Our favorite dressing is balsamic vinaigrette.  Nine out of ten times when ordering salad at a restaurant, we choose balsamic vinaigrette.  For the past many years, every time I made a balsamic vinegar-dressed salad, I would take out half the contents of my spice cabinet to dress the salad.

A few weeks ago, I took the plunge.  I purchased heavy-duty catering-style squeeze bottles from my local restaurant supply store and filled them with assorted dressings for a large dinner that I was hosting.  The squeeze bottles were very durable and  had wide mouths for easy decanting of the homemade dressings from the food processor.

Whatever dressing were left over from the party, we used for lunches and dinners over the next week.  The bit of dressing that was left over one week later became the basis for my grilled chicken marinade.  The spices were left in the cabinet throughout the week and that balsamic vinaigrette found many uses.  It was a true lesson in organization and efficiency.  I was hooked on preparing my dressings in advance.

Now, I prepare an assortment of dressings and dips before Shabbos.  I store them in these large squeeze bottles for dressing salads, garnishing appetizers and decorating serving platters.  I find that having the vinaigrette available and in easy-to-dispense containers  helps us use just exactly what we need for each salad.  It cuts down on waste and mess.

With all the choices of dressings and dips, our favorite is still balsamic vinaigrette.   It is simple and really adds that wow to most every salad.

DIRECTIONS

Using an s-blade in the food processor, combine balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic and mayonnaise. With machine running, slowly drizzle in oil and process until combined and smooth. Carefully decant into squeeze bottle.

NOTES

This dressing can be made in a mason jar or plastic container with a tight-fitting lid. Just add all ingredients and a small squeeze of mustard (for emulsification).  Shake vigorously.

Mayonnaise can be reduced or eliminated.  If eliminating the mayonnaise,  add a bit of mustard or drizzle oil extra slowly when running the food processor in order to keep the vinaigrette emulsified.

Decant the dressing into an empty sport-top water bottle or squeeze bottle (Amazon resource for squeeze bottles) for easy drizzling.

Add a unique label to your balsamic vinaigrette.  Using glue stick or clear packing pack, adhere a custom “simpletowow.com balsamic vinaigrette” label to an empty squeeze bottle.  If you would like to print your own simpletowow vinaigrette label, feel free print  out this balsamic vinaigrette label.  The paper label also allows you to jot down the date when you prepared the dressing so that you can track the preparation date.

Enjoy!