It would be remiss of me to leave Ranch out of Sauced any longer. My wife is a proud product of the Lone Star state, where Ranch seems to be the answer to everything. Before meeting her, I'd never seen Ranch used as a condiment on pizza, chicken, salad, steak, potatoes—they all call for liberal uses of buttermilk dressing.

Despite my best efforts, I couldn't get on board with her unbridled Ranch enthusiasm—that was until I made a homemade version.

Ranch has always been a little heavy-handed for me. Unless I had a reason to drown the flavor of whatever I was eating, I rarely dipped into it. This homemade version, on the other hand, strikes a mellower tone.

The creamy, rich buttermilk melds with the subtleties of fresh parsley, chives, and dill. The sour cream, mayonnaise, and lemon juice still give it a nice tang, but not to the point where it overpowers.

My wife found a point of contention with the loss of punch here, but it didn't stop her from finishing nearly an entire bowl. And it made a Ranch convert out of me! Who knows, next time we order pizza, I may just whip up another batch for some generous dipping.

About the author: Joshua Bousel brings you new, tasty condiment each Wednesday and a recipe for weekend grilling every Friday. He also writes about grilling and barbecue on his blog The Meatwave whenever he can be pulled away from his grill.