Consistency, Thou Art a Jewel

A sensible indulgence:
Strawberries dipped in dark, bittersweet chocolate (72% cacao).

"Consistency, thou art a jewel." I heard this quote for the first time recently, and it struck a cord with me. The person I heard use the quote is a UGA football player - he's a kicker or snaps for the kicker or something like that. I can't remember exactly. But the point he was making was important, and I do remember that. As a youth, his father encouraged him to practice, practice, practice. "Consistency, thou art a jewel," his father would say. And now that young man is doing his thing, whatever it is, at a major university. The practice and consistency paid off. When he arrived at UGA he discovered the quote his father had said to him over and over again painted on the walls of the training facility.

I liked that story and how it came full circle when the young man achieved his goal, arrived on campus, and found the wise words often used by his father inscribed there. We become what we routinely do. Sometimes the progress is slower than we would like. It takes time to develop new skills or change old habits. But change does come when we are consistent and patient. Consistency, thou art a jewel.

On a mundane note, I wanted to share the picture of the chocolate dipped strawberries. I just melted some high quality, bittersweet chocolate, dipped the strawberries and then put them in the fridge for a little while for the chocolate to set. Guess what? When you don't eat sugar all the time, bittersweet chocolate actually tastes sweet. This is an easy, pretty, sensible indulgence for those holiday parties . . . or just for you when you need it.

Here Come the Parties

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon with Creamy Mustard Sauce

Party season is just around the corner. Thanksgiving through New Years brings one celebration after the next. Family gatherings, office parties, cocktails with friends, a party at Sheryl's house I hope, New Year's Eve at Byron's, and more in between. I love this time of year, but it can be challenging to eat well. So I've started a list of paleo-friendly, low-carb appetizers. I helped host a baby shower on Saturday which gave me an opportunity to get creative and try a few things. I made four dishes for the shower. Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon, Cheese Crisps, Deviled Eggs, and Spicy Nut Clusters. Based on what was left over from the shower I can call all four a success; the only one slightly in question is the Cheese Crisps -- Victor the dog got into these so I'm not sure if they were a hit with the humans or not, but canines appear to enjoy them.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Bacon with Creamy Mustard Sauce
from Southern Living Magazine

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Microwave 10 slices of bacon, in batches, between paper towels on high for 1 and 1/2 minutes. Cut the slices in half.
Wash and trim the brussels sprouts. Cut in half. Wrap 1 bacon half around each sprout and secure with a wooden pick. Place sprouts, cut side down, on a lightly greased wire rack on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with pepper. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes or until bacon is crisp and brussels sprouts are tender. Serve with Creamy Mustard Sauce.

Creamy Mustard SauceStir together 1/2 cup sour cream, 1 tablespoon whole grain mustard, salt and pepper. The original recipe called for 1 teaspoon of brown sugar which I omitted.

Lacy Cheddar Crisps

Lacy Cheddar Crispsfrom Perfect Recipes for Having People Over by Pam Anderson
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) packaged shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Because pre-shredded cheddar cheese available in packages is less moist and oily than freshly grated, it is preferable for this recipe.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon 1 tablespoon cheese onto parchment paper then spread into a round with your fingertips so that cheese is more or less in a single layer. Space about 1 inch between each crisp. Bake until crisps stop bubbling, 9 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When cooled, you can just peel the parchment away from the cheese crisps.

Deviled Eggs

I don't think anyone needs a recipe for deviled eggs. We've all made this standby before, but don't forget this tasty, satisfying hors d'oeuvre.

 Spicy Nut Clusters

I reported on these a few weeks ago. I made a double batch for the shower, and they were a hit.