Tangy Tomato Dressing

Spice packets are awesome; you can make chili, spaghetti, stew, stroganoff, meat loaf, salad dressings, gravy, soup and more. I like cooking from packets… however, I love cooking from “scratch”. I love using fresh ingredients and taking several steps to create a taste, I feel much more accomplished at the end of preparing a meal. I also love saying that I made something. When I cook from a packet, I feel weird taking ownership of the meal. I don’t feel right saying, “Yes, I cooked that”. When really I didn’t, the only cooking I did was browning the beef, adding 1 can of beans, 1 can of tomatoes, a spice packet and my good ol' trusty Crock Pot did the rest. In my opinion the Crock Pot should get more credit than me in the making of that meal.

With that being said… I made some “packet-less” salad dressing; however it was not entirely from “scratch” either.

Which leads me to ponder something, is everyone on the same page as far as cooking from “scratch” is concerned? If I make a batch of chocolate chip cookies from raw ingredients, do I get the “from scratch” badge even though I bought the chocolate chips and did not make them myself? Just wondering what other people’s thoughts are. My definition of “from scratch” has changed over the years, and now it means: to start with nothing. Unfortunately with this definition, I do not make many things “from scratch”. I am bound to use a can or jarred item when preparing a meal – the most common being my jar of minced garlic in the fridge. Garlic=Yummy Love

Ok, back to the dressing. This is a copy-cat recipe I found here at Meemo's Kitchen. It is the Tangy Tomato Dressing from Outback Steakhouse. Although I am not a regular at Outback I have been there enough to know it is my favorite dressing there. This recipe is super easy to make and you will be thrilled with the results. :) I also used the dressing on some cheese quesadillas and it turned out amazing. Yum

Ingredients
• 1/2 Cup plus 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/3 Cup water
• 1/4 Cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 Cup white vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1/4 Teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 Teaspoon coarse black pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 Teaspoon onion powder
• Pinch thyme

Directions
1. Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Whisk often. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Cover the dressing until cool, then refrigerate it until well chilled.
2. Enjoy