Spicy Garlic Ranch Pretzel Bites

These yummy spicy garlic Ranch pretzel bites are a different take on our bacon cheddar bites. I wanted to try something with a little more kick, and these have it. You really cannot stop eating them. They’re dangerous.

You can make these with regular Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix if you don’t want a little spice. But even the spicy version is not that spicy. Everyone at my wife’s office loved these!

Spicy Garlic Ranch Pretzel Bites

Little Bites Of Joy

Even though they aren’t as big as full-sized pretzels, these spicy garlic Ranch pretzel bites are also great dipped into a warm cheese sauce. For me, I eat them like popcorn. One after another. They definitely do not last long!

Try our nacho cheese sauce, beer cheese sauce, Southwestern cheese sauce, or a good ole everyday cheese sauce.

Also check out my balsamic, cheddar, and pizza pretzel bites! They are all out of this world good too!

Spicy Garlic Ranch Pretzel Bites
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Spicy Garlic Ranch Pretzel Bites

These yummy spicy garlic ranch pretzel bites are a different take on our bacon cheddar bites. I wanted to try something with a little more kick, and these have it. You really cannot stop eating them. They’re dangerous.
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword garlic, pretzel bites, Ranch, spicy
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 115kcal
Author Mike

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 300 F.
  • Combine salad dressing mix and garlic powder in a large bowl. Whisk in the oil.
  • Add the pretzels and gently toss to coat completely.
  • Pour pretzels out onto a baking sheet.
  • Bake for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. The pretzels are done when all of the oil has been absorbed.
  • Let cool before serving.

Notes

Also great made using pretzel rods or twists.

Nutrition

Calories: 115kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 497mg | Potassium: 12mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Slow Cooker Bold Ranch Pork Chops

Cold weather can sometimes make me ‘cooking lazy’. That’s when I just want to toss a few out-of-the-pantry and out-of-the-fridge ingredients into a slow cooker, turn it on, and come back half a day later to a done dish. Doesn’t mean it has to be all out of a can, but it doesn’t have to all be from scratch either. But it does still have to be good. And spicy. Gotta have spicy and these slow cooker bold ranch pork chops deliver on that. And they deliver on tasty too. Not too bad for ‘cooking lazy’ if I do say so myself!

Slow Cooker Bold Ranch Pork Chops

The Perfect Meat-And-Potatoes Dinner

I served these slow cooker bold ranch pork chops with warmed leftover mashed potatoes. The gravy from the slow cooker is great over mashed potatoes, but I think it’d be even better over grits, so I’ll give that a whirl next time. They’ll be instant grits, though, to keep with my ‘cooking lazy’ mood.

These chops are also great served over a long-time boxed favorite, Rice-a-Roni. Believe it or not, I make a crazy good copycat of it too. It’s really not that hard to make and box, is it ever delicious!

Also try my slow cooker balsamic pork sliders.

Slow Cooker Bold Ranch Pork Chops
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Slow Cooker Bold Ranch Pork Chops

Gotta have spicy and these slow cooker bold ranch pork chops deliver on that.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword crockpot, pork chops, slow cooker
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 6 hours
Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 232kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Turn your slow cooker on low.
  • Whisk together the soup, Ranch dressing mix, and Cajun seasoning in a small bowl.
  • Place the pork chops in the slower cooker.
  • Add the soup mix.
  • Cover and cook for 6 hours.

Notes

Between the soup and Cajun seasonings, this dish can be salty. I recommend a low-salt soup and making your own Cajun seasoning, cutting the amount of salt in half.

Nutrition

Calories: 232kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 592mg | Potassium: 540mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 868IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ranch Sourdough Pretzel Bites

You can sit down and eat pretzel bites out of the bag and think, “Hey, these are pretty good”. Or with just a few more ingredients, you can sit down with a bowl of these Ranch sourdough pretzel bites and know that you’ve just had something truly incredible. Each bite has a hint of butter. A hint of herby Ranch dressing, and a really awesome citrusy pepper flavor that’s just barely there, but oh does it make a difference.

Ranch Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Popcorn Oil Adds Great Flavor

I often make appetizers like these Ranch sourdough pretzel bites using just oil, or melted butter. I recently came across the idea of using popcorn oil, which of course combines both oil and butter. The flavor is more fantastic, and it doesn’t get any easier than just measuring the oil out of a bottle. I’ll definitely make all my snacks this way from here on.

I couldn’t find my lemon pepper seasoning (I am reminded that someday, maybe, I’ll arrange the spices in my pantry in alphabetical or at least some sensible order). I substituted lime pepper seasoning I have to say it was fantastic. The citrus flavor in either case isn’t going to scream out at it, it just adds that special something.

Looking for something else to much on during the big game? Make a batch of my baseball opening day cashews. They won’t last long!

Also check out my balsamicpizza,and spicy garlic Ranch, deluxe cheddar, soft pretzel and Buffalo Ranch sourdough pretzel bites! They are all out of this world good too!

Ranch Sourdough Pretzel Bites
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Ranch Sourdough Pretzel Bites

Sit down with a bowl of these Ranch sourdough pretzel bites and know that you’ve just had something truly incredible. Each bite has a hint of butter. A hint of herby Ranch dressing, and a really awesome citrusy pepper flavor that’s just barely there, but oh does it make a difference.
Course Snack
Cuisine American
Keyword pretzel bites, Ranch
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 1 pound
Calories 85kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 200 F.
  • Place pretzel bites in large bowl.
  • In a small bowl whisk together the oil, Ranch dressing mix, lemon pepper, garlic powder and dill weed.
  • Pour the oil mixture over the pretzels and toss to coat well.
  • Pour pretzels bites out onto a large baking pan and spread out evenly.
  • Bake for 1 hour, tossing every 20 minutes.
  • Let cool slightly before serving.

Notes

Store any leftovers in an air-tight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 85kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 1702mg | Potassium: 109mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 76IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ranch Saltines

After making a sleeve of Fire-Eater saltines the other day, I had to keep trying other flavors. I mean, there’s good and then there’s crazy good. These Ranch saltines are definitely crazy good. Great Ranch flavor on a crunchy yummy cracker. That’s all you’ll need, trust me. Yes, you could slather a bit of cream cheese on them too, but I found them addicting enough just as they are. It’s the easiest snack cracker you could ever make.

Ranch Saltines

Buy It Or Make It

Buy Ranch seasoning in bulk or if you prefer you can make it at home. Check out my homemade version. And add more if you want. I’m a Ranch addict, so I put extra on my Ranch saltines.

I use the same base recipe any time that I make flavored saltine crackers: a sleeve of crackers, 1/3 cup of oil, and whatever flavoring I am using. It’s just that simple.

Ranch Saltines
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Ranch Saltines

These Ranch saltines are definitely crazy good. Great Ranch flavor on a crunchy yummy cracker. That’s all you’ll need, trust me.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword crackers, Ranch
Prep Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours
Servings 8 servings
Calories 84kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place crackers in a large resealable bag or container.
  • Pour in the oil.
  • Sprinkle with the seasoning.
  • Seal and gently toss to coat.
  • Let sit (on the counter) for 12 hours to get ‘happy’, tossing gently every once-in-a-while.
  • Serve as-is or with cream cheese for topping.

Notes

Also great served with Swiss or pepper jack cheese!

Nutrition

Calories: 84kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Sodium: 142mg | Potassium: 1mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ranch Dressing Mix

It seems like forever that I’ve been searching for a replacement for those expensive packets of dried Ranch dressing mix you can buy at the store. Finally, I’ve found the perfect one. And the nice thing about making the mix at home? I can tweak it a bit for my own tastes. For me that means a bit more dill.

Ranch Dipping Sauce for Wings

Dried Buttermilk For That Great Flavor

This recipe for Ranch dressing mix requires dry buttermilk. I found it near the canned and powdered regular milk in our grocery store. Although it wasn’t cheap, it’ll make a very big batch of dressing mix. That’ll more than make up for the cost versus the packaged stuff.

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

Ranch Dipping Sauce for Wings
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Ranch Dressing Mix

Course Dressing Mix
Cuisine American
Calories 271kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients.
  • Crush in a mortar or pestle or pulse a few times in a spice blender.
  • Store in an air-tight container.
  • To make salad dressing combine 1 tablespoon of the mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup milk.
  • For use in recipes, substitute 1 tablespoon of mix for each envelope required.

Notes

Store in an air-tight container.

Nutrition

Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 2650mg | Potassium: 1167mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 206IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 776mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ranch Dipping Sauce for Wings

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

This is my go-to Ranch dipping sauce for wings. By using homemade Ranch mix I save a bundle on making this sauce versus using store-bought packets, so I usually make a big batch of it. There’s nothing worse than having a lot of hot wings and not having enough Ranch dipping sauce to cool them off.

Of course, this great sauce isn’t just for wings. You can put it on your salads, too. Or use it as a dip for vegetables. Any place you normally use Ranch dressing out of a bottle, substitute this homemade version.

Ranch Dipping Sauce for Wings

This sauce gets “happier” if you let it set in the fridge overnight.

Ranch Dipping Sauce for Wings
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Ranch Dipping Sauce for Wings

This is my go-to Ranch dipping sauce for wings. By using homemade Ranch mix I save a bundle on making this sauce versus using store-bought packets, so I usually make a big batch of it.
Course Sauce
Cuisine American
Keyword dipping sauce, Ranch
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 hours
Total Time 12 hours 5 minutes
Servings 1 cup
Calories 699kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together the yogurt, mayo, and Ranch dressing mix.
  • Refrigerate overnight.
  • Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Notes

Stir again before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 699kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 2661mg | Potassium: 322mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 567IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 234mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ranch Chicken Wings

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

My wife and I recently spent a few days in lovely Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania while attending a conference. I made sure I had my ‘to-eat’ list down before leaving, because one thing you can be sure of finding in Pittsburgh: good food. At the top of my list was dry Ranch chicken wings.

No, not dry like ‘ewww, this meat is dry’. Dry as in the wings aren’t tossed in sauce after being cooked. Instead they are dusted with seasoning. The end result is almost like roasted chicken, but with much more pronounced flavors. Now that we are back home, I had to make some of the favorites that I devoured in Pittsburgh, like these Ranch chicken wings, which I first experienced in our hotel bar.

Ranch Chicken Wings

I went with Ranch dressing for the dipping sauce for these Ranch chicken wings, but seriously, you can eat them dry, as-is, with no sauce. There’s no need to drown them in sauce, the flavor stands on its own.

Also try my red chile BBQ wings.

Ranch Chicken Wings
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Ranch Chicken Wings

I went with Ranch dressing for the dipping sauce for these Ranch chicken wings, but seriously, you can eat them dry, as-is, with no sauce. There’s no need to drown them in sauce, the flavor stands on its own.
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword dry, Ranch, wings
Prep Time 3 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 293kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

Notes

Serve with your favorite dipping sauce.

Nutrition

Calories: 293kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 114mg | Potassium: 191mg | Vitamin A: 180IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Ragin’ Cajun Cheddar Ranch Bugles

Bugles snacks don’t need a whole lot of help to be even more addicting than they already are. I decided to kick them up with some spicy Ragin’ Cajun Fixin’s Cajun seasoning, with a hint of cheddar and Ranch. Crazy good. Make a batch of Ragin’ Cajun cheddar ranch Bugles for the next big party at your house. Folks will know you didn’t just put a bowl of bagged snacks. You went the extra mile! You didn’t just call it in, you nailed it!

Ragin' Cajun Cheddar Ranch Bugles

Witching Hour

Remember to always put a few Bugles on the ends of your fingers and make sounds like a witch. You have to. You can’t help it. Then get back to enjoying these Ragin’ Cajun Cheddar Ranch Bugles. Stop playing around. There are some great snacks to be enjoyed!

Also try my Sriracha Bugles.

Ragin' Cajun Cheddar Ranch Bugles
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Ragin’ Cajun Cheddar Ranch Bugles

Make a batch of Ragin’ Cajun cheddar ranch Bugles for the next big party at your house. Folks will know you didn’t just put a bowl of bagged snacks. You went the extra mile!
Course Appetizer
Cuisine American
Keyword cheddar, Ranch, snack
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 10
Calories 4kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F.
  • Combine seasonings in a small bowl.
  • Place chips into a large plastic bowl.
  • Spray lightly with oil, gently stirring to get good coverage.
  • While stirring the chips, slowly pour in the seasoning mix.
  • Spread chip mixture out evenly onto a baking sheet.
  • Bake for 5 minutes.
  • Let cool completely before serving

Notes

It’s ok to add more seasoning for more cheesiness!

Nutrition

Calories: 4kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 345IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Quick Fix BBQ Ranch Dressing

A lot of restaurant signature sauces start with simple, off-the-shelf ingredients. A restaurant near us starts with BBQ sauce and Ranch, just like with this quick fix BBQ Ranch dressing, and then adds a few other ingredients (such as crumbled cooked bacon) to make it different for different dishes, such as for dipping onion rings or chicken wings. They also use it as a spicy version of their house Ranch salad dressing for well, you guessed it, salads.

Quick Fix BBQ Ranch Dressing

Great For Fries, Burgers And Wings Too!

This quick fix BBQ Ranch dressing isn’t just for salads, though. That’s for sure. I squirted it on a big plate of French fries. Then I dipped grilled chicken wings in it. I slathered it on hot-off-the-grill hamburgers. Heck, it’s great on wraps too!

Just make sure you start with good, quality BBQ sauce and Ranch dressing. And don’t hesitate to use a spicy BBQ sauce, or one with a bit of smoky flavor to it.

This dressing will last a while in the fridge, if there happens to be any leftover. Just make sure to give it a good shake or stir before serving.

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

Also try my dill Ranch dressing. Oh, and this dressing is fantastic on my Santa Fe chicken salad.

Quick Fix Bloody Mary Potato Chips
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Easy BBQ Ranch Dressing

A lot of restaurant signature sauces start with simple, off-the-shelf ingredients. A restaurant near us starts with BBQ sauce and Ranch, just like with this quick fix BBQ Ranch dressing, and then adds a few other ingredients.
Course Dressing
Cuisine American
Keyword BBQ, Ranch, salad dressing
Prep Time 10 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 827kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Whisk together the two ingredients.
  • Add any embellishments and stir to combine.

Notes

Stir before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 827kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 40mg | Sodium: 2781mg | Potassium: 406mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 50g | Vitamin A: 366IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Italian Ranch BBQ Chicken on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Note: This recipe was developed using the Char-Broil Big Easy Oil-Less Fryer. If you are cooking using the Char-Broil Smoker-Roaster Grill you should cook with the lid open and the temperature set to High. You might also need to adjust the cooking time.

I made some fantastic flashback old school BBQ chicken on my Char-Broil Big Easy the other day. It put me in the mood for more BBQ chicken, so I up and made this fantastic Italian Ranch BBQ chicken. It’s like my old school BBQ chicken kicked up big time. You still get that great BBQ sauce flavor, but as a bonus, you get ultra-tender juicy chicken that has marinated in Italian and Ranch dressings. My goodness, it was good!

Italian Ranch BBQ Chicken on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Apply The Sauce At The End

The original recipe for Italian Ranch BBQ chicken on the Char-Broil Big Easy called for marinating the chicken in the BBQ sauce and the dressings. I was using a BBQ sauce made with molasses. I knew that if it spent a long time over high heat it would start to burn. So, I marinated the chicken overnight in the dressings and then placed it into the Big Easy until almost done. That’s when I brushed the chicken with the BBQ sauce. And it was good.

To make these Italian ranch BBQ chicken on the Char-Broil Big Easy I used a bunk bed basket. It lets me double or even triple the amount of cooking space I have.

Also try my southwest chicken on the Big Easy.

It’s always a good idea to keep a few spare grease trays on hand for your Char-Broil Big Easy.

Love your Big Easy as much I love mine? Check out my Big Easy Add-Ons page and my free Big Easy eCookbook!

Italian Ranch BBQ Chicken on the Char-Broil Big Easy
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Italian Ranch BBQ Chicken on the Char-Broil Big Easy

Welcome to kicked-up old school BBQ chicken. You get that great BBQ sauce flavor, but as a bonus, you get ultra-tender juicy chicken that has marinated in Italian and Ranch dressings. My goodness, it was good!
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword BBQ, Big Easy, Char-Broil, chicken, Italian, Ranch
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 45 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 673kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Place the chicken into resealable container or baggie.
  • Whisk together the Italian dressing, Ranch dressing, and 1/2 cup of the BBQ sauce.
  • Add the marinade to the container.
  • Seal and shake gently to coat.
  • Let marinate overnight.
  • Fire up your Char-Broil Big Easy.
  • Shake off any excess marinade and add the chicken to the Big Easy basket.
  • Cook until chicken is done or just shy of done, 10-15 minutes per pound.
  • Brush remaining BBQ sauce onto chicken and if desired, return to the Big Easy for 5 minutes to ‘set’ the sauce.

Notes

You’ll need a Big Easy Bunk Bed basket to be able to double this recipe.

Nutrition

Calories: 673kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 39g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 159mg | Sodium: 1743mg | Potassium: 1026mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 221IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 49mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional values are approximate.