Sit. Stay. Good blog.

I am in love, and thy name is Brussels sprouts. That’s right. Brussels sprouts.

I mean, just LOOK at these things:

Have you ever seen a pan of vegetables that looks so delicious in your life?

I know what you are thinking. You’re thinking that you will never try to cook Brussels sprouts because Brussels sprouts are disgusting. You’re right – Brussels sprouts ARE disgusting – if they are FROZEN and BOILED into that nasty, smooshy, bitter mess you think of when you think of Brussels sprouts. Those Brussels sprouts are a travesty against nature. Those Brussels sprouts are just wrong.

But… when they are FRESH and ROASTED, they are not just good – they are heavenly. Sweet, savory, tender… my mouth waters just thinking about them. Roasted Brussels sprouts are one of the best foods on earth. They are simple to prepare, incredibly good for you and delicious.

To wit:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Servings: 4
Weight Watchers Points: 2

1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, cut in half with stems and outer leaves removed
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
Olive oil cooking spray
2-3 shallots, cut cross wise into 1/8-inch thick slices and separated into rings (about 1 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat to 400 degrees.

Toss Brussels sprouts with olive oil, salt and pepper. Add a couple of spritzes cooking spray if you need to. Spread out in 1 layer in a large, shallow baking pan. Roast, stirring occasionally, until tender and browned, about 25 to 30 minutes.

While sprouts roast, heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and shallots to pan with a spritz of cooking spray over high heat. Season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are golden brown, about 5 minutes.

When sprouts are done, mix shallots and sprouts together in skillet and heat through. Serve immediately.

See? How easy is that?!

When we’re in a rush, I omit the garlic and shallots completely and just go for roasted sprouts with lots of salt. If we don’t have shallots, a diced red onion works really well. Throw a splash of red wine in there just for fun. There are so many variations with this dish you are bound to find a flavor combination that works for you. Lemon is one option. So are chestnuts. Oh, and for those who must do so, you can even add in some bacon. Or leeks. Or maple syrup. I think you see what I’m getting at.

So please – before you cast judgement over the Brussels sprout based on someone’s horrific abuse to the vegetable, try them the right way and then decide if they are really worth your scorn. Hint: they won’t be and you will love them, too.

I go through phases when it comes to blogging. Lately, I’ve been in the downward phase of not posting much of anything, but as you know, life continues to move ahead, whether I write about it or not. So, in the interest of brevity and my own sanity, I will attempt to recount the events of the last several months in one of my world-famous bullet lists.

• We took a trip to Washington D.C. at the end of September. Highlights included the Kennedy Center, a tour of the Capitol, lots of walking, lots of subway-riding, the Magna Carta, tasty pho on a rainy night and pandas. Good people of D.C., you have free pandas to visit whenever it strikes your fancy – take advantage of this more than you currently do! There are some of us who do not have ready access to free pandas and are worse off for it.
• The night before Halloween, in Madison, WI, Mr. Awesome and I had the most incredible squash curry at a Laotian restaurant called Lao Laan-Xang, located off a side-street in a tiny house. Good people of Madison, you have incredible curry available to you – go eat it soon and often! There are some of us who do not have ready access to incredible squash curry and are therefore sad pandas.
• The skywalks in Minneapolis are so great when it’s cold – and it’s cold there much of the time.
• Australian singer Kate Miller-Heidke is a spectacular live performer and will no doubt be a huge star one day. If you ever have the chance to hear her sing, take hold of that chance with both hands and don’t let go.
• Beatles Rock Band is fun, but is more fun with four people.
• I’m trying to cook at least one new recipe per week or so. We’ve had some hits and some not-quite-hits. I’ll try to write more about both in the future.
• John Hodgman was at a Rainy Day Books event at Unity on the Plaza. The picture I have of me and him together would probably be my Christmas card if a.) Mr. Awesome would approve and b.) if I sent such things as Christmas cards.
• I’m trying not to hate Time Warner cable, but they make it so difficult. If they “don’t currently offer contracts” then how am I in one until June? Keyword: “currently.” I’ve now got a calendar appointment set to remind me the day my contract is up. That day cannot come soon enough.

And finally, I’ll break out of the bullet format to introduce Griz, the newest member of our family:

On Saturday, we were doing some Christmas-looking at Oak Park Mall (we aren’t really shopping yet, although I know we should be) and came across a store set up by Animal Haven Animal Shelter to help adopt some animals. Mr. Awesome and I are suckers for animals, so we had to go in and look around. There, among the puppies and kittens and dogs was this sweet-looking cat sitting at the back of his cage. He reminded us both so much of Rags that we walked around the mall and went back to look at him three times. This cat was beautiful, declawed, neutered and about 4 years old. He was perfect. It’s been a over a year since Rags died, and we’re ready for another cat. So we paid the adoption fee and took home Griz (Grizwald, Grizzly Bear) Saturday afternoon.

The ride home was great. Griz was calm and quiet and seemed to love getting petted. We got home and shut him in a bathroom with his litter box and food and water. After about 30 minutes we returned to check on him and he was a bit angrier than he was on the ride home. He was emitting this low, guttural growl and seemed to not want anything to do with us. So we got a toy and played with him, and what do you know, he turned back into the sweet cat from the ride home. This pattern continued throughout the night and much of the day on Sunday (during which time he graduated to having full-run of the house): Sweet, lovable Griz one minute, evil, growling Griz the next. Last night, he slept on our bed and both Mr. Awesome and I were a tiny bit frightened that Evil Griz would emerge in the middle of the night and try to eat us. That didn’t happen – in fact, Griz was really great and sweet and snuggly all night long – but neither of us got much sleep anyway.

Today, Griz is home alone all day. I have visions of returning home to find it partially destroyed, although I have nothing to base that on at all. We’re hoping Evil Griz goes away permanently, but I remind Griz every once in a while that we have 30 days to return his furry tail to the shelter if he doesn’t straighten up. I don’t think it will come to that – I think he’s going to work out really well. He’s even sort of getting along with Finnie:

More to come – hopefully sooner that later.