Ranch Time

I had planned on running some errands today to get ready for the weekend but woke up to snow.  One of the things I've found out from living in Philadelphia, is the town panics and shuts down with a little bit of snow.  I have to admit coming from Seattle I thought I was use to a city being shut down due to a couple of inches of snow.  But people clean out the grocery stores here like power and food supply will be cut off for the rest of the winter.  It's a little amusing.  Though now there is no point in shopping today anyway cause the news reported that toilet paper, milk, bread and eggs are cleaned out of the local stores.  O.o

So I decided today we were going to use up the Chili I made yesterday for dinner with an interesting twist on taco salad. But I realized we were out of Ranch dressing.  So before I can make salads for lunch I need to make some home made Ranch Dressing.

Ranch Dressing

1/3 cup Mayo(I use Alton Brown's recipe, since I haven't found a mayo without soy on the market)

1/2 cup Sour Cream(If you like a thinner dressing use buttermilk instead or a combination of the two)

Juice of half a Lemon

1 clove of Garlic, minced

1 tbsp Fresh Dill, chopped

1 tbsp Fresh Parsley, chopped

1 tsp Onion Powder

1/2 tsp Garlic Powder

1 tsp Pink Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

I add it all to a mason jar and mix it up with a spoon.

With the Ranch dressing done I can move onto toasting the taco size flour tortillas.  If you want a larger salad you can use the burrito size.  Preheat your oven to 425.  Place whatever size tortilla into your pan.  If your looking for a pan you can get them at stores like Target.  If you don't have one like I have in the picture and you want to make these anyway.  You can use a metal bowl turned upside down on a baking sheet. This pan is non-stick so I don't have to spray it.  Using a metal bowl though you might want to brush some olive oil over it to keep the tortilla from sticking.  Bake for 6-7 minutes or until they are as brown as you like.

Taco Salads

3/4 cup Chili(can use left over taco meat or refried beans as well, or a combination of the two)

1/4 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded

2 Romaine Leaves, torn up into pieces

2 Green Olives, sliced(these aren't the ones in vinegar, they taste just like the black ones minus the lye)

1 tbsp Fresh Salsa

1 tbsp Ranch Dressing

Corn Chips, broken up(optional)

Directions

I layer the ingredients in the order listed into the shell. Extremely Easy to make and a great way to use up leftovers.

"Even in Winter an isolated patch of snow has a special quality."

--Andy Goldsworthy