It is well known that store-bought foods pale in comparison to homemade meals; a philosophy I believe also applies to condiments. One of the most important condiments, in my unprofessional opinion, is ranch dressing. It holds a special place in my heart as I remember the very first time I tried ranch dressing: at four years old, I dipped my Chili’s kid’s pizza into the delectable sauce. This being said, when I was presented with the opportunity to make homemade ranch, I knew I could not pass it up.

For most cooks, gathering ingredients means a trip to the cupboard. With my personal inexperience, this meant a two-hour adventure into a new Publix, where I proceeded to get lost twice and add multiple items to my cart that did not pertain to my recipe. Though I wish I had expedited my process, I think spending twenty minutes waiting for my Publix sub was worth it.

First, I grabbed a large bowl and a spatula. Unless you plan to double the recipe like I did, the bowl does not need to be big. Then, the most annoying part of the process is measuring out and pouring the liquid ingredients. Pour the first round of ingredients into the bowl and stir until smooth. After this it is time to add round two of the ingredients. Be cautious when adding these ingredients into your bowl, or you might end up following my example and spill a hefty amount of dried parsley across the counter. After the cleanup process, the herbs should be stirred in until they look evenly dispersed throughout the bowl. After this was done I added another round of ingredients. The smell of adding garlic and onion powders simultaneously honestly made me want to quit making the dip for a short period. Alas, I persevered and mixed my ingredients until the pungent scent of the two powders was dulled. Finally, I added the fourth round of ingredients. After mixing all of these ingredients together I beheld the beautiful sight of my ranch dip.

When I finished, I rushed to the pantry. My mother suggested dipping carrots into my ranch, which I quickly turned down. With my Ruffles in hand, I was a bit wary of my creation, due to the circumstances of spilling ingredients and dropping utensils. However, I was reassured that my efforts were not in vain as I tried my concoction. It tasted similar to store bought ranch, but with an unidentifiable extra burst of flavor and much more love. It was almost as if you could taste the dedication I had to my craft. Overall, I would consider this a success story, despite the fact that I am still finding pieces of spilled parsley many days later.