My mother's surprise 80th B-Day party was under heavy raps -- until dear Aunt Rose let slip that the kids were going to do something special for her. That was all, but we now had to act fast, so, a couple days after her birthday, we took her to The Spaghetti Warehouse for a nice family evening out. With her kids and grandkids, it went beautifully and she had a great time. She had no idea there was another party set for the following weekend -- oldest baby sister insisted she deserved two parties for her 80th -- this one to include all her neighbors and friends she had known in her 80 years that we could round up. Approx. 100 guests w/family.

My task for the gathering was a simple coleslaw. I mentioned diced red, orange, and yellow bell peppers for color and finely diced portabella mushrooms to add a smoky charm, but my younger baby sister said, or rather instructed, "Nothing special, Dan. Go to the store, get four bags of slaw and a couple bottles of dressing, dump 'em into a bowl, stir and bring. Again -- nothing -- special."

She knew my kitchen doubled as my foods lab, so-o-o.

Anyway, I did as I was told, but the half-finished product seemed so bland. Checking my refrigerator for anything I could sneak into the mix that looked like slaw, I dice up a bag of fresh Brussels sprouts and another of crispy red radishes. I included a hefty sprinkling of Mrs. Dash Original Blend, a flash of lemon-pepper, and two bottles of Marzetti slaw dressing, one Original, the other their Southern flavor.

A quick toss, a covert taste -- and OMG!

The radishes were a nice crunch, but the Brussels sprouts made the overall flavor really pop. The two gallon bowl did not survive the evening, and many came to ask about the recipe, including a number of surprised munchers who insisted they hated Brussels sprouts.

A good time was had by all.

Cheers, and good eats!