Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Frugal Flop: Balsamic Vinaigrette

Tonight was Leftovers Night, which means that dinner was a hodge-podge of different entrees from the last couple of days. In an attempt to have some part of the meal be homemade (and not just reheated), I decided that I'd make balsamic vinaigrette from scratch for the salad.

This is what I had in mind:
Fresh greens, sprinkled lightly with a flavorful blend of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and a touch of garlic. Doesn't that sound delightful?

I turned to my trusted cookbook, How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman. This is the modern version of Mom's red-and-white-checked Better Homes & Gardens cookbook (remember this?) and it hasn't done me wrong yet.


Yet.





What I ended up with didn't look anything like what I had pictured. In fact, it looked several shades ickier than I had imagined.

Remember that I am the mom of a young baby. You can just ponder that a minute.  

I tasted a bit on a lettuce leaf, and it wasn't bad, but I just couldn't get past the look of it.

So! Balsamic vinaigrette is completely out of the question. Anybody have a different homemade salad dressing recipe they could share? Tell me in the comments!

5 comments:

  1. I have a couple vinegarettes that I throw together, but I don't really measure. One that I love is equal parts white wine vinegar and olive oil, then add about half the measure you used for the oil of maple syrup. add more if you like, I just taste and adjust.
    Donna

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  2. Two words. Newman's Own. Wonderful balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil.
    But I'm laughing at your baby poop reference.

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  3. My favorite is just simple oil and vinegar. But it can't just be plain red or white wine vinegar. My mom spoiled me rotten by making herb vinegars. We'd have a whole variety: some with rosemary or tarragon or thyme, and always garlic. I dream of putting in my herb garden and making my own herb vinegars.

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  4. Mark Bittman let you down?! When there's a teaspoon of dijon mustard in the bottom of the mustard jar, fill it about a third-full with good vinegar (I use balsamic or champagne), add very finely minced garlic and sweet onion, a pinch of herbs (usually rosemary and thyme for me) and freshly ground pepper, and top with good olive oil. Shake, shake, shake until it emulsifies. It's my favorite for salad or bread. - D

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  5. Yep. We agree. Newman's own is our fav! ha ha Thanks for linking up to "Strut Your Stuff Saturday!" Hopefully we'll see you tomorrow at 8pm MDT for this week's party! :) -The Sisters

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