thousand island dressing

I can't remember the last time I had thousand island dressing.

Growing up, my mom and dad always made their own simple vinaigrettes but if they were going to buy a commercial salad dressing, it was always thousand island dressing.

They wouldn't venture off into other flavors. It was very similar in the potato chip department - the big deal was bbq flavored chips. That was the "big leap" from regular chips. I remember begging for a different flavor but with no luck.

I lived at home for about 20 years. Simple vinaigrette or thousand island were the only options for many of those 20 years. As my youngest brother got older, he seemed to bring in more varieties but until that happened - same old, same old.

Needless to say, I got really really tired of thousand island. In the 10 years I have been married, I have never bought a bottle of thousand island - even though my husband has asked on many occasions. I always shot down that suggestion.

So, this summer, I finally came around. I made a batch of thousand island dressing. Yes, I just needed that much time away to finally be able to come back to it.

And it was worth it. This recipe tastes just like I remember it, maybe even better.

Maybe I should make a batch for my parents? Homemade thousand island dressing... it might just blow their minds :)

...

thousand island dressing
makes 1.5 cups

1 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sweet chili sauce
1 pickle, finely chopped
1 tbsp sugar or splenda
1 tbsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp paprika

In a bowl, whisk together all ingredients. Adjust seasonings to taste, if needed.

Recipe from: Thousand Island Dressing, Bonnie Stern's essentials of home cooking.