Caramelized Mustard Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Blogging has been near impossible lately. I can blame it on any number of things but mostly it stems from just the very basic human need to just eat and forgo the whole archiving of the meal which blogging necessitates. Also I've been making a lot of my "safe" meals, things I can put together in just a few minutes, or some half-hearted "homemade" meals, the type using pre-made chicken sausage with veggies and a carb. Nothing special, certainly nothing blog worthy. So tonight I decided to keep it simple, but interesting. Enter Brussels sprouts, which for any normal person this would be a great side. But after a long day at work, and then running around my apartment the minute I got home with cleaning, laundry, entertaining a kitty and then wanting to be on the couch by 8pm for my Bachelor night (ugh, but true), well a warm salad sounded perfect.

And I loved this combination. Tangy and sweet, a little crunchy and smokey... it was another mostly me throwing things  together I thought would work to create a pretty damn good dish. And while I love the perfect marriage of Brussels sprouts and bacon, the bacon isn't completely necessary, for any vegetarian or weight watching friends out there. There's already so much flavor, it's just one more layer. But the absolute best thing was how quickly it came together. Not even 10 minutes prep, then 15 minutes on the stove and then that's it, dinner is done. My kind of Monday night (or let's be honest, any week night) meal.

Caramelized Mustard Brussels Sprouts with Bacon
1 lb brussel sprouts- quartered
1/2 c. roasted cashews- chopped
3 strips of bacon- cut into small pieces
1 Tbl. olive oil
1 1/2 Tbl. bourbon
1 1/2 Tbl. spicy honey mustard

1. Heat olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Once oil is hot add the brussel sprouts- preferably with the inside of the sprouts flush with the pan to get some good color. Turn fairly frequently so all sides get color and don't burn.

2. After about 5-8 minutes, once sprouts have browned nicely, add in the bacon pieces. Let cook for another 5-8 minutes. Turn off heat and add in the bourbon. Stir and then add in the mustard and toss to coat all sides. Top with pistachios, taste for salt and serve.