or green onions and serve.

Notes

Better beer makes better sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 75mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 156mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 726IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 468mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.