Today's Farmers Market Haul & Challenge

Today's Haul: Fresh cut, locally grown tulips, spinach, portabello mushrooms, brussels sprouts, sunflower bread, an oregano plant and a bottle of drinkable organic vanilla yogurt with probiotics. Not shown: The Atwaters Bakery scone that I ate while shopping.

Spring is in the air, folks! The Dupont Circle Farmers Market in Washington, DC was jamming this morning and it seemed like every guy, gal, baby and puppy were on hand to celebrate. With spring comes an even bigger selection, more colorful flowers, and yes, more people. But it's so much fun to see everyone and bask in the sun - it's worth braving the uptick in crowds.

This week, my Market Challenge is to cook brussels sprouts. I spent my whole life hating them only to have BLT Steak in DC blow my mind with their crunchy, caramelized version. (If you're new to the blog, I challenge myself to make something from the farmers market that I have never cooked before... and many times thought I didn't like growing up.) So, brussels sprouts... it's on.

Send me you ideas, your favorite recipes and tips! I'll blog the results and tweet my anxiety along the way.