I have been using this recipe as is for years. It is good. The flavor is just about spot on for Hidden Valley. My only complaint has been that it does not thicken like Hidden Valley especially for using as a dip. I also like the idea of using a buttermilk powder. So when I mixed up a batch this time, I did not use the saltines, but added a 1/2 cup buttermilk powder instead. The flavor is still great. When I mixed up the dressing, just used milk instead of buttermilk since I had used the powder. This recipe is great for using in other recipes, meals that ask for a package of dry Hidden Valley. It's way cheaper & of course far healthier. Also, I use good Celtic sea salt & don't like to use the premade onion & garlic salts because the table salt in it is horrible. So I omitted the garlic & onion salts, and instead did the conversions needed to add an extra tablespoon of garlic & onion powder & the salt separately. I worked out great. I'm experimenting now w/ added a bit of guar gum which is a natural thickener to see if I can thicken it up. Then it will be perfect! Also, my next experiment will be to mix some up using greek yogurt instead of mayo to see how that tastes & see if I can make it a nice lite ranch!

Reviewed On: Mar. 11, 2013

I wanted to love this..I really did, but just did not. It just didn't taste like ranch to me. It was bland. I admit, I did not have any chives, so I added just a bit more onion, but other than that followed the recipe to a tee. It just didn't have much flavor. I really think it needs much more salt. I had another recipe for this that uses crushed saltines, and I really liked the idea of using the buttermilk powder instead. The other recipe tastes like Hidden Valley to a tee, so I just made it with substituting the buttermilk powder for the saltines. It has a great flavor, just waiting to see if it will thicken up a bit more.

Reviewed On: Mar. 11, 2013

I used less meat & added a can of beans. My family is used to that, so it's fine for us! I don't keep taco sauce on hand, but have salsa. I still wanted the taco sauce consistency, so I just blended the salsa up for a second in my mini processor. I was lazy tonight & used dehydrated onion & garlic in the meat. I used the suggestion of another reviewer & made the tortilla layers 2 thick so it wouldn't get too mushy. That was actually perfect & I don't think we would have liked it as much without the extra tortillas. I also added a cup of sour cream to the meat mixture. I have another recipe that is very similar to this one, & the sour cream gives it a good little twang! I used rotel tomatoes & combined with the chili peppers & salsa it was quite spicy! I thought the perfect amount! It was very very good, a definite keeper recipe for us!

Reviewed On: Aug. 13, 2012