Brussel Sprouts

I am not sure how many people are actually fans of Brussel sprouts, but I am definitely one of them! my mom had me try them when I was really young, and despite the fact that they were green and good for me I truly liked them. I hadn't actually had them more than a few times either before the other day. The last time I was at the grocery store they had beautiful, large sprouts so I grabbed a couple handfuls.

I wanted to impart more flavor into them and make them more of a star. Here is what I came up with:

about 20 large Brussel sprouts
chopped bacon
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt and pepper

I cut all of the stems off of my sprouts and halved the larger ones in the bunch. Then I boiled them using a skillet pan in some salted water. (I used only enough water to come to the tops of each sprout). I flipped them a few times to ensure even tenderness. I then used a slotted spoon to retrieve my sprouts and placed them in a bowl of cold water.

I drained all of the sprout water and returned the pan to the stove. Next, I put in enough olive oil to coat the bottom of my pan (about 1 tbsp). Then I added my chopped bacon. (I didn't measure it...just used enough to have some bits with every bite). Once it was nice and crispy, I added the sprouts back in along with a tablespoon of butter and salt and pepper. I kept them frying until all of the butter had melted.

I'm not sure how healthy these greens were after I had finished with them, but they were delicious! I actually had them for lunch, but they make a great side dish for non-picky eaters.