yummy broccoli salad

we are having a "house warming/open house" party this saturday. the weather looks like it will behave, so it's a go!
besides the usual outdoors food, like the 18 pounds of ribs i bought yesterday, and the burgers and dogs for the kids, i am going to make what has to be my favorite salad of all time. i got this recipe from one of my wife's friends, and it has become a staple for parties and get togethers. thanks helen, i probably would have never known about this if it hadn't been for you!

Broccoli salad

ingredients

• 2 heads broccoli, coarsely chopped
• 1 head cauliflower, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, diced
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds (no, not in the shell! now wouldn't THAT be a good source of fiber....)
• 1/2 cup bacon bits, cooked and drained
• 1/2 cup white raisins, plumped...more on this later

dressing:

• 1 cup mayo
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 tbs vinegar (i use white wine vinegar, but i don't think it really matters

how:
cook bacon crisp, drain well. dice bacon into "bacon bits" sized pieces. or you can buy ready made "real bacon bits". don't, no way, no how, use fake bacon bits. bleah.
plumping the raisins: you can do this in a couple of hours by covering the raisins with cold water and setting aside for a while. i prefer using white wine, when there is any left in the fridge, when making this for an adult audience. it really gives the salad a completely different taste. damned good too. but for the general audience where kids might be around, or there are those that prefer not to ingest alcohol ( i know there are at least a couple of folks like that out there!), cold water does the trick.
combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. whisk the dressing ingredients together, pour over the salad, and toss thoroughly. chill and serve, and wait for the compliments.

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