Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Surprising but Garrett really loves Brussels Sprouts, so I've learned different ways to cook them. Our favorite is to lightly coat in olive oil, salt and pepper and put them in the oven for 30-40 min. After my cooking class I learned a twist to make it even better. Yeah and thank you Myra Kornfeld!

Title: Glazed Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

Ingredients:

1 lb Brussels Sprouts

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons maple syrup

1 Tablespoon mustard

1 Tablespoon butter or coconut oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

black pepper

1/2 C pecans, toasted and chopped (optional)

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 400F. Peel the outer leaves off the Brussels Sprouts. Trim the stems, leaving just enough on to keep the leaves intact. Cut the sprouts in half.

Toss the sprouts with the olive oil and salt in a medium bowl. Spread on baking sheet and roast in oven for 30 min (stirring a couple of times until tender and browned). While sprouts are cooking start on the glaze. Remove sprouts and place in shallow dish.

Glaze - add the maple syrup, mustard and butter/coconut oil to a small saucepan or skillet. Place over medium heat and bring to a boil. Continue cooking another 2 min or so until the mixture reduces and thickens slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar. Pour over the Brussels Sprouts and toss to combine. Sprinkle with black pepper and pecans.

Garlicky Braised Kale with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers

I went to my first cooking class with Myra Kornfeld. It was so much fun and I loved learning how to cook different vegetables. This is definitely in line with my goal to each more veggies that I started last year. :) This reminded me of southern greens, and I knew I had to make it for Garrett. So we had it for Sunday dinner tonight with Salmon - big hit!

Title: Garlicky Braised Kale with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers


Ingredients:
10 garlic cloves, peeled
2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon capers, drained
1 lb Kale (stemmed, washed and torn into 1-inch
pieces)
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C water
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:
Whack the garlic with the side of a heavy knife to
lightly crush each clove. Slice each smashed piece
in half.

Warm the olive oil in a medium (to large) pot over
medium heat with the garlic and saute, stirring until
the garlic starts to brown (2-3 min). Add the capers
and saute for another minute. Add the kale, salt,
pepper, and water. Toss the kale with tongs,
pushing the uncooked leaves to the bottom until all
the greens are wilted. Reduce the heat and simmer
covered until the kale is tender (10 min).

Uncover and turn the heat to high and boil away the
remaining liquid stirring frequently until the liquid has
almost all evaporated. Remove from the heat and
stir in the vinegar. Serve immediately.

Number Of Servings:4

Preparation Time:30 min

Rome - My First Visit

Garrett is now in Rome, NY for the summer. He's working with AFRL on a research project, so I only get to see him on the weekends. :( But like my coworker stated - if you can't get quantity time then go for quality with the time. That's what we are going for. Every weekend will be full of memories and bonding time. Sounds like an okay summer.

So this is my first visit to Rome. We also went to Palmyra, NY to see the Hill Comorah Pageant. It was so beautiful.

A beautiful lake at Rome

The Hill Comorah Pageant

Palmyra Temple

My Hero :)

You might not be able to see it but the Victory USA on the concrete block is made out of pennies.

Full Month

Our month has been VERY full so not much has been written. Garrett has been racking up the sky miles with all of his travel (Paris, California, Rome-NY, Utah). I was fortunate to be able to tag along for the Paris trip. Besides that both of us had interesting work stresses. However, in this very full month I am filled with more with gratitude and love. I have felt so much support that it is amazing. I know that Heavenly Father loves me and has a work for me to do. I'm just trying to stay open and focused for what that might be.

Now that Garrett is in Rome, NY...I will finally focus on getting pictures posted. We have had so much fun that I feel sad that it has not been shared.

Happy Birthday Garrett!

Now that he's older and wiser, here are a few thoughts from Garrett:

1) I like steak. (we went to BLT Steakhouse to celebrate and had some amazing food)

2) I love my wife. (maybe because I bought him the steak - j/k)

New York Library

Garrett and I took advantage of the beautiful weather to go to Bryant Park. Unfortunately it was being renovated and all the grass was torn up. But that didn't ruin the day - just the sitting on the grass part. We then had lunch and walked to the library to get our New York Library cards. The first books we checked out...an autobiography (A Backwards Glance) and a book on learning French.

Am I now a New Yorker?

I've now changed my name on almost all records/IDs except for my passport. Just this weekend, I received my driver's license for the State of New York. Does this make me an official New Yorker?

No more Utah driver's license (which I've had for my entire driving career). It's a mixed emotion day. It's cool to be Elizabeth Rose, but I'm starting to lose my Utah stuff. Now to get the passport!