Name: Jalapeño Ranch Dressing (Chuy’s Tribute)
Prep time: 10 min
Yield: 3/4 cup
Ingredients: 1/4 cup buttermilk (can sub in regular milk and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar if you don't have buttermilk); 1/4 cup mayonnaise; 1/2 cup sour cream; 1-2 fresh jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed; 1 teaspoon dry parsley; 1 teaspoon dry dill; 1/2 teaspoon onion powder; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; pinch salt

Jalapeño Ranch Dressing (Chuy’s Tribute)

August 7, 2020

If ranch dressing makes everything better, jalapeño ranch dressing is even better! This dressing is super simple with fresh jalapeños, mayo, sour cream, buttermilk, and dried herbs and spices. SO good with just a little spice!

a photograph of a jar of jalapeño-ranch dressing with a spoon, a whole jalapeño, and slices of fresh jalapeño

I’m not even embarrassed to admit that I am one of those people who can eat ranch dressing on just about everything. Salad, pizza, breadsticks, chips, vegetables…I could keep going. I love to make my own ranch dressing, and this jalapeño ranch dressing is a shout out to the amazing dip that they bring you at Chuy’s with tortilla chips. I don’t claim that it’s a replica, but when I’m craving some jalapeño ranch, this is what I make.

It’s made with just a few simple ingredients, and aside from the fresh jalapeños, I keep all of them in my house. I whiz it up in my blender, but you could make this in a food processor or, if you chop your jalapeños finely enough, you could whisk it together in a bowl. Try this! You won’t regret it. I’ll be sharing a fish taco recipe next week topped with this. It’s not all that pretty (it’s a little brown🤷🏻‍♀️) but it’s seriously a delicious addition to just about anything I can think of!

What You Need:

a photograph of the ingredients needed to make jalapeño-ranch dressing

Buttermilk
Mayonnaise
Sour Cream
Fresh Jalapeños
Dry Parsley
Dry Dill
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Paprika
Salt

How to Make It:

an overhead photograph of a blender of jalapeño-ranch dressing

Place the ingredients in the food processor.
Blend until smooth.
Refrigerate. That’s it! Seriously, that’s all!

a photograph of an open jar of jalapeño-ranch dressing with a fresh jalapeño, slices of fresh jalapeño, and a spoon

Yield: 3/4 cup

2 tablespoons

Jalapeño Ranch Dressing (Chuy’s Tribute)

10 minPrep Time:

10 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

1/4 cup buttermilk (can sub in regular milk and 1/2 teaspoon vinegar if you don't have buttermilk)
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1-2 fresh jalapeños, seeds and ribs removed
1 teaspoon dry parsley
1 teaspoon dry dill
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika
pinch salt

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to use or up to one week.

Notes

If you don't have a food processor or blender, you can finely chop the jalapeños and whisk the ingredients together. The dressing will be slightly chunky. Variations: If you don't have fresh jalapeños, you can use 1-2 tablespoons of pickled jalapeños. You could also add the juice of one lime or the flesh of one avocado to the dressing.

https://chattavore.com/jalapeno-ranch-dressing-chuys-tribute/

6 Awesome Recipes to Make With Summer Tomatoes

July 20, 2020

Isn’t tomato season the best? Nothing beats a perfect tomato sandwich or a simple Caprese salad, but if you want to think outside of the box a little, here are 6 awesome recipes to make with summer tomatoes. You’ll be wishing for summer year-round!

a photo collage showing various recipes to make with summer tomatoes

There are not many times of the year that I think are better than July, August, and early September, because tomatoes. I think we are all pretty much in agreement about the fact that a tomato outside of these three months is pretty much just a vaguely tomato-flavored orb. A summer tomato, though…well, there just really isn’t much that I love more. I thought I’d share with you some of my favorite recipes to make with summer tomatoes!

Green Tomatoes

Your tomatoes don’t have to be ripe to be a perfect specimen. In fact, I love a green tomato almost as much as I love a perfectly ripe red tomato that requires three napkins (and probably a sink to lean over) to eat. Green tomatoes aren’t always easy to find, but this is one iteration of tomato that I am happy to buy at the supermarket, and they are usually available at Publix. I haven’t tried it, but I have read that if you can’t find a green tomato, an unripe supermarket red tomato can actually make a decent substitute.

Oven-Fried Green Tomatoes

Everyone automatically thinks of fried green tomatoes, and there’s a reason for that. I am not a huge fan of frying, though, so I dip the tomatoes in the coating, give them a spritz of oil, and bake them in the oven. You could totally do these in the air fryer as well!

Check out this recipe

Fried green tomatoes are Southern food at its best, but oven-fried green tomatoes take the messy, popping oil factor out of the equation! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Fried Green Tomato Sandwich With Bacon

I realize that it’s barely a variation of the last recipe, but how can you go wrong when you put oven-fried green tomatoes on a chewy hoagie roll with bacon and remoulade? That’s right. You can’t.

Check out this recipe

If you love fried green tomatoes and bacon, you'll love this fried green tomato sandwich with bacon and remoulade! It's a new Southern classic. | recipe from Chattavore.com

Beefsteak Tomatoes

The classics, beefsteak tomatoes are what you see on just about every produce stand’s tables this time of year. When they are perfectly ripe, they are impossibly red and juicy and I couldn’t possibly hate on them. Feel free to sub in any red, yellow, orange, or even purple tomato in these recipes!

Pimento Cheese Tomato Pie

Tomato pie is a classic. Usually, the filling is made with onions, cheese, and mayonnaise, so pimento cheese is just a little bit of a variation. Feel free to make your own or use your favorite store-bought brand. I used Palmetto Cheese for the pie pictured here. However you make it, it will be perfect.

Check out this recipe

Pimento cheese tomato pie is a perfectly simple, Southern dish that is wonderful as a main or a side, for breakfast, lunch, or dinner! | Recipe from Chattavore.com

Tomato Cobbler With Biscuit Topping

Fresh summer tomatoes and onions topped with homemade garlic cheddar biscuits? Yes please!

Check out this recipe

Grape or Cherry Tomatoes

Tiny tomatoes can be a little harder to find at the farmers market or produce stand, but you can find them if you look hard enough. Or grow your own! But seriously, even if you make these recipes with grocery store tomatoes, you won’t regret it.

BLT Pasta Salad

This BLT pasta salad has rotini pasta, bacon, grape tomatoes, and romaine lettuce tossed in a buttermilk-mayo dressing. It’s a BLT in a bowl!

Check out this recipe

Chattavore.com | BLT pasta salad is a BLT sandwich in a bowl!

Grilled Naan Bread Pizza With Grape Tomatoes and Basil

When you want a grilled pizza but don’t want to fool with homemade dough, naan bread is there for you. Grape tomatoes pair perfectly with fresh mozzarella and basil atop the charred bread!

Check out this recipe

I hope these recipes get you excited about summer tomatoes! I know that I am personally excited to still have a couple of months to look forward to them. If writing this post has shown me anything, though, it’s that I need to get on creating more tomato recipes for you!

Classic Deviled Eggs (Quick and Easy!)

July 1, 2019

These classic deviled eggs only have six ingredients that you probably have in your house right now. They are a perfect easy appetizer or side dish! All you need for this easy recipe is boiled eggs, mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper. You can use sour cream if you don’t like mayo! So easy and so good!

Deviled eggs are a classic side dish and appetizer, and they are so easy to make. Believe it or not, though, it’s only been in the last few years that I started eating them at all.I liked eggs, I liked boiled eggs, I just didn’t like deviled eggs. I don’t even know what my aversion to them in the past was.

To be honest, though, I don’t think I ever even tried them. I just decided one day, as a kid, that I didn’t like deviled eggs. And then one day, I decided that I was going to eat one and guess what? I decided that I liked them.

Classic Vs. Fancy

I like deviled eggs when they are fancied up, but truth be told, a classic deviled egg is all I need. And really, all you need for an easy deviled egg recipe is boiled eggs, mayonnaise, and salt and pepper. I add just a little mustard and some dill relish to mine. Super simple.

I make these classic deviled eggs most often to pack in lunches, but they are perfect for holiday potlucks or an easy snack or appetizer. There really couldn’t be an easier recipe to make, and I almost feel like I am cheating a little bit by calling this a “recipe”.

Five Tips for the Best Easy Deviled Eggs

For perfectly centered yolks, place a rubber band around the center of the egg carton and turn the carton on its side on the refrigerator for 24 hours. This will help the yolks to migrate to the center of the eggs. Thanks to Alton Brown for this tip!
When slicing the eggs in half, wipe your knife off with a paper towel after each egg. This will help the eggs to be less messy.
Mash the yolks thoroughly to avoid lumpy filling.
Use enough mayonnaise. Don’t think that you can reduce the amount of mayo to cut the fat and get the same results. For the filling to be creamy enough, you have to have enough mayo! If you don’t like mayonnaise, you can use sour cream instead.
Use a plastic storage bag or a piping bag (like you would use for piping cake icing) for piping the filling.

Mary

Yield: 12

Classic Deviled Eggs

15 minPrep Time:

15 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved
2 tablespoons mayonnaise (or sour cream, if you don't like mayo)
1 teaspoon mustard (I used Creole mustard, but you can use whatever variety you prefer)
1 teaspoon dill pickle relish (optional)
salt and pepper, to taste
Paprika, optional

Instructions

Remove the yolks from the halved eggs. Use a fork to mash the yolks until no lumps remain.
Add the mayonnaise, mustard, relish, salt, and pepper to the mashed yolks and stir until well-combined. Check seasonings and adjust to taste.
Use a spoon to scoop the filling into a quart-sized storage bag. Cut a corner off of the bag and carefully pipe the filling into the eggs. You may have just a tiny bit of filling left.
Sprinkle the eggs with paprika if desired. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to three days.

Notes

This recipe can be easily scaled up or down. You can leave out the relish or the mustard if you wish. If you do so, you may need to add a touch more mayonnaise to adjust the moisture levels.

https://chattavore.com/classic-deviled-eggs/

Jalapeño Cheese Ball + Video

December 14, 2018

This jalapeño cheese ball is a delicious party snack that’s a little bit kitschy, a lot delicious, and sure to be a crowd pleaser! Just a few ingredients: cream cheese, jalapeños, cheddar cheese, bacon, and pecans. It’s a perfect appetizer for any get-together, especially at the holidays! Scroll down for video!

Click here to save this recipe on Pinterest!

Perfect Christmas Appetizer!

To me, Christmas season is cheese ball season. Woe is the holiday gathering that does not have at least one cheese ball for me to dip a zillion crackers into. Have I told you the story about the work Christmas party where my BFF and I ate approximately 3/4 of the mango chutney cheese ball so that we could avoid uncomfortable interactions with our coworkers? I’m pretty sure I have (I definitely did in the story about this other easy cheese ball recipe) I am definitely a “linger by the refreshment table” sort of girl. It’s a blessing and a curse, really.

I certainly do not need a holiday or a party to enjoy a cheese ball, though. Show me any random Saturday night and I will show you a cream cheese based snack that Philip and I can enjoy in front of our favorite shows on Hulu. Actually, we enjoyed this jalapeño popper on the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving, when I had been cooking all afternoon and just couldn’t quite bring myself to assemble a full meal. And then again for a mini-lunch on Thanksgiving day, because my family ate late in the day.

Vintage Appetizer Recipes

Cheese balls seem pretty kitschy, and I’m sure that you could dig around in your mom or grandma or even great-grandma’s recipe file and find a few cheese ball recipes. You know what, though? Kitschy food can still be darn tasty, and I promise you that I’m only on board for flavor. I don’t care too much about trends (though I’ll hop on board if they’re delicious). You probably won’t catch me posting any aspics on here, but I will never apologize for my cheese balls.

Easy Cheese Ball Recipe

My jalapeño cheese ball has all the flavors that I think that a perfect jalapeño popper should have:

jalapeños (duh)
cream cheese
cheddar cheese
bacon
ranch.

There’s no stuffing, roasting, grilling, or frying involved, though, and that makes this easy cheese ball approximately 1 million times easier and less mess than an actual jalapeño popper.

I used canned diced jalapeños, which meant that I didn’t have to slice and dice a bunch of peppers, but you could definitely sub in 1/2 cup of diced fresh jalapeños, or add them to the canned peppers to increase the spice level if you’re brave. Me, I found the faint tinge of spice provided by the canned peppers to be perfect for my wimpy taste buds.

But you…you can feel free to customize this jalapeño cheese ball to meet your spice needs! You could also try my Reuben cheese ball for something completely unexpected!

Shared on The Weekend Potluck on The Country Cook!

Click here to save this recipe to your Christmas or party boards on Pinterest!

Mary

Yield: 1 large cheese ball

Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball

15 minPrep Time:

15 minTotal Time:

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Ingredients

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature
8 ounces (2 cups) shredded cheddar cheese
6 strips bacon, cooked and crumbled
4 ounce can diced jalapeños, drained
4 ounce can diced fire-roasted green chilies, drained
1 cup chopped pecans

For the ranch seasoning (can sub in 2 packages of ranch dressing mix, like Hidden Valley)

3 tablespoons dried parsley
1 tablespoon dried dill
1 tablespoon dried chives
2 teaspoons onion powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Place all ingredients, including ranch seasoning ingredients, EXCEPT pecans, in a large bowl. Stir until well combined (I used my Kitchenaid mixer with the paddle attachment on low speed to do this). Form into a ball and roll in the chopped pecans until thoroughly coated. Chill for at least an hour. Serve with crackers.

Notes

I did not include the time to cook the bacon in the prep/cook time.

https://chattavore.com/jalapeno-popper-cheese-ball/

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

December 4, 2018

Cheddar bacon ranch cheese ball is easy and made with ingredients you probably have in your house! You can make your own ranch dressing blend or use a packet – it will be delicious either way. Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, green onions, ranch, and pecans – definitely a crowd pleaser! You’ll be asked to bring it to every party you go to!

I’m so bad at parties. I’m a classic introvert; if you know my chatty side then you know me well or I am very comfortable around you for whatever reason. I do my best to avoid social interactions with people that I don’t know. Parties…parties are the seventh level of hell for me. I am incredibly awkward trying to make small talk with people I don’t know well. It’s ugly.

A few years back a good friend from work and I decided that we were going to go to our staff Christmas party and be social, come hell or high water (this was a few schools back; I’m actually comfortable interacting with all the people I work with now). It was basically my worst nightmare-thank God she was there with me or I might have hidden in the coat closet.

Cheese Ball = Christmas Classic

I don’t remember much about that party except that the teacher who hosted had a beautiful home and that one of the teachers brought an absolutely amazing cheese ball. It had cheddar cheese, Major Grey chutney, and bacon in it, and she brought it to every occasion and gave it as a gift every time she needed to thank someone for something.

I used this opportunity as an excuse to stay near the cheese ball table and only interact with others who came near it. It worked. I need to get her recipe…searching the interwebs has yielded some similar cheese balls but nothing exact.

Cheese balls are such a retro party snack, and I’ve seen them written off as too kitschy for a modern food-lover’s table. Whatever. If you don’t like cheese balls then you just haven’t had the right one. Cheese balls are great holiday appetizers – but I like to eat them as a snacky dinner, too! I was dreaming of a delicious cheese ball with simple, easy to find ingredients when a cheddar bacon ranch cheese ball popped into my head. It was basically perfect.

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

For this cheddar bacon ranch cheese ball, I make my own ranch dressing mix (based on this ranch dressing mix recipe from Chef in Training) and will list the ingredients that I use in the recipe, but there is no shame in using a packet of ranch dressing mix. I’m just 1000% more likely to have all the dried herbs and spices I need than I am to have a dressing packet, and usually I have every single ingredient necessary to make this cheese ball at a moment’s notice.

And, if you are like me and have certain staples you keep around at all times, there’s a good chance that you have all the things for this cheese ball:

cream cheese
cheddar cheese
bacon
ranch mix
green onions
pecans

Easy Holiday Appetizer!

This cheddar bacon ranch cheese ball is so easy to make. It’s literally just:

Stir everything together
Roll it into a ball
Roll it in pecans
Refrigerate
Eat

This cheese ball is the perfect appetizer for your Christmas party, and if I ever encounter this cheese ball at a party…I will totally be hanging out by the food table. #gimmeallthecheeseball

Cheddar Bacon Ranch Cheese Ball

10 minPrep Time:

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Ingredients

16 ounces cream cheese
8 strips bacon - cooked and crumbled
1 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions (4-6 green onions)
1 recipe homemade ranch dressing mix (recipe below) or 2 envelopes storebought ranch dressing mix
1 cup pecans - chopped

Ranch dressing mix

3 tablespoons dry parsley
1 tablespoon dry dill weed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1 tablespoon dried chives
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

If making your own ranch dressing mix, pulse all ingredients together in a food processor. If you don't have a food processor, it's fine to just stir the ingredients together, but it will have a little more texture.
Combine the first five ingredients until well mixed using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon.
Form the mixture into a ball. Roll in the chopped pecans to thoroughly coat the outside.
Place the cheese ball on a plate. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour. Serve with crackers or pita chips.

Notes

Prep time does not include time to cook bacon or make ranch dressing mix. If you would like to make a smaller cheese ball, just half the ingredients (the cheese ball pictured here is actually a half recipe).

https://chattavore.com/cheddar-bacon-ranch-cheese-ball/

Other cheese balls on Chattavore:

Reuben Cheese Ball

Jalapeño Popper Cheese Ball