The sprout has landed

Normally, I reserve blog posts to shop information only, however, this post is in response to all the inquiries about how my dad's Thanksgiving brussel sprouts turned out this year. In case you are not on my email mailing list and did not receive November's Urban Farmhouse newsletter…here is the beginning of this story:

Thanksgiving is probably my most favorite holiday. What other meal do we plan with so much nostalgia? How many meals does the whole family join in on during the planning and preparation? My family starts prepping the menu weeks in advance. We watch every Thanksgiving cooking special on the Food Network, research and print off recipes, try a few before the week arrives, etc. A few have reached the status of permanence on our menu: cream of wild mushroom soup, King's Arms Tavern cream of peanut soup, Cajun fried turkey, classic sage dressing, my mom's Sally Lund bread, cranberry-orange relish, and my Grandma Ada's gravy & pies.

There is one elusive recipe that my dad has been seeking for about 7 years now...a coveted brussel sprout dish. Every year he tries a new method. He has roasted them, boiled them, blanched them and sautéed them with fresh parmesan and garlic (a particularly pungent year). Thus far he has not found a "keeper". I'm sure he's burned a few midnight candles this week looking for another recipe worthy of a try. The rest of my family, most of whom do not appreciate the mighty sprout with the same exuberance as my dad, would appreciate any previously tested (and I mean tasted) recipes (with written references and photos, but no samples, please...no samples).

Well, this year, the search is over. No, he didn't give up…he won us over, not with perseverance, but with wonderful flavor. I can't describe it better than the description that prefaces the recipe so here it is from allrecipes.com:

"Not too often do you hear 'fantastic' and 'Brussels sprouts' in the same sentence but this recipe is deserving of that. When I mentioned I was bringing Brussels sprouts to a holiday get together, my mom told me not to bother. After eating this dish, my family now requests I bring it to every get together!"

• 1/2 pound sliced bacon
  
• 1/4 cup butter
  
• 2/3 cup pine nuts
  
• 2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cored and shredded
  
• 3 green onions, minced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon seasoning salt
  
• pepper to taste
  

  Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain, reserving 2 tablespoons grease, crumble and set aside. In the same skillet, melt butter in with reserved bacon grease over medium heat. Add pine nuts, and cook, stirring until browned. Add Brussels sprouts and green onions to the pan, and season with seasoning salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat until sprouts are wilted and tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in crumbled bacon just before serving.