Brussel Sprouts

I have a confession and I'm not ashamed to admit it.

I like brussel sprouts. 

But, I will only (and have only) eat them if they are cooked according to the following directions because they end up a little bit brown and crispy, slightly salty, and just plain yummy.  I was craving them so much this spring that I even ate them for breakfast. To make brussel sprouts my way, you need a cast iron pan - this is critical part of achieving the brown, crispy yumminess.  If I could cook all the time in cast iron, I think I would, and that would lead to another blog post :) 

Ok, let's start cooking!  Heat your pan first and then put the olive oil in it.  Make sure the pan is already heated before you put the oil in.  Add to the pan minced garlic, sprouts, then a sprinkling of sea salt.  And use sea salt if you can - it just makes things taste better.  I don't know why - it just does :)  Oh, and don't cover the sprouts - just let them cook and turn them over once in a while. 

Now you may ask why I'm confessing my fondness for brussel sprouts.  I think I've mentioned before that the ladies I work with (there's 4 of us) talk about recipes, exercises, etc.  We've been challenging each other to try new foods this year and my challenge to them was brussel sprouts.  Rochella already likes brussel sprouts, so this was not a big deal for her, but then there's Janna and Rachel.  Rachel said they were ok, but Janna has a strong aversion to this wonderful vegetable.  To read her traumatic, exciting adventure with brussel sprouts, click here.  And remember, I left my directions on cooking brussel sprouts above.