The Best Broccoli to Have Ever Been...

Dylan worked an early shift today which meant he'd be home in time for supper. I love it when he's home for dinner with me because that means I can make something super tasty that involves slightly more effort than peeling back some plastic cling film and setting the microwave on high for 4 minutes.

Broccoli Mountain

So for dinner tonight, I made mashed potatoes from scratch, a mixed pepper crusted pork loin, Yorkshire puddings, and the most delicious roasted broccoli I've ever managed to make EVER. So before we get down to the recipe, let me just talk about the other bits of the meal I made. The mashed potatoes were delicious but in a really horrifyingly sinful way. Why? Because I had a bit of cream leftover from last week and I didn't want it to go to waste so I mixed it into my potatoes. I know. I don't need it but holy shit, the potatoes are a force to be reckoned with! Yorkshire puddings are one of my favorite things about living in the UK. I realize that they are quite simple to make but I tend to shy away from baking and really, I can't tell the difference between a homemade Yorkshire pudding and a store bought one. I love that I can get a bag of 12 in the freezer section for like 40p. I love them so much. Mmm. So the pork is cool because it was on special offer at Lidl for £3.29 but then I found one that had a dented package so it was marked an additional 30% off. You betcha! I love a bargain!

Now onto this amazing broccoli and red pepper medley. It's the perfect blend of crunch and soft as well as sweet and savory. The florets were only slightly charred which added to the incredible taste and texture. Nom nom nom! I threw a bunch of stuff together so my measurements are going to be approximates. I'm sure it'll still taste AMAZING if you decide to replicate it. I am going to make this a LOT from here on out!

Roasted Broccoli and Red Bell Peppers

Seriously Delicious...

1 head of broccoli

1 bell pepper - doesn't matter what color but I like the contrast of red against green

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

1 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. sea salt

1 tsp. grated Parmesan cheese

a few grinds of fresh black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F

2. Cut the florets off the head of broccoli - cut florets into smaller bite size pieces, if necessary

3. Chop the bell pepper into bite size chunks

4. Put the broccoli and bell pepper into a baking dish and drizzle with the olive oil. Mix to coat.

5. Sprinkle the red pepper flakes, garlic powder, salt, Parmesan cheese and black pepper over the broccoli and bell pepper. Mix to coat.

6. Place in oven for 30 minutes. Stir halfway through cook time. Keep an eye on them to make sure they don't get too charred!

7. Shove into pie hole.