I cannot remember the last time I was so excited over a relatively small, uni-tasking kitchen gadget. OXO contacted me all the way back in the spring about receiving one of their new Salad Dressing Shakers, to review and give away as part of their Blogger Outreach Program, but there was a snafu somewhere in the pipeline and I did not receive mine. I then saw the OXO representative at the Eat Write Retreat conference in May and asked her about it. She assured me it was supposed to have been sent to me and gave me permission to pester her. Which I did. Shamelessly. I really wanted that shaker!
Blog posts reviewing gadgets I love practically write themselves. And I love this one. It already has a home in my fridge with whatever dressing I have made most recently–no more searching for the right sized tupperware to hold any leftover dressing. The bottle and lid is designed well from an ergonomic standpoint; it is easy to keep shut when shaking and easy to open when pouring. The opening is neither too big nor too small. The only negative thing I have to say is that I wish the weather would get wetter and colder so I could find greens at the farmers’ market more easily, and therefore use this more often (I’ve actually had it for a few weeks, but chances to use it have been sadly few and far between this summer)!
OK here’s the fine print on the review and the giveaway: I received this salad dressing shaker for free from OXO as part of their Blogger Outreach program. Aside from the product itself, I was not compensated in any way and am expected to provide my honest opinion, which I did. OXO is going to provide one shaker for me to give away to one lucky reader. To enter the giveaway, please leave me a comment for each thing that you do (you will be entered into the contest multiple times if you do multiple things; you can also let me know you already follow me on Twitter or like my page on Facebook): The contest is now closed.
- Several big handfuls of leafy greens--when possible I strongly prefer locally grown and freshly picked heirloom greens
- 3 sweet-tart crisp apples, such as Fuji, cored and thinly sliced and tossed with splash of white balsamic vinegar to prevent browning
- 10-12 Medjool dates thinly sliced
- approximately 2 oz crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
- White Balsamic and Honey Dressing see below
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Clean and dry the lettuce leaves. Rip into bite sized pieces. Arrange on salad plates with the remaining ingredients except the dressing. Drizzle with salad dressing.
- 1/4 cup good but not expensive extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 T white balsamic vinegar to taste
- 1-2 t honey to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 t Dijon mustard
- 1 T minced shallots
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Salad dressing preferences can be really individual. I tend to like mine sweet and quite tart. But I see recipes all the time calling for quite a bit more oil than vinegar and other flavors. So keep that in mind when you make this--taste it and if it is way too tart or sweet for you, whisk in more oil.
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Whisk together the vinegar, honey, salt, pepper, mustard and shallots. Whisking constantly, slowly pour the oil into the mix to emulsify. If you have a fabulous shaker like the one made by OXO, just dump all of the ingredients into the jar and shake vigorously.
Green Goddess dressing that has been around forever is a good one. I’ve been playing with a spicy cilantro dressing as well. I haven’t gotten it “there” yet, but it’s on its way!
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Apples are very interesting, I never tried something like this, so I have to try your recipe. I think it will be good and tasty.
I like a simple balsamic vinaigrette, but haven’t found the right balsamic vinegar yet; grocery store versions aren’t good enough, ones that have been aged long enough to make great salad dressing are too expensive.
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Bacon blue cheese is my fave
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Oh! And my favorite homemade salad dressing is almost identical to that white balsamic and honey one that you just posted above. 🙂
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http://pinterest.com/pin/29836416252353589/
My favorite dressing is Sensation dressing, a popular creole favorite.
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Our house dressing is 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar, 2 T maple syrup, 2 tsp. dijon mustard, and salt and pepper to taste. It’s sweet, so it’s great on salads with fruit, but it has enough tang to stand up to any greens and veggies too. I think I got the recipe from Eating Well over a decade ago, though I’m not sure I’m still using the same proportions!
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My favorite homemade dressing is white balsamic/olive oil with a touch of maple syrup.
Of course, I mix it up using different vinegars, but white balsamic is my fav.
Hey Laura,
This dressing is one of my favs. I always go for the dark balsamic vinegar and use brown sugar instead of honey. You ingredients give a lighter colored dressing right. Yumm. I love gorgonzola too. Guess it works really well with this apple salad.
We like italian style dressings best. Oil, vinegar, and seasonings.
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My favorite is a homemade ranch dressing.
already follow you on twitter 😀
lime juice, tequila, olive oil, salt, pepper
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I like olive oil and balsamic with salt and pepper–pretty straightforward. I also like the avocado green goddess dressing from Oprah!
Favorite dressing: 2 parts balsamic vinegar to one part evoo, some honey mustard (or other kind) and seasonings and shake it up!
Already liked you on FB! And will pin to pinterest now.
I make a homemade dressing for my husbands fav asian noodle salad. it has ginger, garlic, soy sauce, rice vinegar and a few other little tidbits. it is so yum!
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balsamic vinegar and olive oil
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My favorite dressing is a balsamic vinaigrette…2 to 1 olive oil/balsamic, 1 clove garlic, a tsp. each dijon mustard and coconut palm sugar, and freshly ground pepper.
Mary Ann: thanks so much for reading. The contest closed a while ago, I am sorry I did not make a note of that. And GO BLUE!
Haha…that’s my fault! I saw Sept. 8th and didn’t bother to look at the year. 😉
Looking forward to trying this salad in a few weeks when the apples are ready!
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