Franch dressing is more proof that sometimes easy is best. Sure, I could’ve made some French dressing from scratch. And I could’ve made some Ranch dressing from scratch. But hey, it was a busy week night and I wanted something a little different. So out came the bottled dressings. Boom, done. And what a delicious combination the two make! Quick fix Franch dressing is way better than just French and just Ranch dressings.
I used a creamy French dressing and a buttermilk Ranch dressing when I made quick fix Franch dressing. You could also use a sweet French dressing, but to offset the sweetness you might want to then use a spicy Ranch or even Buffalo Ranch.
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.
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!
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.
It’s rare that I make my own mustard. There are so many amazing varieties available in the store that I have a hard time convincing myself to make one from scratch. Jalapeno beer mustard is not something I can find in my grocery store. So I made some. And wow, what an amazing mustard this is. I found it to be smooth, without that sometimes-overwhelming vinegar-mustard flavor you find. It has just a hint of spiciness. This was the perfect mustard for grill sausage sandwiches. Perfect.
The key to this jalapeno beer mustard is using a quality coarse ground mustard. As you can see, I used one that was full of pop-in-your-mouth mustard seeds. It looked amazing and it tasted fantastic. So don’t skimp on that part.
The night before you are going to make the mustard, place the beer, mustard seeds, mustard powder, vinegar and pepper flakes in a sauce pan. Whisk and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the pan from the fridge and place on the stovetop over high heat.
Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Continue simmering until reduced by half.
Perhaps the last thing I needed was an even better-tasting Ranch dressing. This copycat Outback Steakhouse Ranch dressing is fantastic. I know I used too much on my salad. Yes, I added more after this picture, I didn’t want to have photographic proof of my obsession but I just couldn’t stop.
I definitely recommend making at least a double batch when you make this copycat Outback Steakhouse Ranch dressing. It’s crazy good and won’t last at all. Do not skimp on the fridge time. The dressing needs it to set up and let the flavors come together. And don’t be surprised if it’s a little thick after resting. Right then it’s perfect for dipping. Perfect for wings, vegetables, chips, whatever. For salads, you might want it a little thinner so just whisk in a bit (like a tablespoon at a time) of buttermilk and see how you like it.
In my opinion, the brand of mayonnaise you use in a dish is just as important, if not more so, than the quality of the rest of the ingredients. That’s why I use Blue Plate. Always.
I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
Goodness gracious me. I don’t know why but I wasn’t expecting much from this copycat of the blue cheese salad dressing from Outback Steakhouse. Maybe I was afraid that it’d be too funky from the blue cheese. Whatever it was, I was wrong because this instantly became my favorite salad dressing. And my favorite wing dipping sauce. Oh, and it’s great for dipping bacon-wrapped shrimp too. I know this for a fact.
You really need to let this copycat Outback Steakhouse blue cheese salad dressing ‘get happy’ in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. I actually prefer to let it sit overnight. The flavors get blended as you wait, and the wait is worth it. If you taste the dressing just moments after you make it you might disappointed as it won’t have much flavor. That flavor comes later, so be patient!
More and more, I’ve been serving my salad dressings in the same little sauce cups I use for serving dipping sauces. I like them for wings and nuggets, and even chicken tenders. They have the added bonus of helping me control my serving size, something I need help with with this dressing for sure!
Copycat Outback Steakhouse Blue Cheese Salad Dressing
You really need to let this copycat Outback Steakhouse blue cheese salad dressing 'get happy' in the fridge for at least an hour before serving. I actually prefer to let it sit overnight.
It was fish-and-chips week here. I’m a big fan of fish-and-chips, and I find myself ordering it regularly when we eat out. Usually I just like mine hit with a few good shakes of malt vinegar and maybe a squeeze or two of lemon. This time I decided to make a copycat Red Lobster tartar sauce. And all I can say is… Wow! Now this is a great tartar sauce. I thought my beer-battered fish would be the winner-winner, but the tartar sauce really came through!
The perfect thickness for dipping fish or spreading onto a fish sandwich and packed with flavor, this copycat Red Lobster tartar sauce is really fantastic. I find myself looking forward to my next fish-and-chips lunch more and more now. Will it replace malt vinegar as my favorite? Yeah, it might actually. It’s just that good.
I have to admit that my usual order at Red Lobster is the shrimp. I’m a shrimp-aholic. I love fried shrimp. Walt’s fried shrimp is probably my favorite. And even though cocktail sauce is my go-to dipping sauce, I’ve found that I like dipping my shrimp in tartar sauce more and more!
I recently discovered Blue Plate mayonnaise, which I think is the best around. If you can’t find it locally you can pick it up online for a fair price.
I’m a big fan of fish-and-chips, and I find myself ordering it regularly when we eat out. Usually I just like mine hit with a few good shakes of malt vinegar and maybe a squeeze or two of lemon.
I am always looking for new salad dressing recipes for when we have salad week. We usually have salad week if we have over-indulged the week before or if we have eaten out too many meals while traveling. This copycat TGI Friday’s Mandarin orange sesame dressing is so good! I like that it has chopped Mandarin oranges for texture. I also added Mandarin oranges to the salad to tie it all together. The orange marmalade and the honey balance out the sesame oil. Sesame oil is such a strong flavor so you can use a little less if preferred, but I love the taste of it.
This copycat TGI Fridays Mandarin orange sesame dressing is one of the best homemade dressings that we have made! This dressing would be good as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets. It would also be great as a sauce for crudités.
I find myself using these little cups more and more for my salad dressings. Normally I use them for dipping my chicken nuggets, wings, or chicken tenders. But they’re also great for salad dressings. As a bonus, they help me control my serving amount, which is needed around salad dressings like this one.
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!
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.
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?
There are certainly a lot of homemade Thousand Island dressing recipes out on the internet. But I found this one to be slightly different. The flavor is richer. It’s deeper. And it has just a little kick to it. It’s just better than the rest. And it uses ingredients that I have on-hand. That’s a plus. Perfect on a salad, and even better on a Reuben sandwich.
I wasn’t shy with the hot sauce when I made this homemade Thousand Island dressing. Now, I wasn’t making spicy wing sauce, no, but I wanted to get that spiciness. So many dressings are just creamy. Or just vinegary. A little heat changes things up.
There are certainly a lot of homemade Thousand Island dressing recipes out on the internet. But I found this one to be slightly different. The flavor is richer. It’s deeper. And it has just a little kick to it.
This sauce originates from a BBQ joint in Seattle, Washington, called Wood Shop BBQ. It’s pretty much a traditional (great) BBQ sauce but with a pretty healthy dose of Worcestershire sauce to boot. I used it on my awesome pulled pork BBQ, but I think this sauce would be even better on smoked brisket or beef ribs.
It has been a while since my wife and I sort of disagreed on a recipe. While this Wood Shop BBQ sauce is pretty Worcestershire-sauce-y, I thought it was pretty darned good. But my wife couldn’t get passed the amount of Worcestershire sauce. I also thought that the sauce got way better after sitting in the fridge for a few days. So, I recommend you start with half of what the recipe states and go from there. I am a huge Worcestershire sauce fan, so I used almost the full amount.
Combine the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, molasses, brown sugar, hot sauce and lemon juice together in a large pot and whisk until blended. Place over medium heat and bring to a simmer, then add the chili powder, granulated garlic, onion powder, salt, pepper and cayenne. Continue to simmer 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep from burning.