Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Veggie Quest!

For Christmas, my wonderful readers, I wanted to give you the world. Something that would delight and inspire you, make your daily life easier, improve your posture, and wash your dishes while it was at it.

But then I came up with the idea of making a Christmas tree out of brussels sprouts, which seemed like it would be a whole lot easier.

Only it wasn’t. As a matter of fact, I think next time I’ll attempt something a little less taxing, like orchestrating world peace. Because let me tell you, getting a hundred brussels sprouts to stick to a foam core with broken party picks is no cakewalk. But this year, it’s what you’re getting. I hope you enjoy it!

What is a cakewalk, though, is making brussels sprouts delicious. No, the eggnog hasn’t gone to my head; I too used to detest these sprightly sprouts until I found some recipes that really made them sing. (What’s even easier is making other vegetables ridiculously tasty, from broccolini to celeriac to turban squash.)

So once the presents are opened and the pumpkin pie is devoured, I hope you’ll join me as I continue on my quest to try—and like—every vegetable in the grocery store. This year I plan to try beets, rhubarb, cactus paddles, and turnips, just to name a few.

I’ll also be spicing things up with veggie trivia (prizes may be involved), reader polls, and outside-the-box entrée recipes starring veggies first and foremost. I’ll be taking a break for the rest of December, but I’ll be back in January, ready to take the vegetable world by storm.

This coming year I’d also like to learn more about you, my fabulous readers. So tell me: what’s your favorite vegetable? And which one would you happily never taste again? I look forward to reading your answers in the comments below.

From my kitchen to yours, warm wishes for a happy, healthy, and veggie-licious 2011!