Broccoli Salad

My co-worker, Nina made a broccoli salad for our Thanksgiving Feast.  This is "almost" her recipe.  I combined the one she uses and one of Paula Deen's.  I like the kick that the red onion gives the salad, but it is not necessary if you aren't a onion fan. 

 Ingredients:

• 2 small heads of broccoli, cut so that only the florets remain (4 C.)
• ½ lb. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• ½ C. golden raisins
• 1 C. sunflower seed kernels
• ½ lb. of Colby Jack cheese, cut into very small squares
• ½ C. red onion, chopped very fine
• ½ C. mayonnaise
• ½ C. sour cream
• ¼ C. sugar
• 3 T. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Put ice cubes and water in large bowl to create an ice bath
2. Boil water in a large pot and add the broccoli florets to the boiling water for 2 minutes
3. Quickly remove the broccoli and plunge into the ice bath
4. Drain the broccoli and dry with a towel
5. Cut the broccoli into small bite size pieces and place in a large bowl with a cover
6. Add the next 5 ingredients to the bowl and stir well
7. In a small bowl, combine the mayo, sour cream, sugar, and vinegar
8. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss well
9. Refrigerate the salad for at least 2 hours
10. Serve cold

Tips and Tricks:

• I use light sour cream.
• I cook the bacon in the microwave on a plate lined with 4 paper towels.  Cook for about 4 minutes to create crispy pieces of bacon that you can crumble.
• If you want the bacon to remain crisp, wait to add the bacon when serving the salad.  I like the bacon flavor to incorporate into the salad, so I add it before I let it “marry” in the fridge.
• Sam’s sells a 3 lb. bag of broccoli florets in the produce section.  I use 1/3 of the bag for this recipe.