Homemade Ranch Seasoning and Dressing Mix

March arrives like someone opening a window, not warm yet, but a change in the quality of the air, the way the light sits differently in the morning and the way Timpanogos looks some days like it has moved closer overnight. I stood at the kitchen sink washing breakfast dishes and looked at the mountain through the window and thought: I almost missed thirty-five months of this mountain. Grief has a way of making you stare at your feet. I am trying to look up more often.

I did a full freezer inventory on Saturday, pulled everything out, sorted by meal type, checked the dates. Seventeen meals remaining: two bags of taco soup, four baked ziti, three meatball marinara, one shepherd's pie filling, five enchiladas, and one solitary breakfast burrito that Mason claimed within thirty seconds. He ate it cold, standing over the open freezer. He is eight. I have questions about this child.

The count meant I was well stocked through mid-April, so Sunday prep could be practice runs for the workshop lineup. I made pulled pork shoulder from Sam's Club at twelve dollars, bone-in, yielding twelve servings after six hours in the slow cooker. One dollar nine cents per serving. Also vegetable beef soup, four bags, because Olivia has been asking for it since February and ten-year-olds who are patient about soup deserve their soup. I wrote every number in the notebook. The numbers are the part of me that still works the way it is supposed to.

Ethan had a school report due Friday on a historical figure. He chose Gary Cooper the actor because of our last name, which is not historically rigorous but which Grandpa Gary found hilarious when I told him on Saturday. My father laughed for a long time. There is something about the sound of my father laughing that still does something to my chest I cannot name and will not try to name. I just let it happen.

Brandon made box-mix cookies with Lily on Saturday afternoon. She handed him the flour because he asked what the first ingredient was and she took him very literally. He used the whole cup. The cookies were dense and wrong and everyone ate three, and I said nothing about the recipe, because sometimes a kitchen that is slightly wrong is more alive than one that is perfectly right.

The pulled pork was already doing its six hours in the slow cooker and the vegetable beef soup had the whole house smelling like something worth coming home to, which meant Sunday prep had an hour of overlap where the only thing required of me was patience—so I finally made the ranch seasoning. I keep a packet in the drawer for emergencies but I have been meaning to batch this for months, and the notebook already had the cost-per-serving math half-done from the last time I talked myself out of it. One Sunday with a few jars and a spice drawer that was actually organized for once, and the pantry is sorted through the summer.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: About 10 tablespoons (enough for 5 batches of dressing)

Ingredients

2 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
1 teaspoon dried chives
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
To make dressing (per batch):
2 tablespoons ranch seasoning mix (from above)
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 to 1/2 cup buttermilk (to desired consistency)
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Instructions

Combine the dry mix. Measure all dried herbs and spices into a small bowl. Whisk together until evenly distributed. Taste and adjust salt or garlic powder to preference.
Store the seasoning. Transfer the finished seasoning mix to a small airtight jar. Label with the date and contents. Store in a cool, dry pantry for up to 6 months. The mix yields approximately 10 tablespoons, or enough for 5 batches of dressing.
Make the dressing (when ready to use). In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons of the seasoning mix, the mayonnaise, sour cream, and 1/4 cup of the buttermilk. Add the white vinegar and stir to combine. Thin with additional buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time, until the dressing pours easily from a spoon.
Chill before serving. Cover the dressing and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before serving. This allows the dried herbs to rehydrate fully and the flavor to develop. The dressing keeps refrigerated in a sealed jar for up to 2 weeks.
Use as a seasoning blend. Use 1 to 2 teaspoons of the dry mix to season soups, stews, roasted vegetables, or a slow cooker chicken. It also works as a dry rub on pork shoulder before slow cooking.

Nutrition (per serving, dressing, approximately 2 tablespoons)

Homemade Ranch Seasoning and Dressing Mix — The Prep Day Addition That Always Gets Made Last