Skillet Brussels Sprouts with Crispy Lardons

A blank canvas of Brussels sprouts ... waiting for the bacon

 For someone who didn't eat any meat (except for the occasional fish) for over 10 years, I certainly seem to be making up for lost time, don't I? Take this dish - I could have gone on making Brussels sprouts one of the two delicious ways I always do: either roasted in the oven with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper, or sauteed in butter with some fresh lime juice. Brother-in-law Trix made them, to great acclaim,  the latter way at Thanksgiving a few years ago.

For Top Chef Fans: My Late December Lunch at Volt

Happy belated New Year everyone! (Did you miss me?)

Welcome to my first post since the 12 Days of Feasting ended two weeks ago.  Honestly, I think it's taken me this long to recover from posting every day, not to mention cooking (and eating!) all those medieval meals. ...  Let's just say I still have a lot of bread pudding, slices of Ember Day tart, and egg nog to work off.

For those of you following along at home, in my last post I promised to share the deets of my  late December lunch at Volt.  Top Chef fans will recognize Volt as the restaurant of finalist and first runner-up Bryan Voltaggio,  brother of winner Michael Voltaggio. If you don't watch the show, there's a good chance you've never heard of the place, unless you happen to live in Frederick or the Baltimore/DC metro area. That's too bad: The vibe at Volt is definitely more urban than the Western Maryland location would lead you to expect, and I'd happily drive double the hour-plus it takes me to get there to enjoy both the (mostly) spot-on food and the impeccable, knowledgeable service.