Brussels Sprouts are now one of my favorite vegetables. It didn't used to be that way. When I was a kid they were angry little cabbages to be avoided at all costs. Blechh.

But a couple of years ago I discovered roasted brussels sprouts. It was love at first bite! Yum!!

And apparently some other people feel the same was as when I went to buy the sprouts two stores were sold out! Luckily the third store had plenty and were selling them on the stalk, which is a cool way to buy sprouts.

Up until now I would have told you roasted brussels sprouts were the only way to go. That is until I tried Golden Crusted Brussels Sprouts from the 101 cookbooks blog. Oh my these are faster and easier than roasting with pretty much the same effect. I could eat these every day!

Try them. If this doesn't turn a hater into a lover then nothing will.

Recipe HERE


My second recipe is for special occasions.

Cauliflower and Brussels Sprout Gratin with Pine Nut-Breadcrumb Topping. We were digging into this long after dinner. I even had leftovers for breakfast. It's a no brainer that it would be a hit. Only a freak wouldn't love vegetables drenched in cheese and heavy cream?

I'm glad I read reviews before making this. Do NOT blanch the veggies before cooking as they will turn out mushy. Mine were still crisp. Perfectly cooked. Also those who attempted to bypass the heavy cream ended up with soup and admitted they should have used the cream. So don't lighten it up.

Recipe HERE


Also if you're seeing weird font sizes I'm sorry. I have no idea why my blog is acting up.

I recently read a novel called Pomegranate Soup by Marsha Mehran about three Persian sisters who relocated to Ireland after the Revolution, opened a cafe and entranced the locals with their exotic cuisine. Think Chocolat or Like Water for Chocolate. The novel contains the recipes mentioned in the book.

Anyway I never thought of using pomegranate in a savory dish and this recipe caught my eye. and a Google search turned up many other variations.

I settled on the recipe from the book because I had most of the ingredients on hand. I liked the soup but didn't swoon over it like the characters in the book. It had a nice sour savory-ness and was quite "herby" but the lamb really needed to be seasoned.

I also considered THIS recipe and I think it's the one I should have made. And probaly will make in the near future.

Pomegranate Soup
Marsha Mehran

2 onions chopped
2 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup yellow split peas rinsed
3/4 cup rice
6 cups water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp tumeric
2 cups parsley, chopped
2 cups cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup mint, chopped
1 cup scallions, chopped
1 lb ground lamb
2 cups pomegranate juice
1 tbs sugar
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs angelica powder(I din't have any wand wasn't in the mood to track it down and the recipe said "optional")

In a large stockpot saute the onion in the olive oil until golden. Add peas, rice, water, salt, pepper, tumeric and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered 30 minutes. Add parsley, cilantro, mint and scallions and simmer 15 minutes. Meanwhile roll lamb into medium meatballs. Add meatballs and remaining ingredients to the pot and simmer, covered for 45 minutes.

Another winner courtesy of the November 2008 Gourmet!

This made the house smell sooo good! And it was so effortless, next time I can make it in my sleep. I made it as is except I used canned diced tomatoes instead of whole.

I think I'll put the leftovers over some whole wheat pasta.

Recipe HERE

My apologies for my long absence. I've been revisting my favorite recipes on this blog to see if they're still as good. Yep they are! Eventually I'll have them all on a "greatest hits" tag.

And I'm going to start that tag with this recipe from the November 2008 issue of Gourmet. This only takes about 30 minutes and the payoff is huge!! Although it is easy to burn yourself so watch out. I got some hot balsamic splatter on my face when the sauce went "pop". And remember your potholders!! They weren't kidding when they said the chicken would be moist. I'm not a big fan of chicken breasts because they're often dry.

I served it with a crash hot potato and roasted brussels sprouts. I did drizzle the sauce on the sprouts as well as the chicken. And no I did not eat that monster by myself. Once the picture was done I cut it in half.

The recipe for the chicken is HERE and the much adored crash hot potatoes recipe is HERE.