Food is a powerful connection to our own personal culture and tradition. We prepare food the way our parents did or because a certain dish was family tradition. And when new families begin, those traditions merge and morph into new ones.

All this to explain that I come from a tradition of vinagrette-based salads, while the farmer comes from the mayonnaise line. Oddly a jar of mayonnaise will last months in our fridge – there are very few things we use it with (never on sandwiches), but on those occasions, nothing else will do.

While this week’s broccoli salad falls squarely on TJ’s side of tradition, the addition of bacon brings me across the line. The sunflower seeds and raisins lend a nutritious flair, to balance out the decadent fats. We make it only a couple of times a year, when broccoli is fresh in the garden. We make a big batch for our annual music festival getaway. It keeps well in the cooler, and is an easy luxury to unpack and enjoy. Props to Tricia Yearwood and her Broccoli Salad.