Greetings World!
Sorry I didn't update last night. The night just got away from me.
I made a fabulous dinner last night. I cooked some big, meaty chicken breasts up in a pan, with just a little olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper. While they cooked, I cooked up some sliced onions, bell peppers, and mushrooms in another skillet with just a bit of garlic butter. While they cooked, I also boiled up a mess of brussel sprouts. Along with all that, we had baked potatoes and some fresh honey wheat bread from the bakery - yum!
For those of you to hate brussel sprouts, but are curious and open minded enough to give them another try - I really recommend that you do. It helps if you have someone in your life that loves them - so you have someone to give them to if these are a fail, too. But depending on what you don't like about brussel sprouts, they really can be worth a second look.
I speak from experience. I hated those things my whole life, with a hatred that can not be accurately expressed. They were the bane of my existence in childhood and I have systematically avoided them since then, except for a very few occasions when some brussel sprout lover in my life INSISTED, "oh...you just haven't had them cooked right. You'll love mine!", to which I would sigh and agree to take one bite and invariably assure them that nope - my hatred for brussel sprouts was still firmly intact, thank you very much.
Then I went and married me a brussel sprouts lover. And while he never made much comment about it, after a year or so I started to feel really bad that because I hated them, he never got any of them with his dinner. So, I set out to look online for cooking instructions, bought a bag of fresh brussel sprouts, and did exactly as instructed.
They actually looked good to me - fresh and deep green and better than I'd ever seen them look. Could there be that much difference between the fresh ones and the frozen ones I'd always seen other people making?
Yes. Yes there could.
I decided to try one and OMG - that was the moment that I became a lover of brussel sprouts. Everything shifted with that one little bite.
So...here's what you do if you want to try them again:
Buy fresh brussel sprouts. Like, seriously...don't even bother with those frozen things. YUCK.
Fill a pan with water (figuring out approximately how much water and what sized pan is up to you - you want the water to NOT overflow after you dump your brussel sprouts into it. You want the water covering them (although they float) and not running over the sides.)
Heat that water on the stove and while it heats to boiling, attend to your brussel sprouts.
Take your fresh brussel sprouts and cut off the little brown stem at the bottom and then clean off any loose leaves left behind. Smell one and take note how fresh and green and wonderful it smells. Put it in a bowl. I like to use a bowl that approximates my pan size, just to keep myself from going overboard with the brussel sprouts.
Repeat until you have cut and cleaned up all the brussel sprouts you want to cook and then take them over to the sink to give them a good rinsing (always a good practice).
Once your water is boiling (or close to it - and it should be by now) you can put your brussel sprouts in it. I like to use a slotted spoon to gently lower them in. I HATE when hot water splashes on me.
Let them cook at that sort of slow boiling state for a while. 20 to 30 minutes is good. They will become more vibrantly green and pretty and they will be tender, but not mushy, when they are properly cooked.
Feast. I like to sprinkle Butter Buds on mine but really - whatever works for you.
Not much else to say for now - sorry about that. I did stay within my calories yesterday and so far today, too. I'm enjoying the hell out of eating better and cooking more and will share more recipes soon. Right now, I'm mostly focused on getting into the practice of writing in here every day, but I have thoughts and plans for this place and will add more as I can.
I'm sure you'll hear from me later today. For now...
Blessings!
Witchymom
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