Sunday, January 26, 2014

Weekends are too short

Especially when following a short (yet ridiculous week! Snow days and Polar Vortex anyone?)

Friday night I went to the Casino...it was weird. I hate the idea of throwing away money, even on the off chance I could win big. But I still had fun watching my friends gamble, and people watching at Casinos is pretty stupendous.

Before I left for the Casino I had to try out this recipe that had been kicking around in my head for ages. At one of the wine bars near my house they have this Ahhhh-mazing Brussels sprouts, butternut squash and chorizo dish. So mouth-wateringly delicious! The Brussels sprouts and squash take on the flavor of the chorizo in the most delightful way. I didn't have chorizo nor squash though, and had actually been wondering if I could switch it up with different meats and "starch" type things anyway. So I went with Brussels sprouts, sweet potatoes and BACON!

And let me tell you...it came out just as divine! I also added some extra spices and seasonings to the sweet potatoes and sprouts because...that's just how I cook. I throw spices onto everything. Not a fan of spicY but definitely love spice.

Then yesterday I spent the weekend by the fire and reading the Art of Eating In. I've already been working on cooking and eating at home more but this book definitely inspired me to keep going at it in the kitchen! I loved the way Cathy Erway really brings you into her life during those two years of "Not Eating Out in New York" and her writing style just flowed really well. It did make me a tad jealous that I don't live in an amazing hotbed of restaurants and foodies alike, though.

I do live in between some pretty thriving cities, but I still feel somewhat disconnected from it all. I would also love to cook for people more. Cathy's stories about supper clubs and "friendsgivings" just made me want to invite everyone I know over for food all the time.

...of course then I'd have to clean all the time...yikes.

Anyway here's my recipe for Brussels Sprouts, Sweet Potatoes and Bacon: (serves 1-2 depending on your preference for sprouts)

6-8 Brussels sprouts, sliced lengthwise (you could quarter them too and you can always cut up more)
1 cup diced sweet potato
3-4 pieces of bacon (save the grease in the pan to cook up the sprouts and potato)
1/2 tsp ground Ancho Chile pepper
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
a dash of ground ginger

[Note: I don't usually measure when adding spices for dishes like this so these are all just kind of guesstimates...start from here and just kind of work your way up till it's seasoned the way you like it!]

Cook bacon as normal in a large pan, set aside. Keep bacon grease in pan and ready too cook with!
Dice up sweet potatoes and Brussels sprouts to whatever size you're comfy with. Throw them together in a bowl and toss in the spices, again add or subtract whatever you like for this and then mix it all together.
(also instead of garlic powder you could also try adding a 1/2-1 tsp minced garlic to the bacon fat to mix with the veggies)
Add the potatoes and sprouts to the pan and cook for about 10-15 minutes, until they potatoes start to get tender. About halfway through I also like to put a lid on the pan to sort of steam the mix, makes the sweet potatoes a bit softer.
Dice up the bacon, throw it back in the pan to mix with all the other yummy goodness.
And bam! Delicious side for any time of day!
Had this with breakfast yesterday actually, goes quite well with scrambled eggs and cheese.

Catch ya later!



2 comments:

  1. I love going to the casino. I go knowing I am going to lose money and hopeful I will win. If I could go every weekend I would. Losing all my little money!! Its just fun to me.

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  2. Oh it's definitely fun but I just can't justify spending the money! I would just go all the time and people watch if I could. Plus MD is so expensive!

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