Ma Petite Chou (or What to Do With All of these Brussels Sprouts?)

When I was a little girl, my mom used that term of endearment with me a lot.

"Ma petite chou?" I would ask.

"My little cabbage head," she would reply.

"Really?" I thought, "that's supposed to be sweet?"

Today Ben and I picked the last of our garden harvest.  These were the only things that have survived the fast freeze that we had.  The freeze that I didn't pay any attention to, and so I missed getting the bell jars over the plants that could have been saved.

So all that was left alive after the freeze were the hardy brussels sprouts.

We picked a bunch. 

Ben eats them raw. 

I wouldn't recommend it, but he says they're good that way.

Seeing them all sitting together in a pile reminded me of my mother's french term of endearment.  

The pile of adorable little green cabbages actually was endearingly adorable. 

(hmm, maybe the reason I took so many pictures of a rather unpopular vegetable?)

I personally love them if they are sauteed with some balsamic vinegar and orange zest. 

But no one else in my family will eat them. 

Well, obviously Ben will chomp on them raw out of the garden, but even my gardening buddy turns his nose up at a cooked brussels sprout.

So perhaps I should make one of these?

image credit

Crazy cool, right?  Reminds me of the wreaths in Williamsburg, VA, all made from winter foodstuffs.  The how to is located here at the lovely blog, Blomsterverkstad.

I'm guessing the general consensus in this household is that I make them into the wreath instead of try and serve the brussels sprouts to them for dinner.

Snowed In - All Edges Brownie Pan Rave :)

 

I don't know how your family works, but every time we make brownies, we fight to see who gets to eat the corners.  Now I understand from my sister that some people actually prefer the gooey center, but I'm not sure I believe it.  

So to eliminate some of that discord in the Heath household, I gave Mark the All Edges Brownie Pan for Christmas.  I thought it was kind of a goofy gift, but I knew he would appreciate it.  And it has been appreciated many times over during this past week as we have experienced two massive blizzards in less than five days.  All snowed in and eating lots of chocolate.  Yummmm.

Snowed In Oatmeal Breakfast

Mark needed something warm and filling to give him the energy to get out there and shovel 30 inches of snow. (thanks baby!)  I love oatmeal, but we hardly ever have a chance to eat it.  So, today we made a "decorate your own" oatmeal buffet for breakfast.  Ben ate seconds (!) so it must have been good.

Snowed In Chocolate Snowballs

 

Maybe it's because I'm still at teacher at heart, but I adore snow.  It means my husband, also a teacher, is home.  It means we are all forced to snuggle in tight and hang out at the house and eat lots of comfort food without feeling guilty.  And the way things are looking in the mid-atlantic region right now, we'll be snuggling for quite a while.  We have about 30" of snow outside, so I thought I'd post some things to do with all of that lovely, cold, whiteness.

One of my all time favorite treats is a chocolate snowball.  We have them here in the summer time; they're like icees, only far superior ;-)  They're made with shaved (as opposed to crushed) ice.  And real snow does make the best snowball.  Get the how to by clicking "read more."

Shortcut Chocolate Croissants

This is a favorite Sunday morning treat in our house.  They are ridiculously easy to make (and I'm sure incredibly unhealthy - but that's why they are a treat ;-) ) and if you add some fresh fruit and a hot cup of coffee, they make a great breakfast.

 

Very easy recipe after the jump.

Lemon and Rosemary Roast Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Add a roaster chicken and all of your ingredients are right there in that picture.  This dinner tastes delicious and takes about 7 minutes (really.  that's it.) to prep.  Then, put everything in a slow cooker and by dinner the bird is so tender and amazing.  Cheap meal, tasty meal, lots of leftovers for soup or salad or whatever else you want to make. (Please forgive the sad state of my rosemary.  I live in a climate that is not so kind to the plant over the winter.  It was the best I could clip from  my herb garden :) )

Read more after the jump.

Spiced Hot Chocolate

This hot chocolate is so easy to make and is so rich to drink. It always makes us slow down and enjoy it and relax. Ben and I make it together before his nap. He stacks up some hatboxes, calls them train cars, and pretends he is on the Polar Express. Nothing helps you go to sleep like a full belly of warm chocolate milk :)  Get the very easy how to after the jump.