Growing up, I can’t remember not having a jar full of Mom’s Spicy French Dressing in the fridge. To this day, it is my Dad’s all-time favorite dressing.

Salad Dressing Wars

Ever notice how everyone has their one go-to dressing? It’s pretty comical actually, especially when you stand in the dressing aisle of the grocery store and see the plethora of choices we are given. So many options. It’s honestly overwhelming if you ask me.

I typically only purchase dressings occasionally, preferring to make my own at home. The ones I do buy turn into marinades or to cook with when my husband makes his roasted chicken and vegetable dish for me.

French Dressing

Oddly enough, the original 19th-century French dressing was nothing like the product of today. It was originally a slang term used in the exact way that we use the word Vinegarette today. It simply meant a mixture of oil and vinegar. A far cry from the creamy version we see today.

Modern French dressing is typically ketchup-based. I am not a ketchup fan, as if you look up the origins of catsup, it was developed to hide the taste of rancid meat. Yuck! The original catsups weren’t even made from tomatoes! It was made from fermented fish. Read more about French dressing here.

If you love learning more about how our food has been changed over the years, check out The Food That Built America from the History Channel. It was really interesting. (Especially the cereal wars!)

Mom’s Spicy French Dressing

Half of what I love about Mom’s dressing recipe is how simple it is to make. I typically have all of the ingredients needed on-hand at any given time. When we have tons of lettuce coming on, this dressing recipe is a must to have in the fridge to make sure that the lettuce gets eaten.

Most of the time I have my own home-canned condensed tomato soup in the pantry for it (recipe coming soon), but buying a small can to keep around is a great idea too.

Check your refrigerator and pantry and make a batch for your family today.