I'm in Love With a Rabbit

There is a new children’s show on Nickelodeon called "Peter Rabbit." If your kids don’t watch it, turn it on today. It is about a rabbit, Peter, and his buddies Benjamin and Lily who spend their days pilfering munchies, like radishes and carrots from Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden.

The other day we were watching an episode where Benjamin accidentally hits Mr. McGregor’s cat with a Brussels sprout, and the cat got VERY ANGRY. Well, the boys just thought it was hilarious, the madder the cat got, the harder they laughed. So Dylan turned to me and asked if we could go buy some Brussels sprouts! I guess if they are good enough for Peter Rabbit to risk his life, then they are worth a try? Or maybe he wanted to use them to throw at his brothers? I believe it was the latter…

I almost strapped all three boys in their car seats to head out to the supermarket, never mind that they were in PJs and minutes from bedtime. But I patiently waited to get them the following day; I had to ride this Brussels sprout wave while I had them on it.

One of the best ways to make a vegetable taste yummy is to roast it with lots of olive oil and salt on high heat until it caramelizes and gets crispy. I was cautiously confident it might work... but, just to be sure, I also added some sausage to tip the scales in my favor.

Ingredients:

1 episode of "Peter Rabbit"

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts

3 links sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

4 Tbsp olive oil, plus 1 tsp for the sausage

1 tsp Sea Salt (coarse if you have)

1/2 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Turn on episode of "Peter Rabbit" for your kids while preparing this dish.

Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.

To a large pot of boiling salted water add the Brussels sprouts and cook for 10 minutes remove with a slotted spoon and drop into a bowl filled with ice and water, after 5 minutes strain and set aside. (Can be done ahead – store in airtight container –refrigerated)

Heat one tsp of olive oil in a skillet and cook the sausage, breaking it up, until cooked through. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. (Can be done ahead—store in airtight container—refrigerated)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut the Brussels sprouts into quarters and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread onto a baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean-up) and roast until crisp on the outside and browned, about 35-40 minutes. Toss the pan once or twice for even browning. During the last 10 minutes of cooking add the sausage crumble and toss.

Sprinkle with a touch more salt and serve.

And the VERDICT is:

Liam: (Age 3 11/12): “I really like the crispy parts.”; “Mommy, I am staying up late tonight to wait for Peter Rabbit!”

Matthew (Age 5): “Liam, Peter Rabbit is not REAL! Mommy bought those at the supermarket.”

Dylan (Age 3 11/12): “Did he bring radishes too???”

OMG—they ate it! I am not sure if Liam and Dylan actually believe Peter Rabbit is real but who am I to rain on their parade? I neither confirmed nor denied it. And, obviously, everyone got ice cream for dessert.

Thank you Nickelodeon!

Visit my blog for more kid-friendly recipes: House of Bedlam