Road Trip Part 1: Brussel Sprouts



Picture from West End Bakery site



Ben and I had a fantastic weekend.  On saturday, we drove down to Asheville, NC for Ally and Lucious's wedding.  We arrived  several hours before the wedding started.  We took some time to catch up with my good friend Laura and her family at West End Bakery.  She has the cutest boys and they are growing up so fast. 

West End Bakery was one of my favorite places when I lived in Asheville.  I lived just down the street and would make frequent trips to get a spelt blueberry muffin.  Unfortunately, they were out of blueberry on saturday.  So I suffered through eating an almond raspberry muffin.  Yum, I wish we had something like West End Bakery in Tipp City.

On to the main event, Ally and Lucious's wedding!  Ally was so beautiful and seemed to be radiating happiness.  I'm so glad she is with someone that makes her so happy.  She is such a great person and I miss living so close to her.  The wedding was wonderful and it was great to catch up with some ASP friends.  We always have a good time together telling old stories and making new memories.



ASP group at the Wedding- photo from Kati Jacobs

The food at the reception was fantastic.  I'm getting hungry just thinking about it.  There are a few things I need to try to make.  But the item that caught me by surprise was brussel sprouts.  I realized I have never eaten brussel sprouts before this weekend.  At the mention of brussel sprouts, the following clip has always come to mind. 

I pushed past my Cosby Show memory and decided to give them a try.  They were so delicious.  Brussel sprouts are like tiny cabbages.  I love cabbage.  Why have I not been eating these for years?

On Sunday, we made our way down to St. Pauls, NC where  our good friends Travis and Caroline live.  We had a great couple of days with good food, drinks, and games.  Caroline is a wonderful cook.  I mentioned how good the brussel sprouts were at Ally's wedding and Caroline gave me a tutorial on cooking them.  This worked out perfectly.

Note:  Caroline only recommends fresh brussel sprouts

1. cut off stems from brussel sprouts.  remove outer leaf and cut in half.

2. In bowl, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Mix with hands to make sure all are covered with oil.

3. Cook in pre heated skillet with a little more olive oil cut side down.  Cook until slightly browned.  Stir and serve.  Easy and delicious!