::side:dish:noms::

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. A lot of people have a lot of prepping to do! Because there are only 2 more days-isk {depending what day your holding your festivities on} until that huge feast of a dinner. 

Many people stick with the traditional type of side dishes when it comes to serving food with turkey. There is stuffing, cranberry sauce, beans, brussels sprouts, corn & peas...some very hearty and rooty vegetables and sweet fruits...

I have never really tried brussels sprouts before so I definitely have been looking for Thanksgiving recipes that have this vegetable as the star of the show. 

You can roast them, boil them, saute them, pretty much do anything you want with 'em. 

The only down-side to these little green balls of flavor is that a lot of people just don't like 'em. They taste too cabbagey, so it's great to find recipes that have other ingredients added in that pack quite the punch - such as bacon. 

There is a show on the Food Network that I love watching {actually, I love watching them all} and it's with Giada De Laurentiis. 

This is one of her recipes that can be found on the Food Network Canada website.

This recipe calls for pancetta {very similar to bacon} but I am pretty sure you can use whatever kind of bacon you'd like. 

I am definitely going to try this as a side dish to my turkey...or even as a side dish to any other meats during the week. 

A lot of people {when you read the reviews} become completely converted after trying this recipe. 

I will let you know my take on it and maybe you can share some of your opinions on this vegetable as well. :) 

And man oh man...that picture makes my mouth water! Who woulda thunk that veggies could do that!? Lol. 

Bon Appetit!

Brussels Sprouts with Pancetta

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

Level: Easy

Ingredients

1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth

Directions

Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain. 

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve. 

This side dish sounds like it would be absolutely delicious with turkey and mashed potatoes. Yum!!!

-S.*