Easy Cheesy Brussel Sprouts

It 's been a busy week.  I'm back to work full time.  I'm lucky though as I'm working from home and commuting only two days a week.  It's working out great.  The only challenge right now is figuring out how to find time to clean, cook, do Christmas shopping, run errands, see friends and relax.  I think I was off work too long and now I'm struggling to figure out how to be the perfect woman and do it all - and I don't even have kids.  My hat's off to those of you who do.
 

Last weekend, my mom, the other half of Two True Foodies, came to visit.  We trekked into the city (San Francisco) for the annual Foodbuzz Blogger Festival.  It was our first blogger experience and boy did we rough it - there was free food and drink everywhere!

We enjoyed tasting food from local restaurants in San Francisco, a cooking class with Mary Sue Milliken (who used to have a show on the food network called Two Hot Tamales), a photography class ... but the best part was meeting other food bloggers from all over the U.S.  I even met my blogger idol who inspired me to start this blog.  Her name is Heidi Swanson from 101 Cookbooks.  I was so excited to see her there that I'm sure I made a blubbering fool out of myself when I went running up to her and her man, Wayne.  Both were really, really nice and great to talk too.

My mom and I came home inspired to continue cooking, sharing and learning more so that we can share our cooking experiences with you in the best possible way.

On to my Easy Cheesy Brussel Sprouts!  I didn't grow up eating brussel sprouts, but as I got older I kept hearing about all the different ways people cooked them and curiosity got the better of me.  Of course, I don't cook them the usual way, which is by keeping them whole.  When I made them for the first time I figured that I'd be more likely to like them if I shredded them and added some yummy ingredients ... and guess what?  It worked!
  
If you're not a big fan of brussel sprouts, try this recipe.  It's really delicious and easy once you've done all the slicing.  They're similar to cabbage in that that they cook really quickly once you get them in the pan.  They also really cook down so get more than you think you need.  This recipe is full of flavor and it's a great vegetable side dish.  I think it will become one of your favorites.  Stay tuned though because next on my list is to try a similar recipe with pancetta.  How bad can that be? 
  

  

You need about 24 of these babies.

Slice them up.  Don't worry about being precise.  Just slice them any which way, but watch your fingers!

Add some olive oil (and butter if you like) and saute the brussel sprouts until you see a little browning occur and you start smelling a lovely aroma coming from them.  Add stock, put the lid on and  - voila!  In about 3-4 minutes, they're ready.  Just add the cheese and enjoy!

Easy Cheesy Brussel Sprouts

24 Brussel Sprouts or one package of Trader Joe's Brussel Sprouts, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 vegetable or chicken stock

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (you can find it by the Parmesan cheese in the grocery store).  I get a big block of it at Costco, cut it into chunks and freeze it for when I need it.

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Fried Onions as garnish (optional)

In a saute pan over medium heat, melt butter and add olive oil.  When hot, add sprouts to pan.  Add salt and pepper, then stir to combine.  Saute about 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.  When you smell them and see some browning occur, add stock and stir until combined.  Cover and turn down heat to medium/low.  After about 3-4 minutes, uncover and add cheese.  My favorite garnish is top them with some fried onions from Trader Joes.  Here's a picture of them.  You can get these at a regular grocery store too.  Serves 4.

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