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Brussels sprouts.

I'm guessing to the average person, the phrase elicits an automatic shudder or at least an "Eww!" in response. When I told my husband I'd picked up some Brussels sprouts as part of my ongoing quest to get more vegetables in our diet, he thought I was joking. Then he turned as white as an olive-complected man possibly could. "You’re serious?" This from a man who once bragged to me that he "will try anything once." He was blanching at the thought of trying a tiny, green vegetable. He couldn't possibly have sealed the deal more completely.

I told him, the way I'd talk someone off a ledge, that it wouldn't be bad. That I'd researched recipes and the Internets were saying “yum.” And that the reason most people don't like 'em is because Brussels sprouts frequently are overcooked, which releases the sulfur and gives them that cabbage-like scent. Still dubious, although slightly mollified by the mention of  "cheese on top," we ventured in the kitchen.

The prep was easy, thanks to a bag of cleaned and uniform small Brussels sprouts from Trader Joe's; all I had to do was trim the bottoms and slice the sprouts in half. I used the Golden-Crusted Brussels Sprouts Recipe from 101 Cookbooks, a seriously wonderful site for the food-curious. The recipe commentary says, "It involves a skillet, less than five ingredients, about ten minutes of your time, and minimal culinary skills." I'd say that's spot-on.

In a few minutes, the sprouts were indeed turning golden brown and the kitchen smelled wonderful. Once they'd been dusted with Parmesan, it was all I could do to get them in the bowl before we started to devour the whole thing. My daughter raised an eyebrow, but my son was game, and now likes to tell his peers how yummy Brussels sprouts are, just to see the reaction. Even my mother, the woman whose deep-seated food aversions go back more than 50 years, was convinced. We've served them half a dozen times since that first attempt, and last night my notoriously picky daughter (she hates fruit, for Pete's sake!) grabbed several Brussels sprouts without a word and declared them "Good!"  Case closed for this family. But are you brave enough to try it for your family?