Celebrating Christmas part 2

I know Christmas is past. In fact you may have even packed up your Christmas decorations already. Good for you!

But I haven't and this is my blog. Besides some of my family would probably like to see these. And I'm practicing not following what I think everyone else expects!

J and P at "Trains at North Park." Yes in case you are wondering, the scene on the right is meant to look like San Fransisco. There are scenes from different parts of the U.S.

J and Mom. Christmas dinner. The round burnt looking things in the front are roasted brussel sprouts. If you don't like brussel sprouts you have to try them roasted! They are great! And yes they taste best when they are seriously browned like that.

Mom, P and me. This time I was determined to be sure to get some photos of our celebration!

If you're interested here is how I roasted the brussel sprouts. I got the recipe several years ago from "The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook." I just looked on her website but did not find it there. Anyway here goes:

1 1/2 pounds Brussel sprouts (i only had one pound. I also added some baby carrots to roast at the same time this time. I don't usually do that. But it was good.)
3 tablespoons olive oil (I like the greenish kind that says it is good for dipping. It has more flavor.)
3/4 teaspoon salt (I use much, much, less than that. But I don't measure. Just sprinkle it on lightly)
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (I use much less than that, but again I don't really measure it.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

1. Place the brussel sprouts in a colander. Rinse and drain. Turn them out onto cotton dish (tea) towel. Thoroughly pat dry.

2. Cut off the ends of the sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

3. Turn them out onto a baking sheet. I use my Pampered Chef shallow rectangular stoneware baking pan. If you don't have a stoneware pan, I recommend lining your pan with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Shake the pan from time to time, to brown the sprouts evenly.

4. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp outside and tender inside. I usually do it longer than that. It's important that they become tender inside--poke them with a fork or a small sharp knife to test them. They will have a nice nutty taste if you roast them long enough. Otherwise they will be chewy and taste like ordinary brussel sprouts.

5. Sprinkle with a little more salt if you like and serve.

You don't have to wait for Christmas to come around again to make this. It's good all year long.
Enjoy :-)