Broccoli

I have a rule at the house for my kids.  If it's a raw vegetable, they can eat as much of it as they want, anytime they want.  Elijah has taken that to heart.  He loves carrot sticks, celery, and bell peppers of all colors.  Now, I'm not saying he will take them over chocolate chip cookies or any other confection we may have around, but he knows he'll have to ask for that and that the answer is usually, "No" or "Later".  He has found that I don't even bat an eye when he is rummaging for veggies.

In order to keep up with his demand for these snacks (Tabitha is not quite as demanding, but she does like to take them for lunch) I wash and cut them up as soon as I buy them.  I always have baggies full of them in the fridge.  This week I bought some fresh broccoli and cauliflower as well.  I usually get frozen since It is usually cooked around here.  They just aren't as big on those as they are on the others.  Anywho, I did my diligent work of washing and cutting.  Then we went snowboarding.  When I got home last night I walked in the house and OOOHH the smell!!  I could not figure out where it was coming from.  There wasn't anything in the trash, nothing in the sink, the sewer had not backed up.  Where was this coming from!?  About that time I opened the fridge to get something out, or put something in, I don't remember.  All I remember is that the smell liked to have knocked my over!  Had the fridge died while we were gone?  Had something died in it?  No, it was my lovely broccoli and cauliflower!  Was it ruined? No.  I had released chemical compounds (ethyl mercaptan) in my endeavor to be more prepared for eating well.  I don't know exactly how it manages to smell through a Ziploc baggie and a refrigerator, but it does.  No wonder George Bush (H.W.) doesn't like it.  I'm cooking it for lunch now.

So, a word to the wise.  Keep you broccoli uncut until you are ready to use it, and don't try it with onions either!