Confessions of a Formerly Picky Eater

The first time someone got me to eat a cucumber, I was around 23 years old. That someone was my dear friend Karen, who looked at me and said this simple sentence: "Cucumbers taste like summer."

Leave it to poetic words to finally convince me to try something I didn't think I liked. Thanks to Karen, cucumbers have been a part of my life ever since. (And she was right; they DO taste like summer.)

For the first two decades of my life, I was the fussiest of fussy eaters--particularly when it came to vegetables. Broccoli? No way. Lettuce? NOOO. Tomatoes? Are you nuts? (Well, if you're nuts, I'd eat you; but, tomatoes, no.) Feed me carrot sticks and the occasional serving of green beans, and I was good to go, thankyouverymuch.

It was only when I was an adult and started traveling that I grew out of my food hang-up. I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to live in London for a while in college and then again after I graduated. Being there was learning experience in about a thousand ways--including what it's like to live in an area that has access to all kinds of foods. From what to order at an Indian restaurant to how to prepare a proper cup of tea, I suddenly learned that, yes, I DO like trying this stuff! And when it came to my veggie issue, London also inspired my first encounter with the granddaddy of them all: salad. At the time, I was a poor student. I was also a hungry student, and at lunch one day, a salad came with free my meal. So it was my newly found sense of adventure combined with hunger and a serious lack of cash that made me think, "Alright, salad--let's do this." And we did. And we still do.

Although there are disadvantages to being a kid who won't eat her greens (mostly for that kid's parents--sorry, Mom and Dad), there actually are advantages as an adult. I find that I am still discovering things I didn't know I liked. And to be honest, it's such a small, simple joy for me to meet a new food--like opening a little gift every single time.

Lately, Brussels sprouts is that gift. I'm learning that they're sometimes fussy, too, and that they smell awful when they roast. But, oooooh, when they're good, they're good. Here's the quick recipe I am currently devouring. And if you have any other recommendations, bring 'em on!

(Mom, did I just hear you gasp?)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts from The Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts


• 3 tablespoons good olive oil


• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt


• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt (you'll like them salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

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