Some of you saw my post on Facebook of my Daughter in Law, Suzy’s big birthday party…..I will be posting a few of the recipes and highlights of that momentous night.  Adam and Suzy restored an old house in downtown Mesa in the DD Castleberry neighborhood which was so popular when I was growing up…..the owner’s of Brown and Hoeye Chevrolet, later Brown and Brown, lived there, along with Aquanetta, a sort of semi-celebrity who was married to Jack Ross of Jack Ross Lincoln Mercury…..in other words, the CREAM of Mesa!  Adam and Suzy  have done a beautiful job with their home, and have moved into a neighborhood which seems to discover some of the old ‘ways’, such as neighbors helping neighbors…..remember that?  Anyway, the four homemade salad dressings seemed to be a hit the night of the party.  Here they are:

 

1,000 ISLAND (yes, it’s back!)

This is the only one I won’t list ingredients as usual, as it is very much your choice as to amounts of each ingredients you will add.  So:  start with about 3/4 cup of mayo, and add enough catsup to make it pink.  (Probably about 2 Tbs.)  Then add about one tablespoon of sweet pickle relish, one chopped hard boiled egg, and 1 tsp. worchestershire sauce.  Mix thoroughly and cover and chill in fridge.  Lasts a couple of weeks. (sometimes I add a little milk to thin it a little).

 

STEAKHOUSE FRENCH (I made this one up from some old recipes.  Sort of a cross between French and Thousand Island)

Mix 1/4 cup each together:  Mayo, oil (any kind you like),  and BBQ sauce.  Add 2 Tbs. catsup.

Then add 1 tsp. each:  crushed garlic, dry mustard and worchestershire sauce.

2 Tbs. sugar or honey

1/4 cup grated onion

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Mix all in blender until smooth.  Keep in jar in fridge.

 

TARRAGON RANCH

This one was an unexpected hit, as I had just tasted something similar at a restaurant and was told it was simply regular Ranch dressing with Tarragon added.  So that’s what I did.  Added one Tbs. dry tarragon to one cup Prepared Ranch, from the Hidden Valley……  It adds a really nice flavor to a plain old Ranch

 

HASSAYAMPA HOTEL BLEU CHEESE VINAIGRETTE

This one is the most complicated, and definitely worth the trouble, if you like Bleu Cheese dressing.  Warning:  It is not the white creamy kind you are accustomed to.

1/2 cup Olive Oil (1 Tbs. of this will be used to saute crushed garlic)

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup crumbled bleu or gorgonzola cheese

1/4 cup white vinegar (I used white Balsamic.  We like the sweetness of it)

1 Tbs. sugar               1 Tbs. water

1/2 tsp. tabasco         1/2 tsp. salt       dash pepper

1 Tbs. chopped fresh Basil, or 1 tsp dry, crushed in your hand

Heat one tbs oil in small skillet, add garlic and saute one minute,  JUST until light brown  Add to all ingredients and blend all except the oil.  Start the blender and add the oil in a steady stream.  Blend about one minute.  Chill in fridge.  Better the next day!