Oh Sh*t!

(Sorry about the late post. I was having computer problems).

It was a tad warmer on Friday, but still overcast. I did go home for lunch (since I have to be at Building 3 in Livonia this afternoon to work on the software audit project). On the way home, I stopped and filled up my gas tank. Unfortunately, the price of mid-grade gas jumped up 10 cents per gallon over night. Damn! Why didn’t I buy it Thursday?

Once home after work, I treated the cats, changed clothes and relaxed a bit. Then I did a load of laundry.

I started making my dinner. Now, I must admit, this recipe sounded so weird, I just had to try it. If you think about it, every good German knows any "wurst" goes well with cabbage. But the rest of it, who knows?

So, I got out the Brussels sprouts I’d cleaned and halved the night before to warm up to room temperature. Meanwhile, I took a piece of aluminum foil and folded it over (to double it). In it I placed a shallot, peeled and quartered, and four cloves of peeled garlic. I added some extra-virgin olive oil and salt, wrapped it together and stuck it in the toaster oven at 400 degrees F. for 30 minutes (until the garlic was tender).

While that was roasting, I took a pound of kielbasa and cut it into 1/4 inch slices, on the bias. Those went into a large skillet that was on medium-high heat and had a teaspoon of olive oil in it. I fried them about three minutes per side, until they were evenly browned and crispy.

I also put my steamer basket into my saucepan and added some water. Once it was boiling, I added in the Brussels sprouts (one container and about 1 1/2 pounds worth). I steamed them until fork tender (about 4-5 minutes). I am multi-tasking like a mother!

I pulled out the kielbasa with a slotted spoon and set them on paper towels to drain.

I took out my pouch from the toaster oven to let it cool. I took a break to put the laundry in the dryer. When I went downstairs, the floor was wet! Damn!!

Now, I do have a 30-day guarantee on the sewer cleaning, so it’s kind of important to determine if the line is still plugged or what’s going on. But, since I’m in the middle of making dinner, I figured I’d test it over the weekend.

Back upstairs, I put the garlic and shallot into a bowl and mashed them with a fork. I put that mixture into the hot oil for a minute or so. Then I added two tablespoons of Dijon mustard and 1/4 cup of heavy cream (I told you this was weird) and added in the Brussels sprouts and (get this) a can of white kidney beans (also called Cannellini beans), rinsed and drained. I seasoned everything with salt and pepper and tossed repeatedly to coat. I continued this process until everything was heated through. I plated some and topped it with the kielbasa.

I took it into the bedroom and ate it watching the Friday night fights.

In spite of how strange it sounded, it tasted great! I will definitely make this again.