Monthly Archives: September 2015

Deep Fried Brussel Sprouts

Savory, Sides,
The Fryer
The Fryer
Deep Fried Brussel Sprouts
Deep Fried Brussel Sprouts

Even if you don’t like Brussel sprouts, I bet you will like them prepared this way.  I had my first taste of these babies last year when my husband and I went out to dinner.  They were delicious, however I felt bad when I found out they were fried in, of all things, soybean oil !!!   Seed oils are not good for you, period, so I decided I would make these at home and avoid any more restaurant surprises.

My first attempts didn’t work out to well, as I was trying to fry them in a pot on an electric stove.  For those of you that cook on electric, you know it is next to impossible to maintain a stable heat.  They turned out soggy or burnt.

I finally decided to buy myself a little deep fat fryer, thank goodness for Amazon Prime and the ability to impulse shop your heart out.  I am very pleased with the little fryer (pictured above) that I ended up with.  I wanted something that didn’t require too much oil, as I planned on using coconut oil and as you may or may not know it is a tad pricier than your run of the mill “bad for you” seed oils.  Coconut oil is a good choice as it has a high smoke point and has some very healthful qualities.   Also I don’t fry things that often, so I have no need of maintaining a huge vat of oil for extended periods.  This inexpensive fryer works great!

If you have a gas stove and decide to try making these  in a pot on it,  let me know how they turn out otherwise, I recommend a little deep fryer the one above you can get here.  Then make these tasty little treats….. even the kids will like them!!

 

Fried Brussel Sprouts

1 Pound Brussel Sprouts trimmed and washed cut in half and towel dried

Coconut oil

Salt to taste

  1. Fill your deep fryer according to manufacturer directions with coconut oil or use a small sauce pan and 1-2 cups of coconut oil.
  2. Heat the oil to *375 degrees
  3. Fry the Brussel Sprouts in little batches until the start turning brown around the edges and outside
  4. Lift the Brussel sprouts out of the oil and place in a paper towel lined bowl and sprinkle with salt.
  5. Let cool a moment and devour.  Repeat until they are all cooked.    Serves 1-4 People

Camping Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast,

camping breakfast_edited-1

This is a photo from my Iphone (excuse the bad quality) from our last family excursion.  We did a horsepack trip into the mountains a couple of weekends ago to listen to the elk bugle and to hike a ridge.

After so many of these trips, I have streamlined my food prep to be mostly at home with easy cooking out in the field.  This is a picture of our breakfast burrito I thought I would share with you, so you have a hearty breakfast idea for your next camping trip.

Notice the horse in the background eating calmly?  Little did we know they would take off in the night and run all the way back to the truck, leaving us to abandon the tack and gear and hike the 6 miles out.   Yes we did catch up with the wild horses and retrieve our gear a day later and came home with a good tale to tell.  A great family adventure!!!

Camping Breakfast Burrito

1 Yellow Onion diced

1-2 Cloves of Garlic minced

2-3 Medium sized Potatoes diced

1 Pound Breakfast Sausage (I have used pork or chicken links, whatever you fancy)

  1. Heat a skillet up to medium on the stove top sauté the garlic and onions 2-3 minutes.
  2. Add in the potatoes and sauté until they are just starting to soften.
  3. Add in the sausage and cook until done.
  4. Let this all cool and package for the trip.

Out in the great wild all you have to do is dump some burrito mix into the pan and heat it up adding your desired amount of eggs.  Serve on a tortilla (or not) with some salsa.  Add some cheese if you tolerate it and Enjoy!

This makes about 8 servings.

Lime Butter Sauce

Condiments,
Lime ButterSauce
Lime Butter Sauce

I’m baaaaack!  Once again sorry for such a long pause in my posting.  I had a goal to post once a week and I seem to be falling a wee bit short of that goal of late.

Alas the kids are back in school, and this past weekend, I spent the whole weekend cleaning and getting caught up from a summer of guests and fun.  The cleanliness of my house did suffer a bit from the summer mayhem, but time spent with family and friends far outweighs a clean house in my book.

We are now hitting my favorite time of year here in Montana, Indian summer, things slow down a bit, my hoarding instincts kick into full power, and the nights are cooler and longer.

I have been eating lots of salmon and fish lately, and wanted to share with you this little gem I found to slather just about any type of fish or vegetable in to make it taste even more divine than it is.  This recipe is from over at Epicurious HERE.  I have only slightly tweaked the amount of salt in this Lime Butter recipe.  If you know me you know, I love Kerrygold butter, so if you can get your paws on the stuff I recommend it for this sauce.

Oh, it is so quick and easy to make too….BONUS!  Enjoy it on fish or vegetables and let me know what you think!

 

Lime Butter Sauce (adapted from Epicurious)

1/4 Cup Fresh Squeezed Lime Juice

1/2 Cup (1 Stick) Butter Melted (I use Kerrygold)

1 Clove Garlic

1/2 tsp. Salt

Pepper to taste

  1. Place all but the butter into a blender and blend for about a minute.
  2. Slowly drizzle the melted butter into the blender while on low to incorporate blend on medium speed for about 30 seconds.
  3. Drizzle on Salmon, Mahi Mahi, or Vegetables!
  4. Makes about 3/4 of a cup!  Store the extra in the fridge it will last for weeks.