Garlic Brussels Sprouts

I was one of the probable millions of kids in the US who grew up utterly convinced (without necessarily even having tried one! I know I didn't) that brussels sprouts were the DEVIL. I don't think I even knew what they looked like but I had read enough stories of kids being sent to bed without supper because they refused to eat the dreaded brussels sprouts that I was convinced that they were the most disgusting vegetable on the planet. I think this fear may have been instilled as well by my generation's parents, who were probably raised on boiled crappy sprouts with no seasoning, which I'm sure probably would be pretty gross.

Then a few months ago, on a whim, I bought a basket of sprouts at Dillon's, just to see if they were any good. If not, I'd never buy them again. I roasted them with garlic and was SURPRISED. They just tasted like cabbage! I like cabbage! What the hell. Since then I have also made them from frozen in butter sauce (also good).

Tonight I made chicken breasts in teriyaki sauce (Alex: not bad but the portions should have been smaller or flatter for better sauce-age; me: not bad but needed more spice and less sugar, which is funny because I actually ran out of sugar and wasn't able to put a full 1/2 cup in), as well as aromatic brown rice I had made previously (Alex: too dry, me: not done enough because for the life of me I cannot get the damn lid sealed tightly enough on the pot that the liquid doesn't evaporate before the rice is completely done, and also not enough garlic flavor because I screwed up and added my 2-clove pile instead of my 4-clove and had to toss more in near the end), and garlic brussels sprouts (Alex: no comment).

I made them from frozen, which some people say makes them disgusting. I also may have overcooked them; they were baby brussels sprouts so some of them were fairly tiny and quite soft to the bite. I don't really care though. So so good. And good for you too!

Garlic Brussels Sprouts

1 10-oz package frozen brussels sprouts
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp butter, divided
1 tsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 cup chicken broth

Heat olive oil and 1 tsp butter over medium heat. Add garlic, saute 2-3 minutes or until aromatic and golden. Add sprouts, toss to coat. Add broth, salt and pepper. Cover and simmer 13 minutes or until cooked through. Drain any remaining liquid; add remaining butter and toss until melted.

Risotto with Roasted Garlic, Mushrooms and Spinach

Last night I made risotto for the second time ever. Far better than the first attempt (first try had butternut squash in it and I have determined after several tastings that I just do not like butternut squash, at least not without many other complementary flavors to mask it [for instance I had storebought butternut squash soup and it would have been SO much better with apple blended into it]), but there were a few things about the recipe I'd change for personal preference reasons.

1) It had roasted garlic in it, which I've done many times before in the "chop off top of head, pour olive oil over, wrap in foil, bake" way, but this way wanted me to separate the cloves beforehand, which had the end result of having the side of the clove that was touching the bottom of the pan become dry and hard and burnt. Next time, I'll just roast the head whole and squeeze the cloves out.

2) It wanted dried porcini mushrooms and also wild mushrooms. I used crimini. I have also determined that I am not a huge fan of portobello because despite my careful cleaning they always have this icky black crap coming off of them (like black watery stuff) and taste like dirt. This wasn't a huge issue last night when the risotto was fresh, but I reheated it today and took it in my Mr. Bento to work (speaking of which I have been completely neglecting that in favor of McDonald's Monopoly stuff, oh god I suck) and the dirty crimini flavor had completely permeated throughout the risotto. Sigh.

3) Last time, with the failed butternut squash risotto, I made it the "authentic" way, by adding the broth in ladlefuls until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy. But it just came out sticky and gooey at the end (butternut squash may have contributed to this). Last night I just put all the broth in at once and let simmer until absorbed. And the creaminess factor was MUCH better. Huzzah!

So yeah. Recipe:

Roast 1-2 heads of garlic at 400 degrees for 50 minutes or until done. Let cool, squeeze cloves out and chop to get roughly 1/4 cup garlic.

Slice 12 oz mushrooms of your choice, saute in olive oil over med-hi heat until done. Season with salt and pepper, set aside.

In a large saucepan (I used a 3-qt one), cook 1/4 cup chopped shallots with a lot of thyme in olive oil over med-hi heat until tender. Add 1 1/2 cups arborio rice, stir to combine. Add 1/2 cup white wine, cook until nearly evaporated. (Mine vaporized nearly instantly, but I also only used about 1/4 cup because that was all that was left in the bottle). Add 3 cups chicken broth, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until all is absorbed and risotto is creamy, adding more broth if it gets too dry too fast. Add mushrooms and 2 cups thinly sliced spinach, cook until spinach is wilted. Add plenty o Parmesan, season to taste with salt and pepper.

Quasi-Bento

Is quasi-bento somewhere between "proto-bento" and just plain "bento"? I'll pretend it is.

This weekend we went out and got cupcake cups so yesterday I brought:
Brown rice w/ leftover sweet and sour pork on top (the pork did not taste right, it was all nutty and it hadn't been the night I cooked it)
Babybel gouda (does NOT taste like the gouda we usually get, tastes more like string cheese!)
Canned pear half in juice (in cupcake cup to prevent leakage)
About 2/3 of a salted matzo cracker.
3 Koala March cookies.

Had the gouda, crackers and cookies as a snack. The pear juice didn't LEAK, like out over the top of the cup or anything, but it did soak through and make the bits of matzo directly underneath a little moist. So today I arranged it differently and we'll see if it makes a difference. Also today I brought rice/pork again but rather than stacking them I put them side by side, it's more artistic and hell maybe it'll change the flavor, or something. Also EDAMAME!!!! today. Also I almost forgot to put the koala cookies in! I'll have to remedy that as soon as I finish this post which would beeeeee now!

Organic Soup and Brown Rice

For lunch today I poured a cup of the organic butternut squash soup I bought, and cooked some brown rice in the microwave. Both were crap. The end.

Nah. Well, the rice was annoying. I didn't want to make it stovetop because it would take too long, so I microwaved it, and our microwave is retarded when it comes to rice. Even at 50%, the water evaporates out long before the directions say the rice is done. So I had to keep constantly checking on it, and even had to add more water at one point.

And the soup... I'm sure it was fine, but this is the second butternut squash dish I've had (the first was a risotto, and coincidentally the first and only risotto I've ever made) and I have to say that so far, I am not incredibly thrilled with butternut squash. Too sweet.

For dinner we had Panda Express, which was satisfactory. I had chow mein (it had bean sprouts in it!), mushroom chicken, and broccoli beef. Would have gotten an egg roll too but they were out (and closing in like 30 minutes).

Dishes still aren't done, sigh.