Broccoli Salad

The kids are officially out of school for the summer.  That is great news for Ryan and Courtney - for me it means that I am the parent of high school sophomore and a college freshman!  Yikes, I feel old.

Despite the fact that the reality is setting in that Ryan will be moving to out in just a few short months, I'm still looking forward to summer.  I am ready to have everyone home for a while.  (I actually laughed out loud even while I typed that because I know that our summer calendar is filling up quickly and it will be rare that we are all in this house at the same time.) 

Both kids have summer jobs this year which is going to make it even more challenging to have dinners together.  I might just have to eat dinner a couple different times.  I better find some great summer salad recipes.

I love this broccoli salad recipe from simplyrecipes.com.  It is crisp and fresh and just slightly sweet from the honey dressing.  The crunchy almonds on top are the perfect compliment to this light summer salad.

Broccoli Salad Recipe

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 5-6 cups fresh broccoli florets (about 1 pound of florets)
• 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds
• 1/2 cup cooked, crumbled bacon
• 1/4 cup of red onion, chopped
• 1 cup of frozen peas, thawed

• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup honey

Bring a large pot of water, salted with a teaspoon of salt, to a boil. Add the broccoli florets.

 

Cook 1-2 minutes, depending on how crunchy you want the broccoli. Drain the broccoli and immediately put into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking. 

Let cool and drain.
Combine broccoli florets, crumbled bacon, chopped onion, and peas in a large serving bowl.

 

In a separate bowl, whisk together mayonnaise, cider vinegar and honey. 

Add dressing to the salad and toss to mix well. Sprinkle with slivered almonds.

 

This salad is really good.  I would serve this as a side dish at a barbeque or any summer party.  It will surprise you just how many people will eat broccoli when it's prepared like this.

Ciao!