BROCCOLI SALAD: The Perfect Side Dish for Your Backyard BBQ/Made with Bacon, Apples, & Almonds

Hi everyone, I'm Marci and if you've been invited to a cookout and need to take a side dish, I've got the perfect one for you. It's a classic broccoli salad that goes great with everything and is a hit every time. I don't know about you, but whenever I'm invited to a cookout and I'm told, oh there's no need to bring anything, I always feel like I can't show up empty-handed and a good side dish like this broccoli salad is always welcomed. Here's what you're going to need, about five to six cups of broccoli florets. Now typically that's about two heads of broccoli, but these are kind of on the smallish side, so I'm going with three of them today. You're also going to need one third of a cup chopped red onion, one chopped red apple, I'm going with a Fuji. You'll need three fourths of a cup dried cranberries or raisins, it's your choice. Half a cup of nuts, this could be whichever kind you like. I'm going with sliced almonds, but you can use pecans or sunflower seeds. You'll also need six slices of cooked bacon, you want it nice and crispy. And then this is optional, but cheese is also really good in this. A nice sharp cheddar or gouda, and we're probably going to be putting about one cup. And then for the dressing, you'll need half a cup of mayonnaise, half a cup of sour cream, three tablespoons apple cider vinegar, one eighth of a cup of granulated sugar, one fourth of a teaspoon salt, and one fourth of a teaspoon garlic powder. Now before we get started, let me just say that my husband isn't here today, I'm shooting this by myself, so it's definitely not up to the standard that you're probably used to seeing, but I'm going to do my best here. All right, now let's get started. I'm first going to chop up the broccoli into bite-sized florets and place them into a large bowl. To it, I'll add the chopped red onion, the chopped apple, the dried cranberries, and the almond slivers. I'll then chop up the cooked bacon and add it to the bowl as well. Next, I'll shred the sharp cheddar cheese, and once I've measured out a cup, I'll add it to the bowl as well. And this is starting to look like a colorful mountain of goodness. Now in a separate bowl, I'll mix together the mayonnaise, the sour cream, the apple cider vinegar, the sugar, the salt, and the garlic powder. I'll just whisk it all together until I've got a nice smooth consistency. Then I pour this dressing over the broccoli salad using a rubber spatula to get every last drop in there. Then mix until everything is well coated. Finally, cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. After the salad has chilled in the refrigerator for about an hour, all the flavors are locked in and it's ready to serve. And I, of course, am ready to eat. Let's give this a taste. You can hear the crunch, can't you? This really is the perfect summer side dish because on a hot day, you really want something cold, and this is just fresh and crunchy and sweet. Really delicious and a great way to get some veggies in you. I think you're gonna love it. Thanks so much for checking out this video. If you liked it, be sure to give it a thumbs up and subscribe if you haven't already. You can also follow me at Marci Inspired on Instagram and Facebook. Until next time, blessings from my kitchen to yours.