National Ranch Dressing Day is March 10th.

In the category of bottled dressing, Ranch surpassed the previous favorite, Italian dressing, as America’s favorite—way back in 1992.

Here’s something most people don’t know: Ranch is buttermilk dressing, a popular dressing that originated in the southern U.S. in the 1800s or earlier.

By the 1980s, buttermilk had long fallen out of fashion; so old-fashioned buttermilk dressing was commercially rebranded to Ranch.

Why ranch? The name came from the buttermilk dressing served at Hidden Valley Ranch, a dude ranch in the Santa Ynez mountains, near Santa Barbara, California. It was so popular that guests asked to buy it; and sales slowly expanded until the dressing caught the attention of big-company executives.

Ranch dressing is made from buttermilk, mayonnaise, seasonings (black pepper, garlic, ground mustard seed, lemon juice, paprika) and herbs (chives, parsley, and dill). Sour cream or yogurt are sometimes used for all or part of the buttermilk or mayonnaise.

Here’s more of the history of buttermilk dressing.

And, a recipe for homemade ranch dressing.
 
 
RANCH DRESSING: A CULINARY CANVAS

“People are passionate about ‘their’ ranch [dressing],” says Andrew Hunter in Flavor And The Menu, a magazine for chefs.

But even favorites can stand sprucing up. Where would we be if pizza had never gone beyond a fresh basil topping?

Hunter offers ways to make ranch dressing “fresh and unique, while staying true to its populist form.”

1. Stir in other ingredients. Superiority Burger in New York, a vegetarian restaurants, serves tahini-laced ranch dressing. Nosh & Grog in Medfield, Massachusetts, seasons its shoestring fries with Spanish piment d’Espelette and ranch dressing powder.

But there’s so much more you can do with it. Start with these ideas:

 
2. Use fresh dairy (photo #1). Many chefs and home cooks use powdered ranch dressing. But blend fresh, ice-cold buttermilk into the powdered ranch. To make a richer, thicker version, add an equal part of sour cream or Mexican crema. For a more gourmet version, stir in a spoonful of crème fraîche or mascarpone.

3. Add fresh herbs. The herbs already in ranch dressing are dried parsley, chives and dill. Supplement those with chopped fresh versions of the same herbs. Or, augment the standard herbs with incremental fresh herbs such as basil and tarragon.

[1] Add fresh buttermilk to packaged mixes (photo courtesy Good Eggs).

[2] Add fresh herbs. In addition to fresh dill, this ranch is sprinkled with chile oil (photo courtesy Chobani).

[3] Switch out the classic chives-dill-parsley for jalapeño and cilantro. Here’s the recipe from Melissa’s Southern Style Kitcen.

Use ranch dressing:

[2] Pork Burger With Pineapple Chutney & Bacon, a double-pork treat. Here’s the recipe.

[3] Seared Scallop Sliders, a nice pairing with white wine. Here’s the recipe.

[4] Surf and turf: Lobster Roll BLT. Here’s the recipe.

[5] Banana Cream Pie, in a mini-pie serving. Here’s the recipe.

When we first asked one of our colleagues to join us for lunch at Tommy Bahama, she responded:

“Isn’t that the preppy clothing store for people heading to the tropics?”

Yes; you can buy casual summer wear year-round at Tommy Bahama.

But you can also dine at 17 Tommy Bahama restaurants in the U.S., each located within a Tommy Bahama clothing store.

(And depending on the location—Laguna Beach, Mauna Lani, Sarasota, Waikiki—you may be close to a tropical feel.)

On a recent day, we stepped indoors from a New York City winter to have lunch. To warm up (as good an excuse as any), we started with the cocktail menu.

The only challenge was where to begin. It was a work day, so we couldn’t have all of them (or even two of them).

While the bar will mix whatever you want, head for the cocktail menu and peruse the 30 house specials, 6 of which are alcohol free.

Each one is beguiling. How to choose among rum-based tiki drinks, the twists on the classics (coconut, key lime or grapefruit-basil Martinis) or the “new classics”: Lavender Mule, Tahitian Limeade, Mango Habanero Margarita?

If you live or work near a Tommy Bahama restaurant, it’s a great place to meet for after-work drinks and snacks, like the World Famous Coconut Shrimp or the Scallop Sliders.

You can also hold events, replete with tropical music and floral arrangements, including flower leis.

The lunch menu and dinner menu consist of universal favorites, including, among other choices:

 
There are also:

 
The desserts are equally beguiling. While we generally find all-chocolate layer cakes too rich, the Chocolate Malt Cake was just perfect.

Everything is made from scratch; not just the foods you’d expect, but also the croutons, sour mixes, taco shells and tortilla chips.

We have named Tommy Bahama our cold, gray day restaurant of choice. You can’t help but leave happy.

And on a splendid balmy day, you’ll be happy, too.

P.S. Before we left the store, we each ended up buying some of that preppy clothing: a signature marlin golf shirt and a spiffy sun dress.
 
 
TOMMY BAHAMA RECIPES

Can’t get to Tommy Bahama? Try these recipes at home. There are more on the website.

Lucky Charms cereal (photo © General Mills).

From Jamielyn of I Heart Naptime, Saint Patrick’s breakfast includes green pancakes with Lucky Charms, green milk (use food color) and rainbow fruit parfaits.

She says, “Every once in a while I’ll throw some Lucky Charms into the batter to take these Saint Patrick’s Day pancakes over the top. It’s also fun to top them with whipped cream and some Lucky Charms too. Hello sugar!”

Yes, there’s sugar; but it’s a special-occasion fun food—ready in 20 minutes.

For those who don’t want the extra sugar, there’s a nutritious green pancake recipe below.
 
 
RECIPE #1: GREEN PANCAKES FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Ingredients For 4 Large Pancakes

1. PREHEAT a griddle to 300°F. Combine the milk and vinegar in a small bowl. Set aside and let sit for a few minutes.

2. COMBINE the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.

3. WHISK the butter, egg and vanilla into the milk. Add the food coloring and stir until you reach the desired color. Then combine with flour mixture, and stir until smooth.

4. USE a 1/4 cup measure to pour the batter onto a greased griddle. Let cook on one side until bubbles begin to pop, then flip to the other side. Cook just until golden brown. Garnish as desired.

RECIPE #2: BETTER-FOR-YOU GREEN PANCAKES FOR
ST. PATRICK’S DAY

California Avocados entices bloggers to try different, tasty things with their crop.

This recipe for fluffy pancakes, from Running To The Kitchen, has healthful and nutritious avocado plus blueberries.

For protein, they’re topped with a poached or fried egg for a combination of savory and sweet.

They’re naturally green from the avocado, but you can add a drop of food color for a deeper hue.
 
 
BLUEBERRY AVOCADO PANCAKES

Prep time is 10 minutes, cook time is 10 minutes.
 
Ingredients For 2 Servings

 
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*Coconut oil does not have a coconut flavor. It can be substituted 1:1 for any other oil or solid fat (butter, vegetable shortening) without dramatically changing the flavor of the recipe.
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[4] Avocados add their creamy texture and flavor to a variety of sweet foods, including ice cream (photo courtesy California Avocados).

1. WHISK together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

2. COMBINE the mashed avocado, milk, egg, coconut oil and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth.

3. ADD the avocado mixture to the flour mixture and stir until just combined.

4. PLACE a bit of butter in a large skillet or griddle over medium heat. Once melted and hot, scoop the batter into the pan, dot each pancake with a small handful of blueberries, and cook for 2-3 minutes per side until golden brown.

5. DIVIDE the pancakes into two stacks and top each with a poached or fried egg.
  

[2] For a more sophisticated take on crudités, use green and red endive leaves.

How about a green dip and sauce for St. Patrick’s Day? This recipe is from Seed And Mill, our favorite source of artisan tahini and halvah.

Dip away, or drizzle it on roasted vegetables, salads, meat or fish.
 
 
WHAT IS TAHINI?

Tahini is ground sesame seed paste, a Middle Eastern staple. Look for unhulled tahini, made from the whole sesame seed, leaving its nutritional value intact.

 
The ground paste is mixed with a bit of oil for a consistency that’s similar to homemade peanut butter.

Like homemade peanut butter, some of the oil rises to the top and is mixed back in before the tahini is scooped from the tin. (This shows that it is all natural; no emulsifiers are added to keep it from separating.)

Americans eat most of their tahini in hummus, where it is the second ingredient after chickpeas.

Tahini is also used in salad dressings, sauces for lamb, fish and chicken, dipping sauces and many recipes (even ice cream!). You can substitute it for peanut butter in dishes like Chinese Sesame Noodles.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEN TAHINI DIP & SAUCE

If you want a more vibrant green color for St. Patrick’s Day, add a drop of food color.

 
Preparation

1. PULSE the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth.

That’s it! Keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Get a shamrock cookie cutter to make fun foods for St. Patrick’s Day. You can buy a set of 4-inch and 2.6-inch cutters for less than $8.00.

What to cut? We like the large cutter for:

 
You can use the small cutter for:

 
 
WHY A SHAMROCK?

The shamrock is a traditional symbol of Saint Patrick’s Day, as well as the national flower of Ireland.

While trying to convert the Irish Druids into Christians in the 5th century, St. Patrick used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit exist as one person, he explained, just as the three leaves of the clover exist in one plant.

The three leaves of the shamrock are also said to stand for faith, hope and love. If you find a shamrock with a fourth leaf, that leaf is for luck.

The odds of finding a four-leaf clover are about one in 10,000 [source].

The name shamrock in Irish, seamróg, is the diminutive form of the Irish word for clover, seamair. Thus, shamrock little clover or young clover.

[2] Use a small cutter for garnishes like avocado and kiwi (photo courtesy ) California Avocados.

[3] Cut anything you want into shamrocks (photo courtesy Richmond Times Dispatch).