during the summer, my husband directs a family kamp. on saturday mornings, not many people are around and the pool is almost deserted. so we take the opportunity to crash the pool, bringing friends, floats, and snacks – trying to last as long as we can until the kids are all melting down for naps. one time, my good friend whitney brought veggies and ranch dressing for the kids to snack on, only her ranch dressing was made from scratch. my daughter, the one whose love language is sugar and who will not touch veggies thanks to her genetics from her dad, gobbled up carrots dipped in the ranch. i was GIDDY.

so i begged whit for the recipe, which is a family recipe, and it has become my favorite ranch dressing – storebought or not. i have edited it just a bit but have not strayed from the original ingredients. the kicker, in my opinion, is the saltine crackers – GENIUS! – which gives the salty flavor and makes it a little thicker so it’s never runny. this makes enough mix for a lot of dressing, so i store the mix in a mason jar and use it as i need it. it will keep for a few months in an airtight container.

mrs bartlett’s homemade ranch dressing

ingredients

7 saltine crackers (or a heaping cup of the oyster-size saltines)

1 tbsp garlic salt

4 tsp onion powder

1/4 cup dried parsley

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 heaping tbsp dried dill

directions

1. pulverize the saltines in the blender until fine. pour into a medium sized mixing bowl.

2. add all of the dried herbs and whisk to incorporate. store in an airtight container.

3. to make dressing: mix 1 tbsp ranch mix with 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup mayonnaise. use milk to thin, for desired consistency.

enjoy!