The other night, I had a marvelous, memorable dream. Well, caveat - the storyline of the dream is lost in the mists of my subconscious, but one thing remained very clear: I made Brussels sprouts and steak tips and woke up just before I got to eat them.

So for the next two days, I craved Brussels sprouts like I have never craved Brussels sprouts before, which is to say that I thought about them often. I don't think I've ever craved Brussels sprouts before.

Finally, I decided to bite the bullet and do it, because I was tired of my mind constantly telling me that I needed them. Fun fact: this is not the season for Brussels sprouts, or at least Trader Joe's failed me and didn't have any fresh ones. They DID have frozen ones though, so I figured those must be a little less than as good and bought them anyway. Next I stopped at the butcher and got myself some steak tips to have as a side with my sprouts.

The next day, I got to work. Another fun fact: Brussels sprouts smell BAD. They're delicious, but if you were going by smell alone, you'd avoid them entirely. Nevertheless, I pressed on.

I knew I was in trouble when they felt a little squishy before they were cooked, but I abandoned all logic and thought, "Well...maybe cooking makes them more crunchy!" Hey self...cooking vegetables doesn't work that way.

I followed the recipe to a T, because everyone said they were great. And in a way, they were right - the flavor turned out to be really great. BUT. They were squishy, and because the recipe included maple syrup and bacon + grease, they were caramelized. Again, not bad in theory, but when I found myself with Brussels sprouts stuck to my teeth, I decided that this particular recipe needed to be banished to the far corners of recipe exile. Either that or I need fresh Brussels sprouts.

Meanwhile, the steak tips! I don't have a grill, and I'd never done steak tips by myself before. I also don't have a broiling pan, so I ended up with a cookie sheet covered with a sheet of aluminum foil. And thank goodness for the foil, because halfway through the cooking time, I saw smoke pouring out of an oven vent.

I'm not someone who generally screams, and that held true, but it might be safe to assume that there was a litany of milder curse words running through my head. Turns out, the steak tips were delicious, but the juices on top of foil don't do so well when sun tanning themselves under a broiler.

Never fear! My cookie sheet remained unscathed, and the steak tips emerged perfectly. And yet...I say it's time to buy a grill.

So the verdict is that this dream remains only half-fulfilled. Please, I beg of you, help me out - what's the best way to cook Brussels sprouts??

Woodstock Writings