Fall is finally here...

and, to celebrate its arrival, I'm trying to squeeze in as much summer fun into these last few warm weeks.  Which partly accounts for why I've missed my CSA pickup for two weeks running...shameful shrug...alas, sometimes you just can't win them all.

So, as a result, instead of the Mustard-Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes I planned to make last night (doesn't that name and the warm, woodsy, spicy flavors it implies conjure up images of turned leaves and crisp air?), I turned on the grill and clung to my bottle of BBQ sauce, abandoning my fall roasting for one of the last turns at the grill I'll have this year.  Well, that's not entirely true, considering I will grill in all seasons, but when it isn't summer grilling just isn't the same.  (BTW, the recipe looked nice and meaty--nothing green in sight, Aunt L!!--but I couldn't find it to link to.  It was from Martha Stewart Living and was very simple--chicken thighs, whole carrots and halved red potatoes tossed with olive oil, rosemary, garlic and Dijon mustard; salted and peppered; and roasted on a single pan until all done.  Mmmm.....I'll have to come back to that.)

Thus, new cooking method decided, I was at a loss for how to round out the din-din.  I spied a aging head of broccoli in the back, and some getting-to-be overly ripe yellow pear tomatoes on the counter, and a recent fondness for better-made deli salads (1950s macaroni salad recipe coming soon!!) and I realized that it was all about Broccoli Salad today. MMMMMMM.  Sorry, it's green, but it has bacon in it, so that un-greens it a little.

I looked up a few recipes, realized how god-forsakenly simple they were, so I plowed ahead and made my own....after the jump!  Served with BBQ chicken and grilled tomato bread (lightly brush hearty bread slices with olive oil; grill, then rub a tomato quarter on one side to get all the seeds and juices all over it; salt & enjoy.  Sounds weird, and maybe it is, but tomato bread is common in Spain and just as delicious on this side of the pond).  Doesn't that all just taste like summer?   MMMM.

Sweet Summer Broccoli Salad

1 head broccoli, florets cut into bite-sized pieces and stems sliced
4-5 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts
1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/3 cup dried cranberries, roughly chopped (just run your knife through them)
3-4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
1/2 to 2/3 cup low-fat mayo
2 Tbsp white vinegar
2-3 Tbsp white sugar
S&P

In a large bowl, mix the broccoli, scallions, tomatoes, cranberries, and bacon.  In a small bowl, whisk mayo, vinegar and sugar until cohesive.  Dress salad to taste, but not to heavily--you probably will need to stir it a lot, as the florets try to hold on the the dressing.  S&P to taste and serve.