HOMEMADE ITALIAN DRESSING MIX

This recipe is one of the best I've ever tasted for flavorful, Italian dressing. It is always fresh because you can make the dry mix up ahead of time and add the oil, vinegar and water when you want dressing. The recipe can be doubled, tripled etc. so you have some to store for later. I love the fact that I know exactly what is in this dressing and it is free from preservatives and artificial flavorings. Plus the fact that it costs mere pennies per serving makes me pretty happy too!

Ingredients:

3/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoon dry pectin (a thickener found in the canning section of the store)
pinch ground oregano

1) Combine all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl. Extra mix should be stored in a sealed glass container indefinitely until needed.

2) To make salad dressing, pour 1/4 cup vinegar into a jar or dressing cruet. Add 3 Tablespoons of water and one portion of the dressing mix. Shake vigorously with the top or lid firmly in place. Add 1/2 cup oil and shake until completely blended. Makes 8-10 servings.

**** I like to use extra virgin olive oil for the oil in this recipe. It makes the dressing a bit of a yellow color, but I think it is worth the extra health benefits of the olive oil.