When the Winter Gets Tough...

The tough make brussel sprouts? Well I did at least.

When I last went to my local grocery store to stock up on food supplies I was shocked (and appalled) by the produce section. What was normally a vibrant produce section full of choice and affordability was now... not. The prices were higher, the quality for most was down, and the quantity overall had decreased. Welcome to winter outside of the produce-heavy Golden State. The onions looked straight pathetic to the point that I sucked it up and bought 2 of the expensive pre-peeled onions just because they were huge and I could actually see they weren't damaged, discolored, or soggy. Even more tragic: my veggie staple of broccoli heads were now $3 each.

With these new winter conditions affecting my purchasing decisions, I decided on something I had never attempted to cook before. I grabbed a 2 pound bag of brussel sprouts and hoped I could recreate the magic of the brussels+bacon my mom had made over winter break. Only problem is I don't have bacon and didn't want to buy a pack just for a side dish. Luckily I found a recipe on Pinterest that I had all the ingredients for: Crispy Lemon Roasted Brussel Sprouts.

Chopped & tossed brussel sprouts

Ready to be roasted!

My final result

Below is the recipe if you are interested trying it. I would also recommend clicking here to read the blogger's cooking tips. I only cooked mine at 400 degrees (although my oven tends to get really hot) for 30 minutes because I was afraid of overcooking them. WORD TO THE WISE: Overcooked brussel sprouts are BITTER brussel sprouts!

Ingredients

• 2 lb Brussels Sprouts
• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 3/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1-2 lemons
• more salt and pepper as needed

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Cut off the bottom ends of the Brussels Sprouts and discard. Cut the remaining part in half and place into a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper and give it a good mix. Spread this mixture onto a baking sheet.
3. Place the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 40 minutes. Remove the baking sheet every 15 minutes while roasting and give the Brussels Sprouts a good toss to make sure they are evenly roasting and browning. 10 minutes before they are done, squeeze an entire lemon on top of the vegetables and then cut the lemon up and throw it onto the baking sheet and place back into the oven to finish roasted.
4. Once the edges are crisp and brown, remove the baking sheet from the oven. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve immediately.