my siblings, mother, great nephew, and me at Mom’s 93rd birthday

This is the world’s best blue cheese dressing, which was made in my family’s restaurant for nearly 50 years.

My heavenly Father bestowed the best parents in the whole world upon me!   Many gifts have been mine through  them: the biggest from my earthly father was his grand heart, while Mom’s was her beautiful faith.

My 93-year old mother always responds to my gratitude for these holy blessings: “Your most treasured present to me was bringing my husband to the Lord.” This took place in a Starbucks two years before Dad passed.

My parents visited me in Portland every October starting in 1986, until age prohibited their travels.  The momentous day of my father’s salvation took place on their last trip here in 2004.  Note: the jubilance of my family’s glorious reunion will reverberate throughout heaven one day soon.

My father and I hung out during their blessed visits, while Mom shopped ‘til she dropped.  My beloved papa always did one thing: he stocked my larder to the brim every year.  I hopefully anticipated this godsend long before their arrival, as times were lean back then.

Dad taught me how to make his famous blue cheese dressing during one of these hallowed, shared days.  It has graced my refrigerator ever since; there is nothing like it; even people who don’t like blue cheese love this!

Buzz’s recipe has a history. My parents purchased our family restaurant in 1954. Traveling salesmen often stopped at our business in the little tourist village of East Glacier Park, Montana, which is on Highway 2.  I was just approaching puberty in the early sixties, when one of these self-promoters sold Dad a mammoth cook book for restaurant owners.  This huge culinary account was about 10 inches thick.  It contained all that was needed to train my father to flawlessly run his eatery, which grew exceedingly in fame over the years.  Thus, a lone man’s fervid, cold call brought a lifetime’s bounty to me and many others.

I share this magnificent recipe for blue cheese dressing, obtained from this book, with great joy!

easy juicing of lemons

Buzz’ Blue Cheese Dressing  Yields: about 1 3/4 quarts.  Total prep time: 30 minutes.

.5-.7 lb. blue cheese, frozen and thawed for easy crumbling  (For quality, do not use pre-crumbled cheese; Cave Age Blue Cheese from Trader Joe’s is ideal; keep thawed cheese refrigerated until ready to use.)

5 extra lg cloves of garlic, or more if smaller, to taste

1/2 med yellow onion, cut in large chunks

36 oz Best Foods mayonnaise  (Use 1-30 oz jar plus 1/5 of another jar.)

2 small lemons, juiced

3/4 tsp salt, or to taste  (Himalayan, pink, or Real Salt is critical for optimum health; an inexpensive, Himalayan salt is available in bulk at our local Winco.)

3/4 tsp fresh ground pepper, or to taste

6 vigorous shakes of Tabasco Sauce, or to taste

1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce, or to taste

1. Freeze blue cheese ahead of time; thaw in refrigerator before using; this makes crumbling very easy.  Keep cheese refrigerated until ready to use.
2. In a food processor, puree garlic and onion; stop processor and scrap down sides twice; set aside.
3. Place mayonnaise in a large bowl.  (Set aside empty mayonnaise jar.)
4. Roll lemons on counter, pressing down hard with palm of hand; this loosens the juices in the meat.  Juice fruit, straining seeds, and add to mayonnaise. (Handheld lemon juicers, such as the one in the above photo work really well.  Watch the marketplace to acquire this and a small strainer for bowl.)
5. Add onion/garlic to mayonnaise to taste-this should taste REALLY STRONG, as the flavor mellows much after several days.  Blend in salt, pepper, Tabasco, and Worcestershire.
6. Crumble blue cheese into mayonnaise mixture and stir gently, mixing only until blended.
7. Adjust seasonings.
8. Fill a sterilized, quart-size, wide-mouth canning jar with dressing.  Place the rest in the empty mayonnaise jar.
9. Refrigerate, keeps well.