Broccoli is our favorite vegetable any time of year. It may be the one veggie aside from salad that I can convince my brood to eat. I have a little secret though, when my kids were little I taught them to yell out, “broccoli moment!” They would hold the vegetable in the air and we all had to do it too, and take a bite at the same time. We’ve had it all ways, except in this salad that was one of my mom’s favorites. I was excited to see if they liked it.

The only thing I did different was leave the raisins out. That’s mainly because I’m not a fan of them. I do love the bacon, onion and sweetness to the dressing. Happily the family all loved it too, and we had many extremely silly broccoli moments as we chowed down on mom’s favorite salad with smiles on our faces.

Recipe and photo courtesy of Allrecipes.

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Quick Tip: Letting the salad marinate overnight marrys the flavors well.

As a child, my mom’s favorite was orange Creamsicles, or “dreamsicles” as she called them because really the orange Popsicle surrounding vanilla ice cream can’t be beat. So, it stands to reason that she’d buy them for me so she could sneak some too. I’m pretty sure I caught her a time or two red handed in the freezer. The flavor combo always reminds me of those hot summer days when a cool Popsicle from the fridge was the perfect midday treat.

Peaches and cream is a classic flavor combo that everyone loves, it’s also a song and I believe it’s a band but that’s neither here nor there. We’re talking great flavor combos, and if they don’t know of peaches with cream, then something is surely the matter with them. I often indulge in the ice cream, and now I get to feast on this amazing cake!

It’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I absolutely love Girl Scout Cookies. They only come around once a year, and like most people I stock up, filling the freezer with all of our favorites to include shortbread, Tagalongs and of course Samoas. Of course, they always run out and then we’re left craving them for most of the year. Each year I order more, each year we are left wanting more – it’s a cycle.

Time is precious. You can truly never save enough of it for the things that mean the most, like spending quality time with kids, grand kids, pets maybe… or just on your own exploring whatever it is you love. That’s why making lasgna in the crock is a great hack that everyone should try.

I love buffalo chicken. I make it right at home in my oven, and top the wings with a combo of butter and Frank’s Hot Sauce and it’s just as good as any version I’ve had anywhere else! However, I am not opposed to throwing together a quick version in my crock pot. These are on par with my favorite recipe that involves basting and broiling in the oven. Both methods are simple, but the crock allows me to fix it and forget it. You know you love that option as much as I do!

Love the fresh taste of bruschetta? Vine ripe tomatoes, marinated black olives and garlic are just some of the things found in the popular appetizer. If you do love it, you will easily fall for this pasta salad that tastes very similar! I love a fresh summer salad when it’s hot outside. I’ll happily eat it for a complete meal. I served this one up with French bread that I toasted in the toaster oven.