Vinaigrette Dressing

a simple homemade dressing for everyday enjoyment

originally published October 2017

I was on the fence about including such a basic recipe when I wrote Homemade with Love, but then I noticed that most of my friends and family used store-bought vinaigrette dressings. They also always commented that mine isn’t as tangy, and were wowed their kids actually liked it too. The secret is honey. Not too much—a little bit goes a long way to help balancing out the bracing acidity of the vinegar. Of course, if you prefer to skip the honey, feel free. You can also use agave or maple syrup for a vegan version.

In the eight years I've been writing in this space, it's hard to believe there are no stand alone salad dressing recipes. How could I let something so crucial slip between the cracks? Chefs will tell you to slowly whisk the olive oil in to create an emulsification. Sure you can go that way, it works wonderfully, but the truth is giving all the ingredients a good shake in a jar does the trick just fine, and makes for easy storage and clean up.

You can keep this vinaigrette on the counter, at room temperature, for quite a few months, so go ahead and double or triple the recipe for ease and convenience. This would also make a great back to school gift for teachers (am I total geek to suggest that?). And of course, come the holidays, I think it's a nice hostess gift to balance all the sweet treats and wine that other guests will surely be bringing. OMG, I just mentioned the holidays, again, in less than a week. Can you tell where my mind is these days?

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