I have a recipe box – old, ugly, scratched and stuffed full. It would make an Instagrammer cringe with how non-photogenic it is, and it in no way reflects my deep inner philosophy of the soul of food. Or my sense of personal style. Or whatever. Oh, and it’s a little sticky. It is functional and overflowing with random clippings, scribbled over index cards, obscure notes, and dutifully copied but slightly stained slips of paper that contain all the family recipes I didn’t want to leave home without. Really, I literally copied them by hand before leaving home to strike out on my own.
A Smattering of My Recipe Box Gold
When thinking about the first recipe I wanted to share, I decided that it would be the first recipe I made sure to copy down. Everyone needs a basic
salad dressing. This is mine.
Grandmother’s Salad Dressing – The Original
(Come to think of it, this would actually be my Great-Grandmother’s Recipe, but too late to change my recipe card now. I wrote out that original card in INK)
Ingredients:
- ½ c. Corn or Vegetable Oil
- ½ c. Olive Oil
- Juice from (1) Lemon
- 2 T. Grated Onion
- 1 t. Salt
- A Dash of Pepper
Method:
Wisk it all together, and toss over your favorite green salad. Done.
Variations on a Theme:
- Add a teaspoon of whole grain mustard. A dab of honey would be good here too.
- Chop any fresh herbs you have hanging about – a teaspoon or so should do it. Parsley is delish. Oregano has it charms. Lemon Thyme is a revelation.
- Add Cilantro and swap the lemon juice for lime. You could also a splash of your favorite hot pepper sauce for a little kick.
- If you have dried tomato skins left over from canning, crumble them and toss them in for bright, summer flavor in a bottle.
- This makes a nice marinade for chicken or use it on fish, right before you pan-fry it
The Recipe My Grandchildren Will Call Grandmother’s Salad Dressing (Because, let’s face it people. I may carefully copy a recipe down, but I can’t actually follow it to save my life)
Ingredients
- ½ c. Grapeseed Oil – it is my favorite light, neutral oil
- ½ c. Olive Oil
- Juice from (2) Lemons – I like my dressing a bit tart, so feel free to add less
- 3 T Water
- 2 T Finely Minced Shallot
- 1 t Salt
- Fresh Cracked Pepper - to taste
Method
- Method to the Madness:
- Put all the ingredients in a bottle. Shake the hell out of it before serving. Tastes best if allowed to sit for at least an hour or so, but it is even better after a day. Will keep in the fridge for 5 days to a week.
This recipe is copyrighted by Suitcase Foodist and can only be duplicated or reprinted with written permission
What is your go to salad dressing?
-Lydia, Shameless Recipe Alterer
Beautiful photography! Excited to follow!
Thanks, we are excited to share!