Copycat Cattlemen's Salad Dressing

My sweet nephew is a huge fan of Cattleman's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City.  If you give him the choice of where he wants for eat for dinner, that's his number one pick.  Why?  Well aside from fabulous steaks, they are quite famous for their salad dressing.  The restaurant has been located in the Oklahoma City Stockyards as long as I can remember.  It's an icon to our area.  And yes, my nephew is right, the salad dressing is awesome.  Of course, because I'm his favorite aunt, I had to figure out a way to make it for him at home.  In huge quantities.  So that now he no longer lives in the OKC area he can enjoy whenever he wants!  This COPYCAT version was published in the newspaper years ago.  Legend has it the original recipe is locked away in a safe.  If you don't happen to be a wild west safe cracking outlaw, or you don't live near OKC, this delicious version always comes through in a pinch.  

This delicious copycat from the famous
OKC Steakhouse is sure to please!

The Ingredients - 
(And before you come at me in the comments
I know this is not the real recipe...legend 
has it the real recipe is TOP SECRET)

Combine the first 6 ingredients
and add the shredded cheese.
You can use pre-shredded cheese 
from a bag, but if you have the patience
to shred your own quality Cheddar,
it is worth the effort.
(Also - this is a CHUNKY dressing)

Mix everything together and refrigerate.
Preferably overnight if you have the chance,
so the flavors can meld together.

Enjoy over your favorite salad greens and
add your favorite toppings.

This has been a family
favorite FOR YEARS!

Look how cheesy and thick this is.
You can thin it out with more milk if 
you like, but it's best if you just 
pour it all on and stir it all up real good.

CATTLEMEN'S SALAD DRESSING

1 quart mayonnaise
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2/3 cup to 1 cup milk (you can use more if you like to thin it out, because this dressing is "CHUNKY")

1/2 pound cheddar cheese, shredded fine

Mix first 6 ingredients together.  Then add cheese and stir well.  Refrigerate, overnight if possible to allow the flavors to meld together.  

*NOTE:  This recipe makes a large batch.  I usually clean the mayonnaise jar and keep it to store the dressing in.  However, if you have my nephew around, this dressing doesn't last long!


FOR A HALF VERSION:

A much more manageable amount if you aren't feeding a large crowd.

1 pint mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup milk (you can use more if you like to thin it out, because this dressing is "CHUNKY")
4 ounces Cheddar Cheese, shredded fine

Mix first 6 ingredients together.  Then add cheese and stir well.  Refrigerate, overnight if possible to allow the flavors to meld together.  

NOTE - I first published this recipe on 7/31 2012.  It has consistently been one of the top searched recipes here for years.  This past New Year's Eve I included it as part of my "TOP 10 RECIPES of 2025" round up, and much to my great pleasure, this particular recipe went somewhat "viral" on TIKTOK (well viral for little 'ol me) because as of this morning 1/15/26 it has 12.3K views.  It's been so fun seeing all of the comments and welcoming new foodie friends to The Devilish Dish, and that's why we enjoyed this salad again last night and I decided to update this post with new pictures.  Enjoy!

Tex Mex Mini-Meat Loaves

I'm pretty sure I've told you before, my mom has a twin sister.  My "Aunt Sissie."  She's Sissie for two reasons:  She's my mom's sissy, and her name is Cecilia.  So Sissie for a nickname.  I'm even named after her (for a middle name.)  Ask my mom and my husband and they would agree that Aunt Sissie and I are a lot alike.  Except when it comes to cooking.  She hates it, I love it.  Now she has a jillion cookbooks and cooking magazines, which she loves to look at.  She just doesn't want to cook.  I usually handle that department and send her on her way with a tasty care package.  One of the things she DOES cook though is Tex Mex Mini Meatloaves.  (Our love of Mexican food is another thing we share!)

One of my favorite "family" recipes!

The Line-Up

Combine beef with salsa and onion.



Add crushed chips, egg, cumin and salt.

Mix well.  (You may need to add additional crushed chips
if it's too moist.  You want a moist meatloaf, but not
too sticky.)

Shape into 6 equal-sized portions. 
Bake for approximately 25 minutes.

Top with reserved salsa and
sprinkle with cheese.

Slow Cooker Pizza Casserole

I think I ate enough pizza in college to last a lifetime.  Without revealing my age, let's just say it's been awhile since I've had pizza or ramen noodles as meals on a regular basis.  However, it still remains something I'm kind of burned out on.  If we're going to break down and have pizza, it either has to be homemade or something really, really good topped with quality ingredients like fresh basil or feta cheese.  That being said, I'm a sucker for anything in the slow cooker because it's easy-peasy and fortunately the rest of the family is not opposed to pizza as often as I am.  This casserole tastes exactly like a pizza, only easy and in one pot.  Great on a busy day.  It makes a TON, so if you have a big family, you're in luck.  If you don't, you're still in luck because you'll have great leftovers!

Tastes just like a pizza!
Only the ease of the slow cooker!

The Line-Up
Don't worry, you're just layering ingredients.
It's easy!

Brown ground beef and sausage together...

Combine uncooked pasta with marinara sauce.
Season with oregano.

Begin layering ingredients in the slow cooker:
First pasta mixture, then beef mixture.

Next is onions, green peppers
and mushrooms.

Add shredded cheese and a layer of pepperoni.
Repeat layers.

Enjoy!
Just like the old "pizza in college days"
only way better!

Banana Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Lately I've taken to calling Mr. Devilish Dish "Monkey Man".  I don't know why.  Forever and ever I've called him Daddy.  Not because we're weird and gross, but because when Little Devil was little, she would hear me call him by his first name and then she would repeat it.   He was not a fan of being called Greg by his toddler.   I said Daddy, so she would call him Daddy.  And it stuck.  Except now that we are "older" everyone that hears me say it thinks I'm nuts.  I've made an effort not to say Daddy as much.  Far be it from me to call him anything normal, like say his First Name, so Monkey Man has been the nickname of late.  It's a perfect fit.  His feet look like monkey feet.  (Well I think so because I hate feet.  I like to tell him he could scale a coconut tree with those things.)  AND he loves ANYTHING with bananas in it.  And since I love my Monkey Man so much, I came up with some yummy banana cupcakes with chocolate frosting to satisfy his banana craving.

Perfect for Monkey Man!

The Line-Up
(includes the frosting ingredients)

For the cupcakes:
Cream together butter and sugar.

Add eggs, one at a time.
Beat well after each.

Sift dry ingredients together.

Combine bananas and buttermilk.

Begin adding flour mixture to butter mixture.

Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk mixture.
Begin and end with flour mixture.

Fill cupcake liners.

Bake until light golden brown.
Approximately 18 minutes.
Cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting:
Sift together powdered sugar and cocoa.

Cream butter until smooth.

Alternate adding the powdered sugar mixture

With the evaporated milk.
Add the vanilla.

Beat until light and fluffy.

Frost cooled cupcakes with frosting.
I even garnished them with a tiny Reese's cup.

Serve to the Monkey Man in your life.

Father's Day 2012 Recap

Well another Happy Father's Day has come and gone, and I think 2012's celebration will go down in the books as a success.  I let Mr. Devilish Dish pick the menu.  I was going to do BBQ Brisket Sliders and he said, "I'd rather have roast beef."  And of course he chose banana pudding for dessert.  The old fashioned kind with the "cooked" custard.  We had the whole family over, including my in-laws and my best friend and her family.  I kind of threw together the decorations with what I had on hand.  In the last few months we have had some big parties revolving around both football and baseball.  Around here, a sports theme is always welcome, and pretty easy to do when you live and breathe football, baseball and golf.  I kind of wished I would have planned ahead and gone with an OKC Thunder theme.  (But secretly I don't like the color orange, so I didn't want to be stuck with orange plates and napkins.)  I'm already planning Father's Day 2013.  Since the U.S. Open Golf Tournament always falls on Father's Day weekend, the wheels are already turning for what kind of clever golf-themed meal I can come up with.  Meanwhile, I think the guys were pretty happy with what was served.  What more could you ask for?  They got meat, bread, beer and golf on television. 

The dining table "centerpiece"...I used a couple of tall, clear
vases I had on hand and filled them with baseballs.  The tableclothlooked like a football field.  (I used it for Mr. DD's 40th Football Party)
I added a football of course.  And a few boxes of Cracker Jacks.
(Which the Moms all wound up eating.  I kept teasing
them to please not eat the centerpiece.)
Then I used football and baseball napkins that
I had leftover from some previous parties. 
Very economical decor!

For the food table I used my good 'ol reliable OU tablecloth
that makes an appearance at every tailgate and watch party.
I cheated and used paper plates, but I don't think anyone
really minded.  The dishwasher (ME) was happy.

I bought some really fresh dinner rolls at the store,
and pre-sliced them.  We baked two roasts
the night before, let them cool, wrapped them really well
in foil and put them in the fridge overnight,
and sliced them right before the party.
I just served the beef cold.  But you could certainly
serve it warm if you'd like.  The recipe is a delicious main
course roast, perfect with mashed potatoes too.  You can find the
Spicy Herb Rubbed Roast Beef Recipe HERE.

Since roast beef and horseradish are a
traditional combination, I made a little
Horseradish Sauce to spread on the sandwiches.
This would a great accompaniment to the roast beef,
whether for sandwiches or Sunday dinner.
You can find the Horseradish Sauce Recipe HERE.

For those folks that don't like horseradish (Blasphemy!) I made
a Rosemary Garlic Aioli too. 
(Thats a fancy word for mayonnaise.)
You could use any herb you want, but I have an
abundance of rosemary in my garden, and I
also think it goes great with beef.
You can find the Rosemary Garlic Aioli Recipe HERE.

Growing up, my mom always made a tangy cole slaw,
with more of a vinaigrette style dressing.
Mr. Devilish Dish happens to like a creamy cole slaw best,
and since it was his day, I made his favorites.
My favorite recipe for creamy style cole slaw comes from
Christy Jordan's cookbook, The Southern Plate.
You can visit her website HERE. I cannot
believe I forgot to take a pic of the banana pudding.
Probably because I was tired from making
THREE BATCHES.  Because Mr. Devilish
got his own personal bowl.  I used the recipe
for Homemade Banana Pudding from
Southern Plate as well.  I just love Christy,
and of all her recipes. 

No summertime celebration would be complete without
Deviled Eggs.  I don't really have a recipe.
I put the eggs (as many as you want) in a pot, covered with
water, with a 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.
(Makes them easier to peel!)
Then I bring the water to a rapid boil.  Put the lid on the pot,
and turn off the heat.  Depending on how done you like them,
I let them sit covered, with the burner off 10-15 minutes.
Then I dump the hot water out, and cool them with
cold ice water.  Usually I peel them the night before,
and the next day I cut them and make the filling.
(Which consists of the egg yolks, Miracle Whip,
yellow mustard, salt and pepper.)
I usually do at least 40 at a time because my deviled egg holders each
hold 20 eggs.  I use a pastry bag to fill them,
Not because it's fancy, but because it's fast.  Like an assembly line.

Sticking with the sports theme, I added some
salted peanuts in the shell and more Cracker Jacks.
This doubled as food, AND the "center piece"
on the other table. I added a scoop and some little
bowls for peanut shells.
Peanuts and Cracker Jacks just seem like very DAD-ish food!

For their gifts, each Dad got a little treat consisting
of all things POP.  Soda POP, POPcorn, POP Tarts,
POP Rocks and Tootsie POPs.
Adorned with their own little
World's Best POP Award.
If you want more details on this,
I blogged about it HERE.

The contents of the gift. 
Incidentally, Mr. Devilish Dish
LOVES unfrosted brown sugar cinnamon Pop Tarts
and Tootsie Pops.  Won't the other Dads be in
for a surprise when they find out those Pop Tarts don't
have any frosting.  (lame) Oh well, my house, my "dad"
I'll choose the flavor in his honor.

I found these sodas a while back.  The flavor is
black cherry.  The brand says,
The Pop Shoppe
I thought that was too cute.  Bought them and put
them away, not knowing what I'd do with them, but
just knowing The Pop Shoppe
was perfect for Father's Day.

Here they are, all finished and lined up for the Dads...

In addition to Mr. Devilish Dish being the
World's Best Pop, I happen to think he's pretty
HOT too...So he got an extra little gift.  I just
filled with with a few spices and seasonings
(because he is the king of making his own
rubs, chile powders, etc...)
Made a little tag, and tied it up.
Complete with a fresh jalapeno pepper I grew myself!