The Queen is Correct

I have a friend who calls herself the Queen of Brussel Sprouts on her blog.  I think she's a little crazy.  She says that brussel sprouts are yummy and that her kids fight over them.  Seriously???  I remember being a kid and I definitely did not fight with my brother over brussel sprouts.  I remember one particular evening sitting at the table until my bedtime because I refused to eat the gross little green balls my mom put on my plate.

I'm not quite sure what happened at the store the other day, but I walked out with a bag of fresh brussel sprouts.  I immediately called her royal highness to tell her the news and to find out what to do with them.  You see, she has three seperate recipes on her blog for the silly things.  I chose the frizzled brussel sprouts.  She told me the key is to use something to offset the bitterness and to add fat like butter or olive oil.  Orange juice is her go to ingredient for the bitterness.

The kids helped me pull the leaves off before washing them. I tossed them with about a tablespoon of melted butter and a tablespoon of orange juice.  I seasoning them with fresh ground pepper and kosher salt (the queen has also shared her view on salts with me).  I baked them on 400 for about 15 minutes turning them every so often just as she instructed.  I follow directions well :).

I was excited, if not a little nervous to try them.  I didn't even let them cool off before I popped the first bite in my mouth.  I now know what my mom did wrong all those years ago and what her royal highness does right.  I am officially a fan of brussel sprouts!  They were yummy.  The bitterness from the brussel sprouts, the sweetness from the OJ, the creaminess of the butter...it was perfect.  Dan agrees!

I made my kids all try one leaf.  We use a thumbs up rating system around here.

Caden said if he were starving on a deserted island and all he could eat were brussel sprouts, he'd starve to death.  Jaelyn would eat them if there was nothing else around, although she wasn't a huge fan.  Allie gave me a thumbs down right away.  Then she tried a second bite and a third bite.  That was her limit, but I think it's an acquired taste and with a few more servings, she'll be a fan too!