I love this recipe. It is a warm recipe rather than a cold one. I'd say it's appropriate for the weather.
I used balsamic vinaigrette instead of vinegar. It has a milder flavor with lots of pizzazz!

Savory Broccoli Salad

 

Salt

1 medium head broccoli (about 3 cups florets)

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tblsp vinegar (any kind; cider is good)

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup salted, toasted sunflower seeds

1 thin slice red onion

 

Fill a 3-quart saucepan with about 3 inches of water. Salt the water and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, cutt the broccoli head into florets. If desired, peel the stem and cut it into small chunks.   When water boils, add broccoli. Cover the pan for 1 minute, then remove the cover and cook broccoli 4 to 5 minutes more. Timing depends on how big the florets are, but the broccoli should be tender and bright green. Drain well. As the broccoli cooks, put mayonnaise and vinegar in a large bowl. Stir. Add drained broccoli and raisins. Add half the sunflower seeds and toss briefly. Mince the red onion. Sprinkle red onion and remaining sunflower seeds over the broccoli before serving. Serves 4.

enjoy!

I've been (obviously!) researching how to go about making an ocarina for myself (especially since there seem to be a dearth of them where I live). There is a company who makes very good concert ocarinas--which is good news for one Harry Potter fanfic I have.

But ocarinas are made out of many things, I've found out. Of course, there are the cheap plastic ones, and the ones made out of clay. I had one made out of terra cotta once, in the shape of a manatee. But it seems you can make an ocarina from anything that is stiff enough to produce a whistle. Thus any vegetation that has cellulose and lignin in it. (Lignin is what makes cellulose stand stiff, like a tree, or broccoli.)

So one site I looked at showed many materials an ocarina is made out of, including aluminum and polycarbonate. And one from broccoli.

Yes, an ocarina from broccoli. What's nice is that it is in tune!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GabHGlGm14


Take that, George Bush Sr.!