Broccoli Salad

Hi,

Am back with the aforementioned Broccoli Salad recipe.

Hope you have all had a good week. Busy one, here at Restaurant Quality. Little Sweeheart #5 and her Mommy and Daddy were here for supper on Memorial Day. The featured menu item was Sliced BBQ Pork, from Memphis Best Barbeque, a small restaurant near us. The owner is part of the extended Neely family -- as in the Neelys on FoodNetwork. Man oh man (as James K. would say) is it good. FD #1 and FSIL have been hearing about it for months.

So, I call Memphis Best on Memorial Day. Dang --- closed for the holiday. In hindsight, makes sense that the owner would close on Memorial Day. He is retired USMC. When we go to the restaurant, Mr. Restaurant Quality dons one of his USMC shirts and they give each other that silent acknowledgement that Marines give each other. Then, come the warm handshakes........

What became the featured menu item???? Brats. Can never go wrong with brats. Mr. Restaurant Quality took over the featured menu item. Dashed to the store. Parboiled them in beer and sauerkraut. Grilled them. Placed them in a simmering saucepan with the beer and sauerkraut and hovered over them for about 3 hours.

Best brats I've ever had. Felt like I was tailgating at Miller Park. I digress to envision driving past Miller Park on gameday ------- smoke drifting over I-94 from all the perfectly grilled brats.
And, the smell of the grills drifting into the car. Catching a 55 MPH glimpse of rows and rows of Brewer fans, sitting on lawnchairs, playing the beanbag game that FS #2 dominates, standing at tables groaning with 'ballpark' food.

Next time I go, Broccoli Salad will be on that groaning table. The recipe comes to me from FS #1, who makes restaurant quality food in his own kitchen (and at the firehouse).........


Broccoli Salad

suggested musical background: Sway, by Michael Buble


Recipe is as FS#1 gave it to me.


1 head broccoli
1 cup raisins
1 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup red onion, chopped
crushed bacon

1 cup mayo
1/2 cup sugar
4 T. orange juice
2 T. white vinegar


Mix dressing ingredients and add rest of stuff.


My Notes:

FS#1 knows what he is doing in the kitchen, so his recipe instruction is succinct, shall we say.

The broccoli: cut it up so that you are using the 'flowerets', not any of the stalk.

The sunflower seeds: Am not a sunflower seed gal. I use pine nuts, lightly toasted in a small pan. But, you can use them raw.

The red onion: RestaurantQuality never uses raw onion. Mr. RestaurantQuality has few caveats, but raw onion is one of them. Now, fried onions????? Yes, yes, yes. Not in this salad, but on cheeseburgers and Italian sausage.

The crushed bacon: RestaurantQuality uses 4 slices of bacon, crisply fried and then broken (by hand) into small bite-size pieces.


In a large bowl, combine the broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds, onion, and bacon. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, combine the mayo, sugar, OJ and vinegar.

Pour the 'sauce' over the broccoli stuff. Combine well. Refrigerate.


This recipe allows for lots of 'adjustments'. You can easily halve the recipe for a smaller bowl of salad.

You can easily follow the recipe, using a head of broccoli, but adjust the amount of raisins, nuts/seeds, onion, bacon.

If you like cauliflower (this is one of my caveats - I say 'a no-no-no'), throw some in the bowl.


Life is good................

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day To All.............

This post was meant to be a recipe for Broccoli Salad, with a paragraph acknowledging Memorial Day.

It now, rightfully, is a post HONORING Memorial Day. It evolved into a 'stand alone' post after I did some quick online research, and I'm glad I did.

One of my grade school teachers (I mean nuns -- eyes in the back of the head and ruler in hand), at St. Thomas Aquinas probably made me memorize what I have to share with you, but at the time 'history' was of no interest to me.

Age ---- I meant to say 'life experiences' ---- helps me greatly appreciate history. Now, I cannot get enough of it. That appreciation was ignited by a teacher I had a lifetime ago, at Milwaukee Area Technical College, and I will always remember him.

Memorial Day. The last Monday in May. Long weekend. Get the grill out. Hope it is not raining so that you can plant some flowers. Countdown to last day of school.

Think deeper.

Memorial Day, begun as a result of the Civil War. Initially, it was called Decoration Day because people would go out to the graves of Civil War soldiers and decorate their graves.

Formal acclimation was given on May 30, 1868, at Arlington National Cemetery. Flags were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers, on that day to honor and remember all who died in that War. I am humbled to say that I have a 'many times great' grandfather who lies in Arlington, having given his life in the Union cause. It is due to the loving geneological efforts of Ms. Waters Edge that we have recently come to know this.

From 1868 until 1971, Memorial Day was always on May 30th. In 1971, Memorial Day was moved to the last Monday in May.

Memorial Day has evolved to encompass honoring and remembering all those who have given their life in service to our great country.

If you ever get to Washington, D.C., go to Arlington. Stand on the porch of Robert E. Lee's home and look out, not only at the Washington Monument in the distance, but to the ground around you. That's where the Union and Confederate soldiers lie.

Go to The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. Think of ALL who have given their lives in the service of our country - from the Revolutionary War to today. Stay for the Changing Of The Guard. Be awed by the quiet, by the reverence.

And remember them.......................

Life is good

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

It is great to be back...........

Restaurant Quality has been on a brief hiatus while in The Great City On A Great Lake. Flew back for some family events, and of course, to be with My Little Sweethearts, #1-4. We had FIVE sleepovers in 17 days. Lots of fun to be had at Grandma's house. Lots of conversations involving the musings of an eight year old, a seven year old, a four year old and a two year old.

Ms. Oconomowoc and I had Fun Day in The Windy City, visiting FD #2 ---- actually for lunch and then for cocktail time (there are those amongst us who feel that's the best time of the day). In between, we started out at FD's office building and walked about six miles to/from 'Marshall Field's' on State (we never call it Macy's) and to/from The Art Institute. Ahhhh, to stand and marvel at the 'blue' in Renoir's "The Two Sisters".

Now, here I am, back in The Great SouthWest.

It's Mother's Day weekend and I threw myself into some baking. I have been saying for quite some time that I was going to make White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies for Mr. Restaurant Quality.

Well, Mother's Day weekend is the perfect time to make them for the Father of all The Fabulous Ones and the Grandfather of all The Little Sweethearts. (I would not be a Mom or Grandma without him..............)

So, I cranked up my ipod and starting hauling out all the ingredients. I HIGHLY recommend baking to Bobby Darin's 'Call Me Irresponsible'. It is a great song ---- the musical arrangement is sooo good ------ and I blast it. It made these cookies especially good.

Life is good...........................

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies

350 degrees
parchment lined cookie sheets
makes about 4 dozen


1 cup butter, room temp
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temp
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts (about 3/4 pound)
1 cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

In medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and sugar, until smooth.

Beat in the eggs, one at a time.

Stir in the vanilla and almond extracts.

Gradually add the flour mixture into the butter mixture.

Mix in the nuts and white chocolate.

Drop dough by teaspoonsful, onto parchment lined cookie sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place pans on cooling racks. Let cookies 'rest' about five minutes, then remove from pan and place cookies on cooling racks.


My Notes:

A disclaimer: I am not a White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookie gal. In fact, I step forward to say that I have never had one. You see what true love is ----- I baked something for Mr. Restaurant Quality that I don't care for. Mr. Restaurant Quality wishes to advise all that he is "The Tester" for this recipe, and he advises that they are good.

I tried one (ok, I tried three). They are tasty, but I prefer eating the dough.................

RE: baking for 10 minutes. I rotated the pans (top rack to bottom rack and vice versa) at the
five minute mark.

Start watching for 'doneness' at 9 minutes.

RE: the 'resting' of the cookies on the pan after coming out of the oven. I read somewhere that if you do this, you'll get a chewier cookie. I think 'chewy' does this cookie proud, so I let them 'rest'.

If you prefer a crisper cookie, remove the cookies from the pan, directly to a cooling rack, as soon as you take them out of the oven.

I am lucky to have a Sprouts grocery store near me, here in The Great SouthWest. Bought the nuts there, from a bulk bin, for $5.39/pound.