Creamy Lime-Cilantro Dressing

Summer S.

1 pack (1oz) Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix (regular or buttermilk, and ignore directions on the packet)
1 C mayo
1/2 C milk (or buttermilk depending on which packet you buy)
1 lime
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1/2 C roughly chopped cilantro
1/4 C green salsa*
hot sauce

Place milk, mayo, and ranch mix in a blender. Juice the lime in there too, you should get about 2T juice. Toss in the garlic, cilantro and green salsa. Blend 'er up. Sample it and add hot sauce to taste. Make it several hours ahead of time to allow it to thicken.

*A note about green salsa:
There are several brands of green salsa available in most supermarkets and they have various degrees of heat. One of the most commonly seen brands is Hernandez. Hernandez brand is a lot spicier than any of the others I've tried. Even their medium green salsa is way too spicy for my liking. I like to buy La Costena because their medium is actually really mild. That way I get all of the flavor of the tomatillos but I control the level of heat with the hot sauce. If you're not used to buying green salsa, make sure to sample it first before you put it in the dressing so you know what you're getting into!

Buttermilk Syrup

Amy D.

1 cup sugar
½ cup margarine
½ cup buttermilk

Slowly bring to a boil, taking care to not scorch the milk. When it has reached a low boiling, remove from heat and add 1 tsp vanilla and 1 tsp baking soda.
This syrup really froths, so only double it in a 3 quart saucepan.

When I am out of buttermilk, I use regular milk and it still tastes delicious, just not quite the same as buttermilk.

Also, don’t worry if you cook it too long, then it becomes a "caramelly" type syrup….still delicious!