Recipe: Brussel Sprouts, Apples and Bacon

Brussel sprouts have always been a bit intimidating to me. Sounds silly, but my mom doesn't like them and therefore never cooked them for us, so I had no one to show me how to make them. Recently, thanks to my brother's girlfriend, I've gotten over my fear of brussel sprouts. And thank goodness...because they are soooo good!! The following recipe is one of my favorites. I found it on Pinterest (if you aren't aware of this website already, you better catch up. It's amazing!). Hope you enjoy!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 slices of bacon, chopped

4 pints brussel sprouts

1 apple, cored and diced

S&P

3 tsp red wine vinegar

The original recipe says to start by cooking the bacon in the oven on 425 degrees. I used microwavable bacon, so I didn't do this step. I have to confess that I actually used Morningstar bacon for this recipe. I'm obviously not a vegetarian, but I like the Morningstar products and I eat the bacon for breakfast sometimes so it's what I had on hand. Real bacon would be better (of couse), but it was still excellent with the faux bacon.

To prep the brussel sprouts, you peel off the first couple of leaves and cut the bottoms off. For this particular dish, I halved them as well, but that's not always necessary.

Once they're prepped and ready to go, I like to cook them in boiling water for about 5 minutes. The recipe doesn't mention this step, but I like to do this so they soften a little before I roast them. Once you remove them from the boiling water, toss them in a little olive oil, salt and pepper and roast them in the oven at about 450 degrees. I put them on a foil-lined sheet pan to make clean up a little easier.

They'll roast for about 10-15 minutes until they just barely start to brown. Then add your diced apples and put them back in the oven to continue roasting for another 10 minutes or until they brussel sprouts are browned and the apples are softened. Once you remove them from the oven, toss them immediately in the red wine vinegar and salt (if it needs more) and serve!!!



Delicious!!!!

 ~Kris

Recipe: Bacon Ranch Potato Salad

I really love potato salad but had never made it before!  My mom makes the BEST potato salad and she usually is the one who will make it for various cook outs or family functions and I feel like making potato salad for two people usually makes way too much for us to eat.  However, I recently saw a recipe for a bacon ranch potato salad that I thought I would attempt.

This recipe turned out really good!! It was extremely easy for a first time maker like myself, and was a bit different from the traditional potato salad.

Ingredients:
2 lb. red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 16 oz. container of sour cream
1 pack of dry ranch dressing mix
1/4 cup cooked bacon
1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 bunches green onions, thinly sliced

I cooked the bacon first in the oven.  I learned a trick watching Food Network to use a cooking rack sitting on a baking sheet to cook the bacon.

1. Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water.  Bring to a boil over high heat then reduce to medium low; cover and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.  Drain the potatoes, then run under cool water.

2. Combine sour cream and ranch.  Mix all ingredients together.

This recipe was so simple, I think anybody could do it.  You can use any kind of sour cream, reduced fat, low fat, etc. depending on your taste.  I used turkey bacon baked in the oven, but you could use regular bacon and cook it however you like.  I also added some salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

My husband and I both liked this recipe a lot!  We even thought it was better after two days in the fridge :)
~Kate