Saturday, February 22, 2014

I Took Brussels Sprouts to a Pot Luck

My friends Paul & Paula were having an olympic themed family pot luck (translation:  lots of screaming children running around) and we were to bring food from our country and dress appropriately.  For dress, I wore my favourite Hudson's Bay scarf (thank you mom)  and my Canada mitts (thank you Huziak's).  To me, nothing screams Canada more than Hudson's Bay stripes.

For food, I knew that I would have to make something with bacon.  Not Dutch bacon but good ol' President's Choice maple bacon that had been smuggled in from Canada.  The bacon that almost got confiscated at the airport after Christmas but I played naive and said "oh, I didn't know I couldn't bring bacon back to The Netherlands".  The bacon that I covet in my  freezer and bring out for special occasions and this was one of those occasions. . . a gathering of Canadians to celebrate the olympics and more importantly, to celebrate our Canadian pride!

Yes folks - you read that right - I look brussel sprouts to a pot luck last night and not just any ol' brussel sprouts.   These were the amazing fresh, baby sprouts that they grow here in The Netherlands that I have been addicted to (I eat at least 1 lb a week).  I tossed them with a little EVOO, some celery salt from The Silk Road Spice Merchant in Calgary (it is my "go-to" salt for everything) and a little cayenne pepper.  I roasted them at about 400 F - not really sure b/c my oven is in Celsius so I just wing it every time I use the oven.  Oh I also forgot to mention that I included bits of bacon - real bacon from Canada.  I then lightly drizzled them with maple syrup - real Canadian maple syrup and roasted them for another 5 minutes.  They were oh so yummy I must say!

Oh and to be fair, I did also take some bacon wrapped chicken bites with a a nice maple glaze as well - so it's not like I just showed up with a bowl of brussel sprouts!  I know, brussels sprouts aren't that glamourous nor are they something that you would normally take to a pot luck but in this case - it worked.  I am not saying that they were the #1 hit of the pot luck, but they definitely were enjoyed.

Today, like the rest of the Canada, I will too will be watching the men's gold medal hockey final - cheering my heart out, but unlike most of you - I get to do it at a civil hour :-)  and I will likely be eating some brussel sprouts with bacon and maple syrup from Canada!

Go Canada Go!

2 comments:

  1. I remember my mother had a Hudson's Bay blanket car coat when I was a kid and I know she still has a few blankets around the house. As for the hockey game, glad you got to watch it even if you couldn't get the CBC feed. Too bad it was at such a civil hour for you though, there is something so Canadian about an entire country getting up in the wee hours to watch hockey. And for those special folks in the Prairie Provinces the bars were opened early to house the revelers

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