Hanging with Heidi

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06/03/2026

Basil Vinaigrette

Salad dressing series number six. Because you cannot have a great salad without one. This basil vinaigrette is bright, fresh, and the kind of thing that makes a simple bowl of greens feel like you tried.

What you need:

• 1 clove garlic
• 1 shallot
• 2 cups fresh basil, chopped
• Juice from half a lemon
• 3 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp red pepper flakes
• Salt and pepper
• 1 cup olive oil

Mix it all together. It will keep in a jar in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Now I have to ask. Are you a fresh herb gardener, or do you buy them from the store every time you need them? I go back and forth on whether it is worth growing my own.

06/02/2026

Quick Poppyseed Dressing

Dressing number 5!

I have my mama’s recipe for poppyseed dressing that I will share another time, but this is the quick version when you need something fast. It is great on any fruit salad and a perfect side for muffins or a quiche.

What you need:

• ½ cup mayo
• ½ cup Greek yogurt or sour cream
• ⅓ cup honey
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp poppyseeds

Mix it all together.

What is one recipe your mom or grandma made that you have been meaning to recreate but have not gotten around to yet?

06/01/2026

Italian Dressing

Adding another to the homemade dressing lineup. This one is great on a salad but I really make it to have on hand as a marinade. Chicken, vegetables, pasta salad. It is a workhorse.

What you need:

• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• 1 tsp rosemary
• 1 tsp parsley
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• Red pepper flakes and salt to taste

Mix it all together. Shake it up before each use since the oil and vinegar separate.

What is the one thing you marinate in Italian dressing that you would tell other people to try?

06/01/2026

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

I have no clue what happened to the posting of Blue Cheese dressing so here I go doing it again. This is video number three of the homemade salad dressing series.

1/2 cup of mayo
1/2 cup of Greek yogurt or sour cream
1/2 cup or more of crumbled blue cheese
One or two dashes of Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

If too thick at a small amount of milk.

This is great with salad wings you name it!

05/31/2026

Creamy Caesar Dressing

I’m on a kick of making my own dressings. Once you taste a homemade Caesar, the bottled stuff is hard to go back to. This one comes together in about two minutes and tastes like the kind you get at a steakhouse.

What you need:

• 1 cup real mayo
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 to 2 tsp anchovy paste (to taste)
• Juice of 1 lemon
• ¼ cup parmesan
• Salt and pepper to taste

Mix it all together and serve.

Quick question for the Caesar lovers out there. Are you team anchovy or does the word alone make you push the salad away?

05/29/2026

Homemade Ranch
(in Texas, this matters!)

In Texas, ranch isn’t a condiment. It’s a food group. And there’s no better way to have it than homemade.

What you need:

• ½ cup Hellmann’s mayo
• ½ cup sour cream
• 6 tbsp real buttermilk
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp parsley flakes
• ¼ tsp dill
• ¼ tsp chives
• Juice from a lemon (about 4 tbsp)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk it all together. That’s it.

Now I have to ask, because Texans have strong opinions about this: what do you dip in ranch that other people might side-eye you for?

Salad Season is Coming! I have been working on something fun! For the next eight days, I will post a homemade salad dres...
05/27/2026

Salad Season is Coming!

I have been working on something fun! For the next eight days, I will post a homemade salad dressing series. Each day, a different one ! With a couple of salads too! After all the homemade dressings series I felt it right to follow it up with a whole series on the salads to go with them. I will do this on and off throughout June stay tuned!
I am pulling together my favorites. Some are old standbys I have made for years. Some are new ones I am testing for the first time. There will be hearty ones that work as a full dinner, lighter ones for hot days, and a few that are perfect to bring to a cookout or potluck this summer.

Drop a comment and tell me what kind of salads you want to see. Pasta salads, fruit salads, dinner salads, the classics, the weird ones your family swears by. I want to build this series around what you actually want to eat.

05/27/2026

Better Than S*x Cake. So they say, we'll see about that.
I'll report back with my verdict but I have high expectations with a name like that.
What you need:
• 1 box yellow cake mix (bake as the box says)
• 1 can crushed pineapple
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 box vanilla pudding
• 2 cups milk
• 1 tub Cool Whip
• Coconut, pecans, maraschino cherries for the top: Your call.
Let the cake cool a few minutes then poke it all over with a fork. In a saucepan, bring the crushed pineapple and sugar to a boil. Pour it over the cake and let it soak in.
Mix the vanilla pudding with 2 cups of milk. Let it set for 5 minutes, then pour it over the cake. Chill the whole thing, then spread the Cool Whip on top.
Garnish with coconut, pecans, and cherries if you want them. You know how people like that cherry on top.
Does it live up to the name? I'll let you know. But I need to hear your take. Have you made this before, and did it earn the title?
@

05/24/2026

Homemade Taco Seasoning
Because I’m done buying the packets.

I got tired of buying taco seasoning packets that are mostly salt. I wanted something fresh, with real flavor, that I could actually control. Here’s the recipe I landed on.

What you need:

• ½ cup chili powder
• 3 tbsp smoked paprika
• 3 tbsp cumin
• 3 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 1½ tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp salt (you can use 1)
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1½ tsp oregano

Mix it well and store in an airtight jar. Leave out the cayenne if you want it less spicy.

To use: 1 to 3 tablespoons mixed with ½ to ¾ cup water or broth when you’re cooking ground beef. Or just use it dry as a seasoning anywhere you’d want that flavor.

What’s something else in your pantry that you’ve stopped buying premade and started making yourself?

05/21/2026

Salisbury Steak, the kind your mom made.
This is one of those dinners that sounds like it takes effort but really doesn't. The gravy comes together in the same pan as the patties, so you're building flavor the whole time without dirtying another dish.
For the patties:
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 egg
• Mustard (your preferred kind and amount)
• A good sprinkle of Worcestershire sauce
• ¼ cup breadcrumbs
• 1 packet onion soup mix
Mix it all together and form 3–4 patties. Cook in a skillet 3–4 minutes each side until they're a good brown. Pull them out and set aside.
For the gravy (same pan):
• A little butter
• 2 tbsp flour
• 1 can beef broth
• Half a can of water
• Another packet onion soup mix if you want more beef flavor
• More Worcestershire and pepper to taste
Melt the butter, stir in the flour to make a roux and cook the flour off. Add the broth and water, simmer. Season it up if you want the extra depth. Put the patties back in and simmer on low for 10 minutes.
Serve over noodles, rice, or potatoes. Or whatever your family does.
Did your family grow up on Salisbury steak? What did you eat it with?

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