broccoli salad

you guys know by now that i am a huge fan of kitschy 1960s american grandma style foods. bacon wrapped water chestnuts, macaroni salad, lemon squares, deviled eggs... i love it all. i've mentioned before that this is not the food i grew up on. my mom worked hard to feed us healthy. lots of veggies, low fat, whole grains, no junk food or soda. mayonnaise was meant for spreading in a very thin layer on a sandwich and that's about it.

and yet now as an adult i can't get enough of the rich, mayo-laden, we've never even heard of blood pressure type foods of the past. i didn't learn any of these recipes from my family so i'm having to figure them out on my own. it's fun.

my craving du jour this time was broccoli salad. you know the kind... a sparse sprinkling of broccoli absolutely laden with bacon, cheddar cheese, raisins, and the omnipresent mayo. sweet, tangy, creamy, delicious. my first stop was paula deen, who had a recipe that was passable but too sweet for my taste. i continued googling and tried a few more recipes.

grandma says this broccoli will put some meat on your bones

after a few tries i finally came up with a broccoli salad i loved, so it was time to reveal the dish to the world. fortunately i had some cincinnati food blog heavy hitters (liberal foodie and the westside foodies) on hand to be my guinea pigs. they loved it. success!

liz's kick ass broccoli salad, aka the least healthy way to eat broccoli ever

(as always, all measurements are approximate)

1 large or 2 small heads of broccoli, washed with stems cut off and chopped into bite size pieces
1/4 large sweet or vidalia onion, chopped
6 strips of bacon
5 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. raisins
1/4 c. sunflower seeds
1/4 c. sugar
3 T. apple cider vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

cook the bacon until crisp. let it cool then crumble it.

mix the sugar into the vinegar. microwave it for about 20 seconds until the sugar melts into the vinegar. whisk this mixture into the mayonnaise in a large bowl.

add salt, pepper, raisins, sunflower seeds, onion, bacon, and cheddar cheese. stir until combined. add the broccoli and mix until coated.

eat to your heart's content, or until your arteries scream for mercy. then have more. you're much too skinny and grandma won't be happy until you clean your plate.