Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage Before Cooking

I hate going out on New Years, I always have. When I was younger I normally went to bed far before midnight and on the rare occasion I did stay awake I shied away from parties. It doesn't help that I am not a fan of champagne, it is too dry for my tastes. This year I will probably stay up with my husband watching movies. I like to keep things low key. On New Year's day I will make cabbage soup for good luck and that's it. Nothing fancy, no parties, just my family and a good meal. That's my idea of a great New Year's, simple and no-fuss.

For Christmas Eve I made a number of dishes. My kids and I love Brussels sprouts and I make them every year. This year I tried a new recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage from the December 2013 issue of Eating Well magazine.

Spring Hill Cemetery Huntington, WV

This recipe has 7 ingredients. It takes 35 minutes of total time, 15 minutes of which is active and makes 8 servings. I followed this recipe pretty close to the original. I used 3 ounce of pancetta since that is the size package I purchased at the grocery store. After 20 minutes the Brussels sprouts were still too crispy, so I allowed them to roast for another 15 minutes.

Ohio River 

My kids really loved this recipe. They are big Brussels sprouts fans and this recipe was no exception. The pancetta added a nice flavor to the vegetables and the sage was a perfect herb to go with the Brussels sprouts. With a 130 percent of the daily value of vitamin C per serving this recipe was a nice way to get a healthier side onto my Christmas Eve day meal.

For the recipe go to Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta and Sage.

Recipe for Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms

Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Mushrooms with Ramps

My two boys love Brussels sprouts. At the grocery store this morning my oldest spotted Brussels sprouts on sale and got very excited. He then commenced to beg me to buy some for dinner. Of course I said yes, who doesn't love a child that begs for vegetables. Growing up my mother only knew how to make Brussels sprouts one way, boiled. While my mother was lucky in that I loved
Brussels sprouts regardless, all my friends hated the vegetable. After getting married I tried a recipe for roasted Brussels sprouts and my husband and I fell in love with the cooking method. Now I make roasted Brussels sprouts a lot in the spring and my whole family loves them. Tonight I made roasted Brussels sprouts and mushrooms, here is the recipe.

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, ends cut off and cut in half lengthwise
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2-3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 8 oz button mushrooms (or the mushroom of your choice)
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• If desired you can squeeze fresh lemon juice over the roasted veggies before serving

 Toss all ingredients together in a bowl. I added 3 diced young ramps for flavor, shallots would also work (however, this isn't a necessary step). Place on a baking sheet and roast in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 20-30 minutes. Toss the vegetables every 10 minutes to prevent burning. If you want a bit of extra flavor you can add cooked crumbled bacon over the vegetables before serving.

That's it. Roasting vegetables is a great way to get kids to eat vegetables and my whole family loves it. It also works well with asparagus or green beans.

Thanksgiving Recipes - Crustless Pumpkin Pie, Gluten Free Cushaw Pie and Individual Mashed Sweet Potato Casseroles

I love cooking for the holidays. Growing-up our house was always busy during the holidays with my mother cooking, cleaning and hosting. I never really understood how big my mother's family was until I went to other people's houses. My mother was the oldest of 12 kids and I have so many cousins that I would have to sit down and count it out to figure out the exact number. Needless to say, our house was always busy and even though I was technically an only child that was more in theory that actual practice. Every weekend there was either family at our house or we were visiting someone. Growing-up this led to a lot of jealousy on my part. I never really understood why I had to share my mother with so many other people. Now that my mother is gone and I have gotten a lot older I realize that some of my best memories involved growing-up in the constant chaos of a very large extended family. There was never a question of what to do, just who to do it with. You were never alone, which now that I have a family of my own and live far away from home I miss more than I would ever think possible growing-up. Baking and cooking is one way that I keep the spirit of my mother alive and well with my own family and this Thanksgiving I tried new recipes, mixed in with recipes I make every year. Here is a break-down of how Thanksgiving at my house looked.

I hate turkey. I know that sounds horrible, but I think I may be one of the few Americans alive that hates turkey. I have tried to grow to love the poultry over the years, but I just can't do it. It's doesn't help that the leftovers last for days and I have never been a fan of turkey pot pie (I know I seem to not like any quintessiantal American food). So this year I decided to go outside the box. I made individual cornish game hens and my kids absolutely loved them! Here is a pic of the finished product:


The game hens went over very well and my youngest child ate a whole game hen all by himself. Plus the leftovers made for two great pots of homemade stock the next day.

For side dishes I made garlic buttermilk mashed potatoes, seen here:


And Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples (link to recipe in text).


And last minute I had extra sweet potato puree so I made individual sweet potato casseroles:


I modified a recipe found here. I added extra marshmallows since my kids love them and slightly reduced the amount of orange juice to approximately 1 tablespoon.

For dessert I made two pies the day before Thanksgiving. I was kind enough to be given over 20 pounds of sweet potatoes and cushaw squash from a friend of my husbands. Thanks to this generosity I was able to make two pies and a side dish without spending any money, which I love! For the first pie I made crust-less pumpkin pie. I can no longer eat gluten so this was an easy way to make the pie gluten free. I followed this recipe and here is the photo:


I did let the pie cook longer than the suggestion, I would say closer to an hour. Part of the longer cooking time was due to the fact that I made one deep dish pie and a series of mini pies in small souffle pans.

The second pie I made was a gluten free cushaw pie. I combined two recipes to make this pie. The first recipe was for a gluten free pie crust. Here is the link. Be very careful when working with this crust. It takes time in the freezer to fully set, do not try to over knead it or it will be tough. Additionally, make sure to follow the directions where the crust is set between two pieces of parchment this is an important step and the only way that you will be able to move your crust from the counter to the pan. For the actual pie filling I followed this recipe.

That was my Thanksgiving. I was happy that all my recipes and dishes turned out delicious and I was surrounded by my family. I hope all my readers had a great Thanksgiving! 

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, Shallots and Parmesan

Growing-up the holidays were always a big deal. My mother was the oldest of 12 kids and family members were always in and out of our house. The holidays put everything into over-drive. My mother would cook and clean for weeks before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her lists actually had sub-lists; I'm not kidding, the big lists had baby lists. The holidays were also the time that I really learned to cook. With so many dishes coming in and out of the kitchen I quickly learned to tell if something needed more spice by tasting not following a recipe exactly. There were also certain recipes that were always made every year. When I moved to West Virginia I followed on these traditions with my kids. I change up my menu every year, but there are a few dishes which are staples. One of my husband favorite holiday recipe is for Sauteed Brussels Sprouts, here is the recipe:

1 1/2 lb Brussels Sprouts, trimmed
4 bacon slices
1 braeburn apple, peeled and diced
2 tb minced shallots
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup low sodium chicken broth
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup shaved Parmesan cheese

Cut Brussels sprouts in half, and cut into shreds. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon and drain. Reserve 3 tablespoons of bacon fat in skillet. Crumble bacon. Saute apples, shallots, and garlic in hot drippings over medium-high 3 minutes. Stir in wine and next 3 ingredients, stirring to loosen from bottom of skillet. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add Brussels sprouts, saute 8-10 minutes or until sprouts are crisp tender. Top with shaved Parmesan cheese and crumbled bacon. 

I make this recipe every Thanksgiving and even my father-in-law who hates Brussels sprouts loves it. Since I love Brussels sprouts so much I could eat them any way imaginable, but this is my favorite recipe, it really is delicious. Enjoy!

Orecchiette with Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I have a confession to make, I love Brussels Sprouts. I know to most people they are on the bottom of their list of delicious vegetables, but that is in great part due to over cooking and bad recipes. Growing up I was always the only kid that would take seconds on the buttered Brussels sprouts that my mother made, they were yummy! I was fine when everyone else turned up their noses at my beloved vegetable, it just made more for me to enjoy. When my two sons were old enough for solid foods I was pretty sure that they would follow the suit of most kids and absolutely hate Brussels sprouts. So I didn't make a fuss, tossed some Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted them in the oven. Much to my surprise my kids loved them! I have also been able to convince both my husband and father-in-law that Brussels sprouts can be part of a great meal when roasted and tossed with pasta. Roasting makes all the difference in the world, if you haven't tried preparing your vegetables this way, you really should. Given my love of roasted Brussels sprouts I was interested when the February/March issue of Taste of Home magazine had a recipe for Orecchiette with Roasted Brussels Sprouts, which sounded perfect for my family.

This recipe has 12 ingredients. It takes 45 minutes of prep and 10 minutes of cooking and makes 6 servings. I had no problems finding any of these ingredients at my local grocery store. I did chose to leave out the minced fresh parsley, my two boys aren't fans. Instead of white wine I used the dry sherry I already had in my fridge. The recipe doesn't specify whether to use salted or unsalted butter, but I almost always use unsalted, which is what I used in this recipe. The recipe calls for 3 3/4 cups of pasta, instead I used the full pound of pasta which I had purchased. Most important for success with this recipe is to make sure to turn the Brussels sprouts often to promote even roasting. It really does make a difference! I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I served this recipe when my in-laws were in town. I wasn't sure if my father-in-law would eat this dish since he pretty much hates Brussels sprouts. Luckily he ate the recipes without complaints (yay!). I loved the taste of the roasted Brussels sprouts, they were delicious! The leftovers heated up well the next day and this recipe made more than enough for a dinner for 6 people plus leftovers the next day. Overall, a very easy pasta recipe full of vegetables.

For the recipe go to Orecchiette with Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Food and Wine Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Avocado

 

 I absolutely love Brussels sprouts. Unlike most kids growing up I would make a beeline for the Brussels sprouts during the holidays. They are delicious! When I first got married to my husband his idea of a vegetable was the topping on his pizza at the student center. Over the years I have slowly reformed him to thinking that vegetables are a normal side at dinner time. My two boys have taken after me and love most any vegetable I put in front of them. Brussels sprouts have become a family favorite and I was interested when the December issue of Food and Wine Magazine had a recipe for Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Avocados, which looked delicious and different than other recipes I have tried. 

This recipe has 8 ingredients. It takes approximately 40 total minutes, with 20 minutes being active, and makes 8 servings. All the ingredients were easy to find at my local grocery store and I made no substitutions. Instead of toasting my pecans in the oven, I used the stove-top. I find it easier to use this method when making small amounts of roasted nuts and it saves my oven for the main dish I am preparing. Additionally, I only prepared a pound of Brussels sprouts since that is the size package that I am able to find locally (I would love to be able to find them bulk). Since I had a smaller amount of sprouts I only used one baking sheet, instead of the two suggested by the recipe. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written. 

Roasted Brussels sprouts are always popular in my house and this recipe was no exception. The pecans created a nice texture to the Brussels sprouts and the avocado a delicious flavor combination. This recipe makes a large number of servings and re-heated well for an additional meal the next day. My husband loved the taste from the fresh thyme and balsamic vinegar, which gave the sprouts a nice sweet taste. Overall, a great and unusual roasted Brussels sprouts recipe. 

For the link go to Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Pecans and Avocado.

Food and Wine Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts

Pasta makes frequent appearances in my menu plans. Normally every week I make at least one pasta dish, sometimes more. There are many reasons why pasta is one of my favorite foods, but the two biggest are that my kids will eat it, and it re-heats well for lunches. With me staying at home and my family of four living on one income it is essential that the meals that I prepare make multiple meals, and don't cost a fortune to make. If you read this blog regularly, you would have noticed that up until about three months ago I wrote reviews on recipes from Food and Wine magazine and then suddenly they stopped. The short story is that I completely forgot to renew my subscription and only remembered last month. That's what happens when you have  a two and a five-year-old and try to cook from scratch all the time, something has to go and apparently for me it's my memory. I received the November issue of Food and Wine magazine last month and I was pleased to see a recipe for Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts, which looked easy and full of vegetables.

This recipe has 14 ingredients. It makes 4 servings and takes approximately 40 minutes of prep and cooking time. I made a few modifications to ingredients due to local availability. I was unable to find bucatini, so I used perciatelli instead. Secondly, I used a sweet onion since they were still in season and I prefer the taste in recipes. I had to go to multiple stores to find fresh Brussels sprouts and the ones that I was finally able to purchase were very large, so I cut them in quarters. Finally, my Brussels sprouts took longer to cook completely than the recipe suggested, probably approximately five minutes. I followed the remainder of the recipe as written.

I loved how easy this recipe was to put together and the large amount of vegetables. The anchovies gave a nice umami compliment to the flavors without being overpowering. My husband took the leftovers for lunch and thought that the taste was even better the next day. The recipe states that it makes four servings, but with 12 ounces of pasta it made more than enough for my family of four and a bunch of leftovers. Overall, a delicious pasta dish, full of vegetables and kid friendly.

For the recipe go to Bucatini with Cauliflower and Brussels Sprouts.