Please welcome Mary the Food Librarian as today’s guest blogger.   Enjoy her yummy summer recipe!

It’s Mary the Food Librarian as today’s guest blogger. I’m a Los Angeles librarian (who would have guessed that?!), love the bundt cake a little too much, watch way too much television, and like to bake and eat. While Natalie is off having fun, she wanted to make sure all her readers had something to eat/read! Isn’t Natalie the nicest? Yes, she is!

Today I’m sharing on of my favorite pot luck recipes. You know you are going to get invited to a zillion pot lucks this summer…and this dish is super easy and refreshing. (It does have mayo in it so I wouldn’t bring it to the 100 degree 4th of July outdoor pool party.)

This recipe is from an article in Los Angeles Times years ago and it never disappoints. It was submitted by reader, Lisa O’Kane of Toluca Lake and also appears in the great cookbook, Modern California Cookbook by the Los Angeles Times. (“The Best of Lucks” article by Jennifer Lowe, Los Angeles Times, December 08, 1999)

This salad is great with bacon or veggie style. If you get a vegan mayo, you can make it vegan as well. Regular or golden raisins can be used, and you can throw in a few dried cranberries as well. I’ve seen a version of this salad at Souplantation. It’s yum.

Broccoli Salad

Notes:

1. Make dressing and let chill for 2 hours.

2. Cook up bacon. I do this in the oven and it works great! Just place on foil lined pan and bake at 375 degrees until yummy.

3. All ingredients can be prepped and placed in baggies until ready to eat (or transported to pot luck)

4. Dress salad right before eating.
Dressing: Mix together and refrigerate for at least 2 hours:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/4 cup sugar
Salad: Combine together:

1 1/2 to 2 pounds raw broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces (I buy the huge bag from Costco or purchase broccoli crowns)

1 cup golden raisins (or regular raisins)

1 cup salted sunflower seeds

1 small red onion, chopped

8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled
Combine the salad ingredients. Dress with chilled dressing right before serving. Enjoy!!
Find other pot luck favorites in the Los Angeles Times article here.

Happy Vacation Natalie! Can’t wait to hear about your trip. Thanks for letting me visit your awesome blog. Happy Summer to all! – mary the food librarian