Last year, winter break was fairly mellow and unchaotic. It mainly consisted of hanging out with high school friends and then spending time with family at home, but all of a sudden this year, I feel like we’ve been going to family friend gathering after family friend gathering. I’m never really too enthusiastic about these huge reunions where the parents spend hours reminiscing and chatting while the offspring has to watch movies, but the food is always pretty good. And if there’s good food, I’m content.
A couple nights ago, we hosted one such potluck get-together at our house, something we haven’t done in a really long time. It was a blend between American comfort food and Chinese home-cooked dishes, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much food eaten in such a short period of time. Favorites [though all were delicious] were the pork belly with mushrooms that my mom made, the giant baby back ribs slathered in a spicy bbq sauce, and even though no one made this, the Godiva double chocolate cheesecake that had a layer of mousse on top. I woke up the next morning and I was still full.
One dish that I did throw together another day was the brussel sprouts. We didn’t have any veg for dinner, so I looked in the fridge and pulled out those three ingredients, thinking the pepperoni was close enough to bacon [which is what most people would usually use] that it would crisp up nicely if browned beforehand. Success!
I don’t really know the measurements I used but it was incredibly easy. I diced one onion, quartered a couple giant handfuls of pepperoni and then quartered one of those tubs of brussel sprouts from the grocery store. Dunk the sprouts in boiling water until they become bright green and take them out immediately and put them in an ice bath. I think boiled brussel sprouts taste absolutely awful.
In the meantime, heat a tiny eensy weensy bit of olive oil in a sautee pan, add the pepperoni and let it crisp. When that’s done, add the onions and sautee them until they start to sweat. Add the brussel sprouts and sautee them til they start to brown a little. Salt and pepper to taste and you’re done!
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Notes on Food 
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