Candied Brussel Sprouts With Bacon!!!

Believe it or not, this is the first recipe I have posted with brussel sprouts!   I have a secret confession to make about me and these little cruciferous veggies,  I have never been a huge fan of them!   Isn't that weird, considering I will eat almost anything that doesn't eat me first!  

It might be because I didn't really grow up eating them, unless we had them at someone else's house.  My mother never cooked them and now looking back and thinking about it, I bet she is not a big fan either! 

 I  say this because my mother cooked almost everything, especially vegetables, unless she didn't like it!   However, she would never admit not liking something.  She was tricky like that!  

 I guess if she admitted there was food that was unlikable, it would give us an excuse not to eat something.   We did enjoy most all of the other cruciferous cousins to the  brussel sprout, like broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage!  I must admit, I have had a change of heart about the brussel sprout now!  

I have found that this recipe for brussel sprouts is really very tasty!   It has brown sugar and bacon so how bad could it be really?   It's also quick and easy which makes it a great choice!   

Here is what you will need:

6-7 slices of bacon, fried crisp

1 lb. fresh brussel sprouts,  sliced in half and the tough end removed

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

dash of garlic powder

2 Tbs. soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 Tbs. apple cider vinegar 

Fry the bacon in a a skillet until crisp.  Remove to a paper towel lined plate.   Reserve the drippings in the pan.   Turn the heat to medium.  Place the sliced brussel sprouts, cut side down in the hot drippings.  If there are loose leaves that fall off, you can discard them.  

Allow the cut side to sort of brown or char .  See the two I turned over how they are browned.  This takes about 3 -4 minutes.  Brown them without burning them.  Sprinkle with salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.   Turn them over and sprinkle with brown sugar then the soy sauce and vinegar.  Place the top on the pan and steam the for about 5 to 7 minutes!   This makes them tender!

Remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium high.  Toss the brussel sprouts until the liquid has caramelized!   Sprinkle the top with the crumbled bacon right before serving!

They are delicious!! 

 

Strawberry Dream Salad!

This strawberry salad is a really old recipe that we have been making for years.  It's a bit different from some of the other congealed salads and is not really quite as sweet.   It is really  tasty though. It's perfect for potlucks and holiday meals.   

Here is what you need for this one: 

  

2  (3 oz.) pkg. strawberry gelatin

1 cup water

2 (10 oz.) boxes frozen strawberries

3 bananas, mashed

1 (20 oz.) can of crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 (16oz.) container of sour cream

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese,softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add gelatin to dissolve.  Add strawberries and break them up to separate them.  Add the rest of the ingredients, except the sour cream cream cheese sugar, and vanilla.  Pour half of the mixture of the mixture in a 9"x13" dish.  Refrigerate until soft set.

Mix the sour cream, cream cheese, vanilla, and sugar until smooth.  Spread over the gelatin layer.

Pour the rest of the gelatin/fruit mixture over the top of this layer.   Chill for at least 4 hours.  Cut in squares and top with a dollop of whipped cream to serve.



Aunt Vel's Southern Ambrosia!

Ambrosia is a southern classic on the holiday table and there are literally hundreds of variations on the basic idea of ambrosia.  This recipe is my Aunt Vel's and it is a fairly straightforward ambrosia, which I like because it's not too sweet or overly complicated.

 It is great with baked ham or roasted turkey.  My husband is our fruit lover in the family and he really loves all ambrosia and fruit salads. This ambrosia is one of his favorites. 

This is what you will need for this:

1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup pineapple tidbits, drained
1 cup mandarin oranges, drained
1 cup nuts, chopped (pecans or walnuts)
1 cup sour cream
2 cups miniature marshmallows
2 Tbs. powdered sugar
maraschino cherries for garnish (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients together until combined, chill and serve. So simple and so good!  If you are looking for a little more variation in an ambrosia type salad, you might also want to check out Pina Colada Ambrosia or Banana Split Salad!

Southern Ambrosia!