Broccoli, broccoli, broccoli; how do you get folks to eat it? You can cook it and smother it with butter and/or cheese, but that still may not make it winsome enough for some of your more picky eaters. 

Summer is a great time to take this fresh vegetable and turn it into a tasty salad featuring broccoli and a lot of its closest friends playing important parts, such as the extra and exciting flavor parts. Serving broccoli like this makes it a winner to many previous broccoli detractors.

Below are two broccoli salad recipes that I think will be a hit with your family and friends. The first recipe is courtesy of Monique Vinski of nearby Johns Creek. The second is from me and can be found, with a bunch of other good recipes, in my cookbook Have You Considered Cooking? Go to my Web site www.carolgfrey.com for details. 

Broccoli Salad
ingredients:

• 1 cup of mayonnaise (I’m a Dukes mayo fan.)
• ⅓ cup of sugar
• 3 Tb cider vinegar
• 2 large bunches of broccoli florets
• ⅓ cup of finally chopped sweet onion
• ¼ cup of raisins
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts
• 10 strips of bacon cooked until crisp 

prep:

Crumble cooked bacon and set aside.

Combine mayo, sugar, vinegar in a small bowl and set aside.

Use food processor to finely chop broccoli then combine onion, raisins, walnuts & bacon in a large bowl.

Add dressing and toss lightly.

Garnish with parsley if desired, and if you have parsley.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Marinated Broccoli Salad
ingredients:

• 2 cups broccoli flowerettes
• 1 medium onion, sliced and pulled apart into those natural little strips 
• 1 bell peppers, green, red or yellow, seeded and sliced thinly
• 1-2 cups thickly sliced mushrooms

marinade:

• 1-2 cups of any Italian or vinaigrette salad dressing to which you may add nothing, or any of the following:
• 1 tsp dillweed (optional)
• ½ tsp fresh rosemary(optional)
• ½ tsp fresh ground pepper (optional)
• 1 tsp fresh chopped parsley (optional)

prep:

In a large bowl or zipper bag combine the vegetables and the marinade.

Cover and chill for 4 hours or longer - much longer even, like overnight. 

Editor's Note: Carol Frey is the author of two humorous cookbooks, "Have You Considered Cooking?" and "The Grits Shall Rise Again!"