I grew up in a home with a mother who never bought ready made salad dressings. Mom only ever made her own salad dressings from scratch. Always fresh, always delicious. I am a person who also likes to make my own, although I will sometimes buy some of those little single serving sized dressing sachets to have in my refrigerator for in a pinch.
Sometimes you might be having company for dinner and they want a specific kind of dressing, so those single serving sachets come in handy.
Mom always made a salad to serve with our dinner on a Sunday, and she would start the salad dressing for it early in the afternoon.
She never really measured anything. She would pour a pool of oil into the bottom of a bowl and then add half again the amount of vinegar. Into this would go chopped raw onion, some salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. She would leave the onion to macerate in this mixture most of the afternoon. This helped to remove any sharpness from the onion. I believe she learned this simple dressing when we were living in Germany from our German landlord.
This Olive Garden Salad Dressing I am sharing with you today is one I adapted from a recipe I found on a blog called Salt & Lavender. It looked and sounded really good. Never having eaten at Olive Garden, I was really keen to try it out for myself!
My sister said I should have photographed it in a fancy dressing bottle, but I don't really have one of those and to be honest, that's not me. I am not a really fancy person. I like things to look authentic and real most of the time and for every day. Fancy is not beneath me. I am more than capable, but I do prefer simple in my every day life!
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN SALAD DRESSING
Just a few simple ingredients. This is a great store cupboard salad dressing!
- 1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60g) full fat good quality mayonnaise
- 3 TBS white wine vinegar
- 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- black or white pepper to taste
This is one time where you will want to use the Extra Virgin Olive Oil. I always use that when I know the taste of the real deal is going to make a difference!
I like to use Hellman's mayonnaise. I don't get Dukes up here. I have not tried Kewpie for this, but I bet that would also be nice.
Use a good quality white wine vinegar, or even a white Balsamic. Don't leave out the sugar. Apparently this is the key to the authentic taste of this dressing. In all honesty, I always add a pinch of sugar to my dressings to help cut the acidity of the vinegar.
Make sure you use powders and not salts. I know this might seem like a stupid thing to have to tell you, but you would be surprised at how many people don't know the difference. If you use garlic and onion salt, this will be too salty.
Try, if possible, to grate your own Parmesan Cheese for this dressing. You can also use a Parmigiana Reggiano, or a Romano cheese. Using freshly grated does make a difference. They add things to already grated cheeses to help them flow better. You don't want that in your salad dressing.
Make Your Own Italian Seasoning: Mix together 3 TBS dried basil, 3 TBS dried oregano, 3 TBS dried parsley, 1 TBS garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried thyme, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. Store in an airtight container out of the light for up to 6 months.
HOW TO MAKE OLIVE GARDEN SALAD DRESSING
You can of course, just whisk everything together in a bowl, but I like to pop it into a canning jar and give it a good shake. It can then be stored in the refrigerator in the same shaker jar.
Measure all of the ingredients into a mason jar with a tight screw band top. Shake vigorously to combine.
Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 7 days, shaking well prior to use.
FOR AN AUTHENTIC OLIVE GARDEN SALAD EXPERIENCE
I have never been to Olive Garden in all honest, but I have perused their menu many times and dreamt of going. I have heard some very good things about them from people who have as well. Here are my suggestions for how to throw together the perfect salad to enjoy with this delicious dressing.
Toss this dressing together with iceberg lettuce, chopped into large bite sized pieces. Add some pickled pepperoncini, black olives, half moon sliced red onions, sliced Roma tomatoes and crisp buttery garlic croutons. Toss with additional grated Parmesan cheese.
Turn your salad into a main meal by adding some grilled fish or chicken.
Chop up some Italian deli meats (like salami), some fresh peppers, diced provolone cheese, etc. and turn it into a chopped Italian Salad
This was quite simply a lovely salad dressing. I have never been to The Olive Garden, so I really can't say for sure if it tastes like theirs or not, but I can promise you that it is delicious, with just the right amount of herb, spice, garlic and cheese.
It was rich and creamy without having to add any cream to it. I bet this would also be lovely drizzled over fish, or even an Italian Grinder style of sandwich!
If, like me, you like to make your own salad dressings, you may also be interested in the following delicious options!
CREAMY CHIVE AND CHEDDAR DRESSING - Rich and creamy and loaded with plenty of delicious cheddar cheese, this is a dressing that goes well on any type of mixed salad. I really love it on crisp wedges of Ice Berg Lettuce, however. There is something about the richness of the dressing and that cool crispness of the lettuce that is just oh so delicious! A salad that feels, looks and tastes like a treat! Creamy and rich, it is filled with the lovely flavors of garlic, cheddar and chives. So good it stands on it's own on a delicious canvas of crisp iceberg lettuce. The two together are a perfect marriage in heaven.
MARTHA'S CREAMY BLUE CHEESE DRESSING - Blue Cheese salad dressing is one of my favorites, and this recipe adapted/inspired from one by Martha S is fabulous! It is rich and creamy, but not overwhelming, having the perfect balance of flavors. Often when you have a blue cheese dressing all you can taste is the blue cheese. Aside from the blue cheese and perhaps the buttermilk, it uses really simple ingredients. If you don't have buttermilk you can use whole milk, but the dressing won't have quite the same tang!
Yield: 12 TBS
Olive Garden Salad Dressing
Prep time: 10 MinTotal time: 10 Min
An Italian American Favorite. Quick and easy to make and oh so tasty! Bold and tangy flavors. Simple.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (120ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup (60g) full fat good quality mayonnaise
- 3 TBS white wine vinegar
- 1/2 TBS granulated sugar
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 TBS freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp salt
- black or white pepper to taste
Instructions
- Measure all of the ingredients into a mason jar with a tight screw band top. Shake vigorously to combine.
- Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
- Keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator, for up to 7 days, shaking well prior to use.
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I love potatoes. They are my favorite vegetable and I know I am not alone in that love. I can eat then in any way, shape or form. I love them boiled, baked, mashed, fried. I love them hot or cold.
I have been known to make a large baked potato my whole supper with nothing more than butter, salt and pepper on it. I love the flesh and I love the skins.
One of my favorite ways of enjoying potatoes is smashed roasted potatoes. You boil potatoes, large or small, and then smash them down, brush with oil or butter and roast until crisp and golden brown.
Now it is quite the fashion to do it with smaller baby potatoes, and they are served as side dishes, or appetizers, nibbles, etc.
Today I have incorporated them into a fresh and tasty potato salad. Crispy golden edged potatoes, folded together with some crisp cucumber and spring onions into a rich and creamy Greek yogurt and mayo based fresh herb dressing.
With beautiful flavors and textures, this salad is quite simply, wonderfully delicious. Especially if you happen to love potatoes and you happen to love different! You can make this Vegan by simply replacing Dairy yogurt with vegan and of course using veganaise instead of traditional mayo.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE ROAST POTATO SALAD
Just a few simple ordinary fresh ingredients. You can make this vegan by using a vegan yogurt and mayonnaise.
For the salad:
- 1 2/3 pound (750g) baby potatoes, washed well and unpeeled
- light olive oil as needed
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and diced
For the dressing:
- 5 TBS Greek yogurt
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- a handful of finely chopped herbs (to taste, chives, tarragon, dill, parsley)
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (or to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste
I used a mix of baby potatoes by the Little Potato Company. They were a mix of yellow, red and purple skinned potatoes. I love the creaminess of these little potatoes. They work very well in recipes like this one.
I am not going to lie to you. I forgot to put in the cucumber and by the time I noticed this fact, I had already taken all of my photographs. I stirred it in after the fact. It was a fresh and delicious addition. You will have to take my word for that!
My bunch of spring onions had about six spring onions in it. You will need to trim off the ends and peel off any yucky bits, broken and discolored stems. I only used about 4 inches of the light to dark green bits. I find the really dark green bits not to be suitable for eating for the most part, but they work great in stocks.
I used full fat Greek Yogurt and Hellman's mayonnaise. I liked that there was no oil added to this, or vinegar. Just the herbs, onions, cucumber and potatoes.
I used parsley, dill and tarragon as the herbs.
It does ask for a rather large amount of garlic, and it is raw garlic, so if you are not overly fond of raw garlic, do be judicious in using it, or, alternatively you can use garlic powder to taste. I used only two cloves and thought that was just the right amount.
Don't be afraid to taste as you go along.
HOW TO MAKE ROAST POTATO SALAD
This does involve two steps. Boiling the potatoes and then the roasting of the smashed and boiled potatoes. The dressing goes together very easily as well. You can roast the potatoes either in a conventional oven or an air fryer. (Half the time, and it doesn't heat up the kitchen.)
Wash your potatoes well. Pop into a pot of lightly salted water to cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tip of a knife inserts easily. Drain well.
Preheat your oven or air fryer to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
Place the warm potatoes onto a sheet lined with baking parchment. Using the bottom of a glass, gently smash them down to break open. Don't be too aggressive with them, but you do want lots of edges to crisp up. Brush the tops with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip over and repeat.
If using an air fryer, place the potatoes onto your air fryer racks in a single layer. Otherwise keep them on the oven tray.
Oven roast for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping them halfway through the roasting time. If using the air fryer, air fryer for 20 minutes, no need to flip. When done they will be crispy edged. Leave to cool to room temperature.
Whisk the yogurt and mayonnaise together. Add the herbs, garlic and seasoning. Whisk together to combine well.
Break the potatoes into a bowl. I broke each potato in half. Add the dressing, cucumber and spring onions. Fold all gently together until all the potatoes are evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
Serve at room temperature. Refrigerate any leftovers, covered. Will keep several days.
This was delicious. Served at room temperature it went down a real treat. I confess to eating the leftovers, chilled from the refrigerator, the next day and it was still delicious!
The dressing was not over the top, nor was there too much of it as you can often find in store prepared potato salads. This was fairly simple to make and boasted a delicious balance of flavors and textures! I highly recommend! It is a salad I will be repeating off and on all summer!
I think potato salad is one of my absolute favorite summer salads. There are many delicious ways to prepare it. Here are some others that you might also enjoy!
HONEY MUSTARD TWO POTATO SALAD - This incredibly simple potato salad uses two kinds of potatoes, white and sweet, providing a wonderful contrast of color, flavors and textures. With its delicious honey mustard vinaigrette dressing, it is a salad that you can totally make ahead. It is also somewhat healthier than most mayonnaise based potato salads!
BISTRO POTATO SALAD - This is a kind of potato salad that would be at home on any French Bistro Table. It is a simple salad, using fresh and delicious, simple ingredients. This salad uses lovely baby salad greens, fresh herbs, (I used mint, dill, tarragon, parsley and chives), and a few spring onions. A few thinly sliced crisp garden radishes complete the picture. Tender boiled new potatoes, halved, as well as quartered hard boiled eggs. Dressed with a lush sherry Dijon vinaigrette dressing. Simple ingredients done well, and put together in the most delicious way!
Yield: 4 - 6
Roast Potato Salad
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 40 MinTotal time: 55 Min
A nice blend of crispy potato, soft potato, vegetables and herbs. Rich and creamy, without being over the top. Potatoes can be roasted in either the oven or the air fryer.
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1 2/3 pound (750g) baby potatoes, washed well and unpeeled
- light olive oil as needed
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1 bunch spring onions, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1/2 English cucumber, peeled and diced
For the dressing:
- 5 TBS Greek yogurt
- 2 TBS mayonnaise
- a handful of finely chopped herbs (to taste, chives, tarragon, dill, parsley)
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced (or to taste)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Wash your potatoes well. Pop into a pot of lightly salted water to cover and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the tip of a knife inserts easily. Drain well.
- Preheat your oven or air fryer to 375*F/190*C/ gas mark 5.
- Place the warm potatoes onto a sheet lined with baking parchment. Using the bottom of a glass, gently smash them down to break open. Don't be too aggressive with them, but you do want lots of edges to crisp up. Brush the tops with some oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Flip over and repeat.
- If using an air fryer, place the potatoes onto your air fryer racks in a single layer. Otherwise keep them on the oven tray.
- Oven roast for 30 to 40 minutes, flipping them halfway through the roasting time. If using the air fryer, air fryer for 20 minutes, no need to flip. When done they will be crispy edged. Leave to cool to room temperature.
- Whisk the yogurt and mayonnaise together. Add the herbs, garlic and seasoning. Whisk together to combine well.
- Break the potatoes into a bowl. I broke each potato in half. Add the dressing, cucumber and spring onions. Fold all gently together until all the potatoes are evenly coated. Taste and adjust seasoning as required.
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Here we are, another Sunday, another delicious Meals of the Week Post. On Sunday's I like to share with my readers all of the delicious main meals that I have cooked and or eaten over the past seven days! That's a whole lot of tasty going on.
For the most part, I am a person who likes to cook for myself. I also like to try to keep my meals fairly healthy, balanced and economical. I do eat out at least once a week with my father and his friend. That is normally a real treat. Generally speaking however, I cook for myself on a regular basis.
Nothing is overly complicated. I lie to cook easy things, unless I am having company. If I am having company I might pull out the stops a bit, but to be honest I had enough of fancy cooking when I cooked at the Manor. In my day to day regular life I like to keep things fairly simple.
That doesn't mean that what I cook is not delicious however! I always try to use the best and the freshest ingredients. I only ever very rarely will eat anything frozen or out of a can. Occasionally I will use a tin of soup to make a casserole or some such.
I love to cook and I love to eat. There is a huge temptation when you live all on your own to become somewhat lazy when it comes to eating, or to get into a rut when it comes to meals. I want to keep as exciting and delicious as possible, with a good measure of healthy thrown into the mix!
Here is what I enjoyed for my main meals along with some menu suggestions over the past seven days!
SUNDAY, May 19th - Dinner out with the family
It was my turn to treat the family to a dinner out this week and so I decided to take us all to the Farmer's Family Diner in Aylesford, which is about 40 minutes from where I live. Their food is all family style and for the most part really good. I especially like their Roast Dinners. They are a bit expensive as compared to our usual place, but if the food is good it is worth it. There was five of us as my father's friend Hazel joined us.
Hazel and I each had the turkey dinner. I am sharing my Instant Pot Turkey Thighs recipe in its place. Its a fabulous recipe and way to cook turkey things without heating up the whole kitchen. Tender and delicious as well, plus there are plenty of juices to make a tasty gravy.
Mine and Hazel's dinner was really good. It came with plenty of turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turnips, peas, carrots, a roll and cranberry sauce. Dad had, what else . . . a hot dog and chips. He was happy with that. Dan had a Hamburger Steak dinner, with chips and gravy and it came with vegetables also. Cindy had fish and chips, but she wasn't entirely happy with them. But we did enjoy all being there together which is the main thing!
MONDAY, May 20th - Proper Welsh Rarebit and salad
I wasn't overly hungry on Monday. It was a fairly warm day and I was busy here around the house and so I made myself some Welsh Rarebit for my tea! (Which is what they call supper in the U.K.) I had not had Welsh Rarebit in a very long time. I had some proper British Cheddar in the house as well.
Welsh Rarebit is a rich, but simple cheese sauce. which is traditionally spooned over hot buttered toast. You can also pop the sauce slathered toast beneath a hot grill to gild it a bit, which is my preferred way to eat it!! It is simple and delicious. You want to use a nice cheese and a good bread. This was beautiful with a tossed salad on the side. You could add some oven chips as well for the heartier eaters!
Again, I wanted something simple. I had been with my sister to my dad's for most of the day as we are getting him ready to move into my sister's place. There is a lot of clearing out that needs doing. We hope to have him moved in by the 15th of June.
I had frozen myself a couple of dinners of Flat Meatballs and Gravy and before I went out Tuesday morning, I took one of them out and popped it into the refrigerator to thaw for my supper when I got home later in the day.
They are more like little flat patties of ground beef, mixed with finely minced onion, garlic and some other seasonings, which are browned and then baked in the oven with a lovely gravy that uses cream of mushroom soup and grated onion. I am not a tinned soup snob. It has it's uses and this is a fabulous way to use it! These meatballs are real family pleasers. I like to enjoy them with some rice or mashed potatoes and a vegetable on the side.
WEDNESDAY, May 22nd - Dinner out with Dad
Every Wednesday night (or most Wednesday's at any rate) my sister and I go and meet our father and his friend Hazel at The Big Scoop Family Restaurant and Take Out. They had a double cheeseburger special on this week and that is what Hazel and Cindy had. I just wanted a bacon cheeseburger as I can't really eat two burger patties, and I decided to splurge and have "Frings" with it on the side, an order of half onion rings and half fries.
We would have been much better off staying home and enjoying one of my Juicy Turkey Burgers! Those never disappoint and that is what you see in the top photograph here. Always juicy and flavorful. I like to enjoy them with lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise. They are really delicious!
We will not be going to the Big Scoop this week. In fact I think Cindy and I are going to sit this week out while dad and Hazel go to Greenwood for Chinese food. We don't like the Chinese Food restaurant either, but dad's favorite waitress from the Big Scoop has quit and is now working there so he really wants to see her.
Another day out working at Dad's place today so quick and easy was the order of the day. I am a lover of Thai flavors an Thai curries. I love curry full stop anyways. This is a quick and easy curry that is like a stir fry in many respects. It goes together very quickly. Diced chicken, frozen mixed vegetables (you decide which ones you want), a few seasonings, some coconut milk, dinner is well on the way. A squeeze of lime, some chopped peanuts and steamed rice on the side and you have a beautiful meal.
I cut it way back to make only one serving just for me. The original recipe makes a family sized curry. If you would like the measures to make only one or two servings, just ask.
I really fancied some fish for my supper on Friday and so I took a salmon filet out of my freezer and thawed it out. This is a sheet pan supper that is a perfect entree for diabetics, in that it is low carb, high in fiber and big on flavor! If you are watching the carbs this is the meal for you.
The salmon is flavored with a delicious herby garlic butter. Perfectly baked and flavored. Moist and delicious salmon with crispy tender broccoli, all baked together on one baking sheet.
You could enjoy this with a baked potato on the side if you wanted to, or some steamed rice. I like it with a bit of mashed Sweet potatoes, which gives me a trifecta of delicious super foods on my plate! Healthy and delicious!
I heated up my air fryer last night and made myself some Airy Fryer French Bread Pizza! Because there is just me, I actually used a halved large ciabatta bun. Totally from scratch, using simple ordinary pizza ingredients. It cooks simply and easily to perfection in the air fryer.
I used to call my air fryer the cremator before I got used to using it. I used to burn everything in it. It just took a bit of getting used to. A learning curve for sure, but now I use it all the time. For the smaller family, they are really wonderful!
These pizzas are quite lovely. They are simple and quick to make and oh so tasty. I enjoyed with a simple side salad with a simple ranch dressing. You could also serve the dressing as a dip with some crisp vegetable sticks. Salad or crispy vegetables, both go very well with these tasty French Bread Pizzas!!
And there you have it! My main meals that I enjoyed over the past seven days. I did enjoy a few other bits for breakfast and such. I made my homemade granola this week and I enjoyed having that for breakfast with some creamy yogurt and date syrup (my favorite way to enjoy it) and typically I had salads or fruit or both for my lunch!! I really love fruit smoothies!
I hope something here has sparked some interest in you for wanting to cook for yourself also!
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
If you like what you see here, why not consider signing up for my newsletter and/or subscribing/following me on Grow. You can also bookmark my recipes via the Grow platform. Check out the heart on the right hand side of the screen.
I have now shut down my Mad Mimi Newsletter account so if you still wish to get newsletters from me and had previously subscribed via Mad Mimi, you will need to resubscribe via Grow, if you haven't done so already.
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