How’s everyone doing in the plastic bottled dressing department? Is the door of your fridge full of them, maybe they’re most all expired? It’s ok. Mine was like that, too. I would have a dinner party and buy 1 or 2 then buy another one. A few would expire so I’d throw away bottles that were 3/4 full and then buy some more. It was a vicious, ugly cycle. And then one day, I decided to throw out (recycle) all the expired ones, use up what I had and then be done with them for good. Now, I make 2 different kinds, a lemon-Dijon vinaigrette and a balsamic vinaigrette. You would be hard pressed to find many folks who would turn one of those options down. And you can always offer a lemon half to squeeze, olive oil to drizzle and Parmesan to grate on top. On a special occasion, like this weekend when Andrew grilled a head of romaine lettuce, I will make an easy Caesar dressing. And if you just need ranch, how about keeping a packet or two in your pantry and make it when necessary?

The balsamic vinaigrette is so good, I’m often tempted to get a straw. It’s the one the kids like the best, too. The lemon-Dijon has a much brighter flavor which I enjoy on my arugula and tuna salad. I would recommend writing these out on a piece of paper and taping it to the back of one of your cabinet doors for easy reference.

Balsamic vinaigrette from Baked Bree

1 clove chopped garlic

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients and shake in mason jar.

Lemon-Dijon vinaigrette

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp Dijon

1.5 tsp honey

Salt and pepper to taste

1/3 cup olive oil

Shake first 4 ingredients until combined and then shake in the olive oil.

The shelf life for these are 1-2 weeks refrigerated, technically, but I am quite the adventurous sort so I use mine for a lot longer than that.