A classic spaghetti salad, dressed with Italian dressing and dried herbs and tossed with stuffed green olives, pitted medium black olives, marinated artichoke hearts, fresh broccoli florets, grape tomatoes and cucumber.

Cold Spaghetti Salad with Shrimp

Maybe the original "pasta" salad, spaghetti salad has been around for a long time.

Starting pretty basic in its beginnings, the base recipe was just good ole Italian dressing or a simple blend of olive oil and vinegar, poured over a bed of cooked spaghetti noodles, tossed with fresh tomatoes and chilled.

Of course, as always, people have added their own touches to even that salad over the years.

Rotini pasta, tossed with a mix of vegetables - broccoli, red onion, sweet bell pepper, carrots and tomatoes here - mixed with a seasoning blend and dressed with a quality homemade or commercial Italian or Ranch dressing.

Supreme Pasta Salad

Whew y'all! It's been super-hot and humid here along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and we're heading into a couple of 100+ degree actual temperatures here the next few days. No telling what the "feels like" temp will be with the humidity factored in. Wow.

Many of you have been in a similar heat wave that we have down here, and it sure feels like it will never end, even though summer actually only "officially" started this week! Yeah, okay...

We all seem to be suffering with this heat.

A quick skillet meal, made from andouille sausage, broccoli, leftover, cooked veggies, bow tie pasta, and a touch of sour cream added at the end for creaminess.

Creamy Andouille and Pasta Skillet

Don't you just love a good, quick skillet meal? This one I especially love because it's so versatile. In this instance, I just used some good andouille sausage, making it super easy because it's something that I always have on hand, and smoked sausage thaws pretty quick, making it an easy last minute meal. It's delicious with both chicken breast and shrimp also.

Broccoli, lightly steamed in water and olive oil with garlic and red pepper flakes. Toss with a bit of cooked penne or rigatoni for a nice light meal and finish with a sprinkle with freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Dr. Weil's Steamed Broccoli

I love fresh broccoli, and the less you mess with it the better, far as I'm concerned, well... unless we're talking about batter-dipped and fried, which is an occasional, fun appetizer, not a side dish, y'all.

A casserole made with fresh broccoli and cauliflower, in a simple butter roux-based white sauce made with The Trinity, a little cheese in the base, and topped off with those buttery crackers we all love so much... and a little more cheese.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole

I believe that there are far more people who love broccoli and cauliflower than who don't, although those who don't are certainly more vocal about their dislike of one, or the other, or both. Okay by me, because they don't know what they're missing if you ask me, and that means more for those of us who love them.

 

Broccoli and cauliflower combined with chopped cabbage, carrot, bell pepper and red onion, tossed with a mayonnaise and vinegar dressing to make a fresh coleslaw that will last for days, making it a perfect refrigerator salad to have on hand.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Refrigerator Salad

Whew! It is hotter than hot here in the Deep South y'all. I'm still cooking... of course, we gotta eat no matter the heat, right?

And yes, like most Southerners, I really don't have a season for the occasional treat of any of our Southern Classic recipes, even during the heat of the summer, though I do tend to lean more toward simple food on the outside grill, sandwiches and a lot of veggies and salads - in case you hadn't noticed from my summer postings this year.

 

Layered with iceberg lettuce, cauliflower, broccoli, red onion, bacon and Parmesan cheese, and dressed with a vinegar and mayonnaise, mustard dressing. Shown here with my Southern Style Green Beans and Ground Beef Mac and Cheese casserole.

Next Day Salad

I seem to be on a roll here with salads! Well, it is that time of the year I suppose and I sure hope that you can bear one more, because it's a good one.

We have a family owned market (now catering and buffet restaurant) here on the Coast called Broome's Grocery. They've always been a favorite store for locals - I can remember when they were one of the very few stores to open shortly after Hurricane Katrina.

There wasn't any electricity, but they opened to sell bread and snacks and whatever non-perishables they had left on the shelf. We were all standing in the line, hot, sweaty, wore out and frankly, a little dirty from the cleanup process, none of us having water to bathe for days already, but so grateful to be able to pick up a few familiar things to eat after those first days.

I tell you what... you don't know how much you miss having running water and electricity until you don't have it anymore.

A well loved salad in the South, made from fresh broccoli and cauliflower, sweet green bell pepper, red onion, celery, and a sweet and sour dressing, with just a touch of Deep South flair.

Broccoli and Cauliflower Salad

I love this salad. I don't even mind the rawness of the broccoli that usually bothers me with broccoli salad, I guess because its offset by the addition of cauliflower. My anti-veggie hubby won't eat this his salad of course, but it keeps great for days in the fridge, so I make it up and eat on it all week where it just keeps getting better.

Old Fashioned Broccoli Salad with Bacon and Pecans

Old fashioned broccoli salad, made with red onion, celery, carrots, raisins, nuts and bacon, and a mayonnaise, vinegar and sugar dressing. Serve as is, over spoon over leaves of romaine lettuce.

Old Fashioned Broccoli Salad

This poor ole broccoli salad has been languishing around for me to showcase it on the blog forever. Very patience little green veggie. Truth is, while The Cajun won't even give it a fair run, broccoli is one of my favorite veggies. I love to eat it most just simply steamed to be honest, though I've been known to fry it on occasion too. What can I say?

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad

Crunchy Ramen Noodle Salad - A refreshing salad made with cabbage or broccoli slaw and crunchy oven toasted ramen noodles, bathed in a vinegar and oil marinade long enough to soften the veggies and noodles, but still leave a nice bite. Add in leftover beef, chicken, pork or shrimp to match the flavor packets and you have a great main dish salad!

Ramen Noodle Salad

Poor ole ramen noodles - they get a bad rap, because like most pre-packaged products, they tend to have high levels of sodium and flavor enhancements like MSG, but... how many of you will confess to having at least a couple of packets of them hanging around in your pantry right now?

I'll be the first because I pretty much always have a couple of packets in my pantry. They are a quick and easy meal that still rates better nutritionally than a pass through the fast food burger or chicken joint. So yes, while of course I don't eat them everyday, I do enjoy them guilt-free on occasion.

Broccoli florets dipped in batter and tossed in seasoned flour, then quickly deep fried - a crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside appetizer.

Deep Fried Broccoli

Okay. I'll be the first one to tell you to eat your broccoli steamed, and tossed with a bit of minced garlic, maybe some red pepper flakes, little sea salt and a pat of pure butter.

It's my favorite way to eat it.

Broccoli is a power house veggie that is loaded with good stuff.

A well loved casserole of broccoli, rice and cheese, uses canned cheddar cheese soup and cream of mushroom for the sauce and is topped with your favorite shredded cheese.

Broccoli and Rice Casserole with Cheese

Broccoli casseroles, whether alone with cheese, with chicken, or like here with rice and cheese, have been a favorite casserole for potlucks, church suppers, family gatherings and especially holidays for as long as I can remember. Many people like to include Cheez Whiz in their broccoli and rice casserole and certainly you can use that, or even our southern favorite Velveeta as well, but I like to use the canned cheddar cheese soup from Campbell's. It's a pantry staple in my house and is an easy addition. Feel free to sub either of those ingredients if you prefer, or simply increase the amount of shredded cheddar to 2 cups, dividing it as noted in the recipe.

A classic casserole, chicken is paired up with broccoli, rice, cream soup and cheese.

Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole

I finally got my recipe for broccoli and rice casserole up after a recent reader request, though it's pretty common with most other broccoli and rice recipes out in the world - cooked rice, cooked broccoli, cream of something soup and a few seasonings, all mixed together, turned out into a baking dish, sprinkled with cheese or a crumb topping and baked.

Cream of Broccoli Soup with Cheese

An easy, creamy, cheesy, chicken broth based broccoli soup that gives star attention to the broccoli.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

A reader asked on Twitter if I had a broccoli soup recipe, and while I had not put one up on the blog yet, I tweeted the basics to them, hoping I didn't forget anything. (I did. I forgot the garlic!)

Then, well, all I could think of the rest of the day was broccoli soup - so of course I had to make some!

A classic holiday casserole made with broccoli and cheese, and a few bonus veggies, topped with buttery crackers.

Broccoli and Cheese Casserole

Ahhhh.... broccoli and cheese casserole! Another one of those dishes that for us lovers of broccoli, is expected to grace the tables of several major holidays and usually does.

Lots of ways to make this - one of the most classic and well known versions back in the day, involved a little roll of garlic cheese. And then suddenly, without any warning whatsoever, Kraft just discontinued the garlic cheese roll, without even giving an acceptable substitute! I really don't understand why they don't bring it back. Folks would be thrilled!