Have a toddler/pre-schooler? Do they LOVE ranch dressing? Did you know it's SUPER SIMPLE to make? My daughter dips practically everything in ranch dressing, so much so, that I buy the giant, almost restaurant-sized containers. I saw a few recipes online and just HAD to try it! It was so simple, my 3-year-old did most of the mixing (and tasting!)...

Homemade Ranch Dressing (borrowed from http://www.foodess.com)

1/3 cup mayonnaise (not Miracle Whip)
1/2 cup sour cream, plain yogurt or buttermilk (I used buttermilk)
1 large clove garlic, minced (I used dried minced)
1 Tbl. minced fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1 Tbl. minced fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whisk all ingredients together and store in a glass jar or other sealed container in the fridge for up to a week.

I doubled the recipe so I had enough to fill a "standard size" canning jar. This tastes SO MUCH like the store-bought version it seems crazy that I haven't made it before! Yum!

So, while I was whipping up batches of ranch dressing, I thought I'd try my hand at the fairly exotic Green Goddess dressing too...my supermarket had a sale on avocados, so....

Green Goddess Dressing (this recipe is a combination of several found online)

1 avocado, peeled, pitted and cut into chunks
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup chopped herbs (tarragon, parsley, garlic and chives)
1-2 Tbl. rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
a dash lemon juice

Toss all ingredients into a blender and puree until smooth. Eat within a day or so,  as it starts to brown quickly.

I was not as pleased with the green goddess dressing as with the ranch dressing.  I think it needed some more "oomph". Maybe I'll just add avocado to the ranch mixture next time....