"Raina Rose" news and stories

When my sister came to visit last week, the first thing she asked me after hoping into my car at the train station was, "Do you have any brussel sprouts?" This might sound like a weird question, but the last two times she's stopped in Philly I just happened to have roasted brussel sprouts in the fridge. Sadly, this time around I didn't have any (although I had thought briefly about stopping to get some just the day before she arrived) and while we ate well while she was here (she makes a mean roasted sweet potato) I had started to develop a mean yen for some roasted brussel sprouts.

Last Thursday I finally slaked my thirst, as it were, with a pound of sprouts from my local produce market. I trimmed the ends off, sliced them in half and tossed them in a roasting pan with half a chopped onion, crushed garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. They went into the oven at 375 degrees for about half an hour, until they were browned and tender. I finished them with a little squeeze of lemon and some chopped, toasted walnuts. Truly one of the best things ever.

I'm a big fan of leftovers. I love cooking something sort of big one night and knowing that I'll be able to eat it for lunch or dinner for the next couple of days. However, I believe in treating my leftovers with consideration. I always reheat them (typically in a pan on the stove top) and will often give them a slightly new taste with a sprinkling of fresh herbs, a handful of cheese or some toasted nuts. I have a very hard time with leftovers that are just plucked from the fridge and eaten cold.

My sister, who has been in town for the last couple of days, does not have the same leftover philosophy as I do. She is happy to graze in front of the refrigerator, taking bites of congealed pasta straight from the plastic container or eating half a piece of cold pizza, putting what she doesn't want back in the box, toothmarks and all.

What kind of leftover person are you? Do you avoid them all together? Do you transform them into something new with each meal? Or are you in my sister's camp, willing to eat whatever is there as is?

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