Anyone that knows me, knows I love to cook and entertain but on Mother's Day - I DO NOT COOK! So today DH is cooking burgers and dogs on the grill. Our adult kids, my folks, my sister, her DH, my 2 young nieces, and our grand doggy Brady will all come here for a spring cook out. My only contribution to the meal (other than cleaning the house, setting the table, getting the condiments ready etc etc) is one of my favorite salad's - a broccoli salad that my dear friend Chris brought to a gathering of nursery school gals I had here last year. Since then, I can not get enough of this recipe. I decided I must have it on Mother's Day and I would not make the low fat version either. I am always finding ways to make recipe's heart healthy while still being tasty, but this is one recipe that I have to have in it's original version. And because it is NO COOK, it's fits right in to my Mother's Day rule.4-5 cups broccoli florets
1 cup raisins (or 1 cup of dried cranberries at Christmas)
1 cup peanuts
1/2 cup chopped onion ( at this time of year it must be Vidalia!)
1 cup Hellman's mayonnaise - no substitutions!
2 tsp. cider vinegar and 2 tsp. sugar
In a small bowl, mix the mayo with the vinegar and sugar and toss with the rest of the ingredients. It is best when chilled for several hours or over night. Enjoy!
Everyone else is contributing to the meal as well and I made sure my mom and sister's contributions were NO COOK as well!
I often host the big family get-togethers and our table opens out to hold 12 of us if need be. But finding a tablecloth that size can prove to be costly. With a drooling dog, young kids and all of us crowded around the dining room table, I got tired of trying to get stains out of expensive tableclothes, yet I still wanted something as a back drop for my "table scapes." Despite the dog and kids, I still like my table to look nice. I finally hit upon a solution just for those big family gatherings. I bought a length of heavy duty fabric backed upholstery weight vinyl in a great taupe/tan color. I rounded the corners and because it is pliable it drapes nicely. And the color is just perfect under my Bennington Pottery and stoneware. It looks much nicer than a cheap plastic cloth yet is still very practical and clean up is a breeze! And my nice tableclothes are ready to use for the adult or smaller gatherings.
Time for me to set that table, but before I leave, I want to wish all those mothers that are reading this a very Happy Mother's Day.
Until next time - hugs, Linda
