Brussel Sprouts

Growing up, I was an extremely picky eater.

One very embarrassing story that my mother loved to tell.... The summer after I completed the fourth grade, my parents, sister, and I took a road trip across the country to San Francisco. It was a wonderful trip, parts of which I still remember quite vividly. I forget how many days we were in San Francisco, but on one of the afternoons, we went to a nice restaurant along Fisherman's Wharf. Seafood galore, and a menu that I would drool over if I were there today. The problem was, I was a picky 10-year-old and I wanted no part of anything on the menu. My eyes started to swell up in frustration and I probably said a few inappropriate words. My parents did not simply order something and make me eat it. Instead, I got scrambled eggs!

I would say I ate safe for the first 20+ years of my life. Then I moved to Vancouver, BC to pursue my PhD. In Vancouver, there was a lot of variety and foods from all cultures. I cannot say that I went out of my way to try them all, after all, I had a limited budget. I did, however, had roommates who liked to cooked and would often share. They would often make foods that were foreign to me. But who was I to pass up free food even if I had never heard of it, seen it, or smelled it before? How did I know that I did not like it? I didn't. So I tried most of it and, you know what, I liked most of it!

Which brings me to brussel sprouts. A couple winters ago, Jody and I struggled to find new fresh vegetables to eat for dinner. As much as we like asparagus and broccoli, we needed something different and, preferably, something not out of a bag or can. On a whim, we decided to give brussel sprouts a try. I vaguely recall not liking them when I was a kid, but I was willing to give them a shot, some twenty years later. You know what? We cannot get enough of them! We do not eat them raw, instead, we dress and roast them...

What you need:

• 1/2 lb of fresh brussel sprouts
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• Herbs & spices (we typically use Italian Seasoning, Garlic powder, Red Pepper Flakes and/or Smoked Paprika)

What you do:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees
• Cut each sprout in half length wise
• Put them in a mixing bowl (some of the leaves will shed, but that's no big deal)
• Apply a liberal amount of oil (I like to add a lot more than Jody) 
• Add your herbs and spices (I just shake until it feels right)
• Mix up everything
• Spread the brussel sprouts out on a cooking sheet (we've also cooked them in a cast iron skillet on the stove, but baking them 
• Cook for 30 minutes at 400 degrees (time will vary based on the size of the sprouts)
• Check the sprouts at 15 minutes and shuffle them around

Once out of the oven, they should be nice and brown, but still have a little green to them. Enjoy!