Broccoli Bacon Salad

I love this recipe, but it's a hard one to write down. I do it different every time, so hopefully you get the gist of it!

The Goods

4-5 stalks of broccoli, florets only, cut into small pieces

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 package bacon, cooked till crisp

sunflower seeds

red onion

mayo

red wine vinegar
sugar

Fill bowl with cut broccoli florets(eyeball amount), add shredded cheese, sunflower seeds (just eyeball amount), chopped red onion (eyeball amount again). Cook bacon, and crumble. Set aside till ready to serve.

Dressing

1 cup mayo, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tbs red wine vinegar. I usually make a pretty big salad and have to double or triple the dressing, it's another one of those eyeball it moments...

Add dressing and broccoli just before serving and enjoy! I also make the dressing ahead of time and let it sit in the fridge for a few hours.

Broccoli/Mushroom casserole

Oh Goodness, I love this dish! My sister made it months ago when we went to visit, and it was a hit. I totally forgot about it till the other day, and I am pleased that it is back on our favorites list.

It's one of those recipes that doesn't have exact measurements (like most of my recipes..), but it is super easy.

Use about 3 cups of broccoli florets, washed. Throw it into a skillet, with a little bit of oil, and a bit of butter. Then add your mushrooms to the pan. (I used one package of the pre-cut mushrooms, because I'm lazy like that.)

Saute those together. The mushrooms will get soft and shrink down in size, and your broccoli will be a deeper shade of green, with a little bite left to them.

Add to your pan salt and pepper, a few teaspoons of soy sauce, and a can (or 2 depending on how much broccoli and mushrooms you've used), of cream of mushroom soup.

Mix together and let the sauce get hot and bubble.

This is a great side dish, and a great way to get your kids to eat broccoli.

Steamed Veggies- A healthy version...and a not so healthy version

The not so Healthy version first

Oh my these are delicious! They were brought to us by Natalie a while back, and have been requested by Travis monthly since then. I made them tonight and my dad raved on and on about how perfect they are. Warning though, if you are looking for a healthy side dish, this is not the one...but they are worth every calorie!

Steam

1 bag of mini carrots-I like to slice mine down the middle
3/4 head of cauliflower
2 1/2 cups of broccoli

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

While the oven is heating make the sauce

1 1/2 cubes of butter
2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
1/2 medium sized cube of Velveeta cheese.

I know you must be thinking...yuck, Velveeta. But trust me, when these all melt together, they taste perfect!

Poor over veggies in a pan, and let cook till bubbly. This makes a heaping 9 by 13 pan-so it serves a large party.

The much healthier version

If you don't feel like all those calories, we also love to steam the same veggies, but add a packet of dry Italian Seasoning to it, and add a little spray butter when you are ready to serve them. They are seriously Delicious too-and even my kids will eat them.