Jewish Penicillin

     I came down with something nasty over the weekend and my lovely wife made me some matzo ball soup to help with my recovery. The recipe came from "The Joy of Cooking" which I understand has been a staple cookbook in many homes since approximately 1931. Quite delicious, and highly recommended anytime you're under the weather. Thanks, wife!

Bacon Sprouts

I think we all know the one surefire way to always make veggies delicious... add bacon.  I happen to dig Brussels sprouts, but I'd be lying if I didn't say I dig them much more when they're cooked in bacon grease. This is a spin off of the Broccoli side dish at PumpRoom at Public Chicago which is outstanding, and reasonably priced for the area.

Bacon Sprouts:
1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
1/2 lb bacon
1/4 cup pistachios shelled and finely chopped
1/4 to 1/2 (depending on desired heat level) medium jalapeno diced 1tpsp ground cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cane sugar

Cook bacon (not too crispy) in large pan, drain and set aside. Do not dump bacon grease! Place trimmed and halved Brussels sprouts directly in pan with grease on medium heat. Add jalapeno, pistachios, cayenne, salt, pepper, and sugar.  Cook uncovered until sprouts are carmelized but still firm in the middle, about 13-15 minutes. Chop bacon in 1/2" pieces and mix in to sprouts while in pan.  

Mr. Eggs and I

Whit had to study tonight, so it was on Mr. Eggs and I to cook up something delicious.  There was some sauce and pasta in the cabinet and some spare veggies in the fridge. Nice easy way to make a slightly lame pasta sauce outstandingly delicious.

This is actually one of my weekly go-to sides.  We usually have a loaf of sourdough laying around, so it's nice and easy to cut up some slices and turn them into crispy garlic bread. Credit to my wonderful step mom, Tracy, for this delicious recipe. Sorry for no exact measurements, but I always just apply ingredients to taste.

Sourdough Garlic Bread:

-1 loaf fresh sourdough, sliced thick

-Salted butter

-Extra virgin olive oil

-Coarse ground salt

-Coarse ground pepper

-Garlic salt

-Paprika

Preheat oven to broil. Apply ingredients in order listed to desired taste, I go even distribution of all ingredients. Place sliced bread on broiler pan and slide into broiler for 2-3 minutes.  Keep a close watch on this as the bread can go from perfect to completely burnt in a matter of seconds while in the broiler.