We eat salad pretty much every night. 90% of the time it's homemade salad dressing, the other 10% it's Kraft Greek dressing. I've honestly never come across a Greek Salad dressing I like more than this bottled stuff. (please don't send me Greek Salad dressing recipes, I'm actually pretty happy that 10% of the time I don't have to make my own dressing)
Here's a quiz for you:
Most people don't make their own salad dressings because:
a) They're stupid
b) They're lazy
c) All of the above
If you chose c) you're right. I know this because I used to be both stupid and lazy. I couldn't remember the 4 ingredients of my salad dressings for the life of me (stupid) and I couldn't be bothered to look them up and make the dressing (lazy)
So I came up with this handy solution so you too can be brilliant and ambitious as opposed to stupid and lazy.
Write the measurements on a glass bottle.
Yup. That's it.
You'll need to measure your salad dressing recipe into the bottle once. Measure out and add the required amount of vinegar, then mark a line for vinegar. Add the required amount of oil, then mark a line for oil. And on and on.
You'll also need the appropriate pen. It needs to be an oil based paint marker. You can use a Sharpie Oil Based paint marker for instance. Amazon sells them on-line and craft stores and sometime hardware stores carry them. They're around $5. ATTENTION! The big, fat liar known as the Internet will lead yo to believe you can just use a regular sharpie then bake the bottle in the oven for half an hour to make the Sharpie permanent. This is a big, fat Internet lie. This technique may work on ceramics that have a slightly rougher surface, but it will not work on smooth glass. Won't. Will not.
Then every time you make salad dressing, all you have to do is grab the bottle and fill with the required ingredients to their fill lines. No measuring. No trying to remember what goes in it.
The one thing you have to watch out for is the oil. Pour your dressing from the opposite side of the jar that the writing is on. Rubbing with water may not be able to remove the writing, but a drip of oil is dangerous.
Interested in making the super-delicious salad in the picture above? Here's my recipe. It has spring mix, strawberries, spiced pecans, brie cheese ... and is pretty stinkin' delicious.
Hey you. YOU THERE! You're kindda brilliant and ambitious. Good for you.
Hi Karen! Thanks for this one! I always find something fun or funny, or an "I've gotta do that!" epiphany (usually a combo of the three) when I visit your site. Took a look on Amazon: is the Kraft dressing that you opt for on those 1-in-10 salad days the "Kraft Greek Vinaigrette Dressing & Marinade," or the "Kraft Dressing Made with Extra Virgin Olive Oil - Greek Vinaigrette Dressing with Feta Cheese and Oregano"? They have different ingredients and come in different bottles. Just wondering which one (or both?) you've tested and approved. :)
Hi jackie. It's the one with Feta cheese and oregano! ~ karen
Thanks! I'll give it a whirl.
I always make my own salad dressing, but I'm way too lazy to follow a recipe. Put some vinegar in the tall mixing jar that came with the stick blender, add herbs/seasoning/mustard/shallot/whatever as inspired, a dollop of something sweet (a squeeze of ketsup if you're out of maple syrup), add oil, maybe a garlic clove. Insert stick blender and push button. Turns out different every time, and always yummy. When it's super-awesome and will never be duplicated ('cause I didn't measure or write down what went into it) it's transcendant. Seems like the kind of thing the Japanese would have a phrase for: the fleeting preciousness of a lone-batch home-made salad dressing.
Hah!
You measure? Am I the only one that just throws the stuff in and shakes it up? Huh. I guess that makes me even lazier than you all.
This particular dressing is more involved than most. And when made to exact measurements it's probably one of the best (sweet) dressings you'll ever try. Regular balsamic dressings I don't measure. ~ karen!
I meant "clever!" HA! not CLEAVER! Although it would be appropriate too I guess!
Yup. Works both ways. :) ~ karen!
You cleaver little foodie you!
How do you store this dressing? Do you just shake it up each time before you use it? I usually make my own dressing in a single serving every ding dang time we have salad, but this would be MUCH easier!
Hi Korinne - Yup, I just store it in the fridge and shake it up before pouring. ~ karen!
And I was just referring back to your blog for the recipe. Thanks Karen!
I LOVE this idea! I'm always loosing and forgetting this recipe. It's my favorite, and now I'll never loose it again. Thanks!
Asian Chicken Salad With Sweet and Spicy Dressing
2 Tablespoons Rice Vinegar
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
3/4 Teaspoon Wasabi Powder (dried Japanese horseradish)
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1 Package Asian Supreme Salad Mix
1 8 oz Can Mandarin Oranges
2 Cups Grilled Chicken Breast
2 Diagonally Cut Green Onions
1/2 Cup Almonds
1/3 Can Rice Noodles (the thin ones)
Ok this dressing is amazing. I made your salad and dressing tonight and took full credit for the whole damn thing. Is there no honor among thieves? Thank you for sharing Karen.
Amy in StL: Im worried about you and that's kinda freaking me out because I don't even know you. Sending you good vibes.
It's definitely a keeper isn't it. I take a lot of pride in my food detective work. ~ karen!
You can buy bottles with ingredient amount fill lines already printed on them. Amazon sells one called Kolder Salad Dressing Bottle. I think William Sonoma carries them as well. They usually have a number of dressing recipes printed on them - French, Italian, etc... It's a great present to give when you go to visit someone.
Hi Geraldine! Good to know. (I wanted to do it this way because I wanted something that worked for my salad dressing recipes) ~ karen!
I've got 8 of these little glass bottles (so you know what dressing I've been eating, Karen). So trying this, because I am forever losing my dressing recipes.
So far, I've been disappointed by every recipe that's thrown at me as too oily or too sharp, or too bland. Directions like season to taste are useless. And honestly, yours looks kind of bland. Of course, I also prefer creamy dressings and they are a lot of work. They're also a lot of fat, and I don't eat salad to up my fat intake.
LOL. You sound like you're in a bit of a growly mood today Amy. I can assure you that just because my dressing is light coloured in no way means it's bland. Not even close to bland. Yeah, salad dressings aren't diet food, but I don't eat them as such. Also, you have to remember you're not drinking the bottle. You're just using a couple of tablespoons. That's all you need for a serving, especially if they're full of flavour. ~ karen!
Yeah, honestly the whole sequester/furlough thing does have me in a big grump this week. I'll take my black cloud back with me. :)
I don't know what that is, explain it to me. You're being put on forced lay off? ~ karen!
Excellent idea. I wonder if it could be etched, then it could go in the dishwasher and oil wouldn't bother it.
That is a bloody brilliant idea. And that salad looks amazing.
I LOVE this idea and will definitely be trying it at my house! But I'm thinking that you need to share your dressing recipe with us - maple syrup? mustard? balsamic? I surely need the specifics now!! :)
Jennifer. At the bottom of the post I give you the link to the recipe. ~ karen!
Ha! Yes it is. I'm no longer when I make a salad dressing but apparently I need to improve my lazy reading skills! I'm off now to find a suitable bottle..... Thanks Karen!
That's O.K. You weren't the only person to miss it. I think I got everyone overexcited over the writing on the bottle idea. ~ karen
Awesome idea. My husband makes fabulous dressings all the time and has bits of paper floating around my cupboards with his recipes. I like this idea much better.
I made a quick and easy dressing last night that was pretty darn tasty too, but I did it right in the bowl. Pressed garlic clove (toss), Olive oils just poured on (toss), champagne vinaigrette (toss), sea salt, ground pepper, dill, freshly diced rosemary (just a touch) and toss again. Also used spring mix with red onions. Was delicious and light.
I'm going to make your salad dressing for tonight's supper. My balsamic is from Italy and it's dark so the finished dressing won't look quite as nice as yours. Thanks for the idea. Wish I had some fresh strawberries and spring mix too.
Hi Jeannie B - You can try it but white balsamic and regular balsamic do taste quite different. It'll probably be fine tho. ~ karen!
Seems like a lot of maple syrup in there Karen - still, I trust you, I'll try it. I'm also trying Annie's dressing as I am in a dressing rut, I have been making my mother's since the Ark.
2/3 olive oil
1/3 balsamic
grainy mustard
salt, pepper
garlic
honey
I usually make it in either the oil or the vinegar bottle, and keep it hidden away. I couldn't buy the pre-marked special bottles as I feel they are bossing me about. If I marked my own bottle I'd feel that I was bossing myself!
It's definitely a sweet dressing. I sometimes kick up the vinegar if I feel it needs more acidity. ~ karen!
That looks like an awesome recipe. I'll try this one too!
When i say grainy mustard, I mean QUITE A LOT of grainy mustard : )
oh god my smile fell off
If you have ever accidentally smudged WHITE OUT on your clothing and then attempted to remove it know that it is indelible; White Out could be an alternative for line measurements.
It could .. it's just really hard to write ingredients with white out. Same with the idea people have with modge podge or nail polish. It MIGHT be possible to use a wide line of white out and then write with indelible marker on the white out tho! ~ karen
Can you still buy white out pens? I used to love those back in the day, when I'd write boys' names on my binders with them.. oh la la. Then they banned white out.
Thanks so much - LOVE the lines idea, I used a similar technique in my restaurant in Ajijic (just closed thank God don't ever open a restaurant if you love to cook...), with giant service-size containers and yet never ONCE considered doing it for the stuff I make at home. Sheesh! Stupid. Lazy. Slaaaaaazy.
Slazy. I like it! ~ k