Ranch dressing has an interesting backstory and history. Despite it being so engrained in the collective American consciousness, the dressing has only been around since the 1950s. In 1949, Kenneth Henson, originally from Nebraska, took a job in Alaska as a plumbing contractor and lived there with his wife Gayle for three years. Part of his job was also to cook for himself and his coworkers. This was where he created and perfected his buttermilk dressing that would later become known nationwide as "ranch" and internationally as "American" dressing.

In 1954, he and Gayle purchased a dude ranch called "Sweetwater Ranch." They hated the name, so they changed it to Hidden Valley Ranch. Somewhere in this time period, Kenneth also changed his name to Steve. For many years, the guests who came and stayed at the ranch would enjoy Steve's dressing, some of them taking home seasoning packets hand made by Steve and Gayle to make their own ranch dressing at home. Unfortunately, they had to sell part of their land to keep up with the costs of running the ranch, but luckily, they were also able to supplement part of their income with sales of Steve's dressing. Eventually, requests started pouring in from all over the country and for just 75 cents, a customer would receive a packet of their dry spice mix in the mail.

To make a creamy ranch dressing at home, combine 2 tablespoons of dry ranch dressing, 2 cups of mayonnaise, 2 cups of buttermilk, 1-1/2 cups of sour cream and 1 teaspoon of lemon juice. Refrigerate for about 2 hours before using to let the flavors develop. This makes about 2 quarts of dressing.

In addition to making a dressing for salads use this Ranch Dressing Seasoning to season burgers, sandwiches, any kind of potatoes, pasta, jalapeno poppers, popcorn, pretzels, spring rolls, chicken sliders, coleslaw, grilled cheese and casseroles. It's wonderful in macaroni and cheese, on cauliflower, mushrooms, and with green beans. When mixed with sour cream, this Ranch Dressing Seasoning makes a great dip for vegetables, pizza slices and deep-fried food. 1 tablespoon for every four ounces of sour cream is a typical ratio standard, but you could use differing amounts depending on your own preferences.