Thousand Island Dressing!

(This is a good way to start a blog)

Wikipedia states : Thousand Island dressing is a salad dressing (a variant of Russian dressing), commonly made of mayonnaise, ketchup, Tabasco sauce and finely chopped vegetables, most often pickles, onions, bell peppers, and green olives; chopped hard-boiled egg is also common. 


(Read the page for yourself)

Ok, now that we got that out of the way.  Luck smiled and got us a free pizza coupon on Thursday, so it is pizza and salad night!

Being a special night, our normal dressing just won't do, so I made my special treat, 1000 Island Dressing! I mean really, look in you fridge right now...go on...I'll wait... ... ... ... I bet you have Mayo, ketchup, and spicy bits in there.  You can make this your self too!


What I used:

• Mayo
• Ketchup
• Cocktail Sauce
• Sweet Pickle Relish
• S&P
• Dill
• Lemon Juice

How I put it together:

• My order in the "What I used" section basically lists out the amounts as well, with the large amount items at the top and the lesser amount items at the bottom.
• Mix it all up
• Watch for a color you like
• Taste along the way

The Aftermath:  I have been making this more and more lately.  I am beginning to think that buying store brand salad dressing is very silly.  This is quick, easy, and keeps me from eating too much heavy dressings because I don't always want to make the stuff.

Zesty, creamy and pretty much the same flavor as the stuff from the store.  

Please try it yourself and tell me about it.  Or tell me about what kind of homemade dressings do you make?

By the way the pizza came from Stacia's Pizza & Pasta in Greenwood.  Best Dang Pizza in Seattle (so says I) 

Also - Second by the way, the salad could have it's own page, but I am having mixed feelings about a post just for the salad, so for now I used just what was in there today - Greens, broccoli,  carrots, leeks, turnips, cheese (Thanks again A & S 3 days now and still cooking with that cheese!) and I boiled and wedged up 2 eggs.  Yummers.

#1 as in the First - Sweet Potato Soup and fancy Salad

Hello.
Welcome to Back of the Refrigerator Gourmet.  The idea of this blog is that I am a decent cook for my family.  I really enjoy food, but basically I am cheap.  So I try to make dinners with what ever is on hand.  I will tell you all more about my cooking style and what I work with over time.  Lets get into the food shall we.
Nov 15th Dinner - Roasted Gold Beets, Onions, pepper salad and Sweet Potato soup.




Roasted Gold Beets, Onions, pepper salad
What I used:

• Gold beets - roasted and diced
• Thin slicedCaramelized Onions
• Thin Sliced "Caramelized" Green bell & spicy red peppers
• Mixed greens
• Hard boiled Eggs
• Mustard Vinaigrette

How I put it together:
I roasted the beets with skin on, I rubbed them down with Olive Oil and covered with tin foil.  Roasted for about one hour until soft. Placed in the fridge to cool.
I carmalized the onions first in my cast iron pan with canola oil.  I removed the onions cooled on paper towles in the fridge.  I cooked the peppers in the same oil.
I slice the eggs.
Greens went on the bottom of the plate, followed by the diced beets, then the onions and peppers.  Eggs on top and little salt and pepper and the mustard vinaigrette.
Sweet Potato Soup
What I used:

• Sweet potatoes - about 5, large cube dice
• onion -1/2 of one,  thick diced
• 1 Apple
• Flax - scoop
• Vegi-stock
• splash of OJ
• Mulling Spices & black peppercorns
• Milk

How I put it together:
Into a decent sized soup pot in went all of the items, with enough of the vegi-stock to just cover.  I brought it to a boil, and then turned down the heat to a simmer, covered and let cook for about 1/2 hour until the potatoes were soft.
Using my stick blender and pureed it until smooth, I added milk to enhance the creaminess of it all.
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The afterthoughts:
Yummy.  The salad was a hit, even for The Boy (although he was sure he didn't like Gold Beets, only red ones.  The combo of the caramelized onions, eggs and salad was very nice.  The soup was think, creamy, and warm in the tummy.