Honey-Citrus Dressing

This is a fun way to add some variety to your fruits and melons!

1/3 cup frozen lemonade or limeade concentrate (thawed)
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
dash of ground mace
dash of salt

Combine and beat all until smooth. Cover and chill well. Serve over melon balls or mixed fresh fruits and berries.

Cantaloupe was on sale for .89 a piece this week. Makes a quick & frugal dessert without heating up your kitchen too.

Homemade Dill Dressing

How is your dill growing?

Here is a quick & easy dressing for salads or try drizzling over those home grown tomatoes! Yum!

1 cup real mayonnaise
1 teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar
1 teaspoon dried crushed dill weed
1/2 teaspoon minced onion
Ground pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons milk to thin to desired consistency.

Stir together mayonnaise, lemon juice or vinegar, dill weed, onion, and pepper to well blended. Thin with milk to desired consistency. Cover and chill.

Serve over lettuce wedges or tomatoes.

For a healthier version use plain yogurt (drained) instead of the mayonnaise.

Homemade Avocado Dressing

Being frugal means a lot of different things to each individual. One way I like to be frugal is making my own mixed seasonings, cleaners, and of course dressings & dips. Here's another one of my favorite recipes for those summer veggies that are so abundant at farmers markets and from my own garden. Enjoy!

1 cup real mayonnaise
1 ripe medium avocado, cut in chunks
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped green chilies
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of hot pepper sauce
1 clove garlic
4 to 6 tablespoons milk

Process all ingredients except milk until smooth. Thin with milk to desired consistency. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour before serving. Makes 2 cups.

Serve over sliced/diced tomatoes or raw vegetables.

In case you missed them, here's a list of all my other dressing recipes:
Ranch Dressing
Bacon & Onion Dressing
Catalina Dressing
Vinaigrette Dressing

For other great frugal tips and ideas, be sure to visit Life As Mom's Frugal Friday. Share some frugal ideas with all of us there.

Make Your Own Catalina Dressing

Catalina Dressing

1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup wine vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon grated onion

Place all in a blender and blend until well blended. Thoroughly chill before serving. Makes 1 1/2 cups.

Serve over mixed greens or vegetable-fruit salads.

Making it Kid Friendly: I will pour some out into a separate dish and squirt some ketchup into it for them.

When making dressing, I like to use my stick blender. There is less time cleaning up!

Salad & Fruit Dressings Series-Vinaigrette Dressing

Who has lettuce or spinach coming on in their gardens? My lettuce is getting there but I was late planting my spinach. And if you didn't get any planted, be sure to visit a local farmers market.

Home grown greens are so good with a home made dressing, don't you think? Making your own dressing are economical, quick and fun.

I have a series of 10 dressings I will be posting for you to try. There should be something everyone will enjoy. If green salads are not your thing I will also have some fruit salad dressings too!

3/4 cup olive oil or vegetable oil
1/4 cup vinegar
3 1 inch pieces medium green onion
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
ground pepper to taste
Dash of hot pepper sauce

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until uniform.
Cover and chill. makes about 1 cup.

Serve on any vegetable salad, greens or over sliced tomatoes.

Faux Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

We use a lot of Ranch Dressing around my house. My 10yr old son eats it on everything. It gets expensive to buy prepared. I'm going to try this mix and see if he likes it as well.

Have any of you tried a recipe like this? If so, did your family like it?

Faux Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons garlic powder
3 Tablespoons onion flakes
2 teaspoons pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons paprika
2 and 1/2 teaspoons parsley flakes

Mix and store in a small Ziplock bag.

For recipes calling for a packet of Ranch Dressing: Two Tablespoons = one seasoning packet

To make dressing, combine 1 tablespoon mix with 1 cup mayonnaise and 1 cup buttermilk. Blend well. Best if refrigerated for at least an hour before serving.

To make dip, combine 1 tablespoon mix with 1 cup sour cream. Blend well. Refrigerate 1 hour before serving with vegetables.