Passementaries is French for decorative trimmings, tassels, and ornaments. This is a lifestyle blog, offering affordable ideas with small stay-at-home journeys that can enhance your life. As an "older woman," Catie McIntyre explores the elegant trimmings of life. When she isn't writing, she keeps busy cooking, fluffing pillows, cooking, pruning rose bushes, cooking, decorating the home and garden, cooking, traveling, and picking up tiny dog poo.
“Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller It's so true. Last week I was checking out my many rose bushes and wondering when they would bloom. They seem late this year. A few days later I was outside chasing one of my little dogs. She is losing her hearing and sight, but I swear her little legs are running faster than ever. It's never been like her to run off. While I was running after her (or more like hobbling and limping) I noticed a couple of bushes with a few roses. After I got the pup settled and inside, I went back out to cut a few roses. The bees even took pity on me and allowed me to cut some of their sage blossoms. I placed the pretty little vase from my Mother's collection by a few Paris mementos.
Yeah, I know. Broccoli salad is so passe and it's been around since the 1980s. At least that's when I started making this recipe for family gatherings and picnics. But riddle me this Batman, how can something that tastes so good and is good for you be "outdated?"
Through the years my broccoli salad has evolved. When I first received the recipe it had dark raisins in the ingredients. Now, don't get me wrong. I love raisins. I love them in breakfast pastries like cinnamon rolls, and I love them in oatmeal cookies. But, I dunno... the dark raisins in the broccoli salad looked like flies, so I changed the dark raisins in the recipe to golden raisins. About ten years ago I changed the golden raisins to dried cranberries. The dark red color of the cranberry is even prettier and I like the tartness they bring to the salad.
Ingredients: 3 crowns of broccoli (5-6cupsbroccoli florets)
⅔cupdried cranberries (or golden raisins is a nice option)
1/2 cup of chopped cooked bacon, or more (I use the already cooked bacon like from Oscar Mayer or Hormel, and chop it)
½cupsalted sunflower seeds
1/3 cup red onion, diced
Dressing: 1 cup of mayonnaise (or 3/4 cup mayo and 1/4 sour cream) 1 ½Tablespoonsof cider vinegar
3Tablespoonssugar
1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp black pepper, or to taste (You may also add a touch more of vinegar or sugar depending on your taste)
In a separate small bowl, blend the dressing until smooth, and put aside in the fridge. If you want the dressing thinner, add about a teaspoon of milk. Often I will make the dressing the night before and then pour it over the broccoli about an hour or so before serving. Otherwise, I think the broccoli gets too "wilty-looking."
When it comes to cleaning the broccoli I will also clean it ahead of time, draining it well, laying it on top of paper towels, and setting it aside for a while or overnight before adding the other ingredients.
In a large bowl combine broccoli florets, dried cranberries, cooked bacon, sunflower seeds, and onion. The broccoli salad may be served immediately, but for best flavor refrigerate for at least one hour before serving. Give the salad another quick toss before serving, if needed. Keep refrigerated.
The great thing about this salad is you can make it yours by adding anything you want like walnuts, almonds, radishes, cauliflower, and even shredded cheese. If you have your own version of broccoli salad, consider this a reminder to make it.
In the meantime, I am flattered that comic Dana Carvey sang a song about me while I prepared this salad. I am the lady he didn't know. Choppin' broccoli!
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