The Best Brussel Sprouts

 My kids love brussel sprouts!  Wooooow.  I NEVER thought I would say that.  I actually can't take any credit for it.  It was all my brother.  He wanted to make dinner with my dad for the whole family one evening.  It was delish as always, but he really shocked me with his brussel sprouts- shocked the kids too!  Even I didn't like brussel sprouts until then.  Everyone enjoyed them so much, he e-mailed the recipe to my mom and me.

They are now a regular item on our weekly menu.  Being lazy cheap busy, I really simplified it.  But we all still love every bit of it.

This is all you need:

Brussel Sprouts, however many look like they will feed your family
Olive oil, a drizzle
Balsamic vinegar, regular or white, a drizzle
Salt and Pepper
**Optional: Parmigiano Reggiano and a grater

This is all you need to do:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Some people say don't wash your brussel sprouts.
I have a hard time with that.  I like to wash everything.  If you are like me and neeeed to wash everything, the key is to make sure that you dry them completely. You do not want to bake wet brussel sprouts, the water releases a chemical that causes the stinky brussel sprout smell/taste which is the reason that growing up, so many of us couldn't stand our parents' boiled brussel sprouts and why we still think we don't like them. 

Once you have your dry brussel sprouts, cut them in half (or quarters for the bigger ones).

Arrange them cut side up on a pan. Drizzle olive oil and balsamic vinegar over them and sprinkle them with salt and pepper. 

Put the pan in the hot oven for 30 minutes.

**If you opted to use the parmgiano reggiano, take the sprouts out after 20 minutes, grate the cheese over them and then put the pan back in the oven for the last ten minutes.

And that's all there is to it!

Enjoy watching your loved ones actually enjoy their brussel sprouts.