A Brussels Sprout Recipe That I Actually Like

Last night I prepared a Brussels sprout recipe that I found on www.allrecipes.com (my favorite recipe spot online!).  I don't really care for Brussels sprouts but my husband loves them, so occasionally (I must admit rarely) fix the tiny little cabbages for him. He may get them more often if I use this recipe.  Here it is:

Bella's Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Prep Time: 20 minutes       
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ready In: 50 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients
1/2 pound bacon, diced
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons butter
1/4 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half
2 cups chicken stock

Directions
1. Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until evenly browned, but not crispy; about 10 minutes. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon, leaving the grease in the skillet. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon grease and stir in the olive oil, butter, onion, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir until the onion softens and the garlic lightly browns, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer; cook until the liquid has reduced by 1/3. Add the reserved bacon, the halved Brussels sprouts, and the chicken stock. Stir, then bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the Brussels sprouts are tender, yet still slightly firm, 10 to 15 minutes.

(picture taken from www.allrecipes.com)

Give this a try for something different. I served these with barbecued pork chops seasoned with Pappy's Seasoning and a green salad. 

Now I'm off to continue working on my winter bargello sampler from a previous class at www.quiltuniversity.com. I'm having a little trouble with it because I failed to read through the instructions completely before beginning - something that I normally do but some how failed to this time. Oh, by the way, have you ever wanted a design wall (felt board) but didn't want to take up the space with one? When we went to the Long Beach Quilt Show a couple of weeks ago we saw a great idea. There was a roll up design wall. So, Gregory (my ever designing husband) came up with the idea of buying a inexpensive roll up vinyl blind, some spray adhesive, and some felt to create one ourselves instead of paying over $150 for one. We glued the felt to the blind on Sunday, and will hang it up this weekend. I'll take pictures and let you know how it works.

Okay, now off to the sewing machine!