tasty carrots from Whole Foods

Thanksgiving is a time for counting blessings, being thankful and swapping recipes. Every year, I like to try to add a little something new to my Thanksgiving menu. Even if it’s just a new way of preparing yams (affectionately and not so affectionately called “yam mush” in my house) or a crazy turkey brining method, I’m game. I especially like to prepare other people’s family favourites. And so, in the spirit of adventure and seasonal recipe swapping, we here at the UsedEverywhere blog will be sharing our family recipes! Fun!

Last week you read about Carly’s carbolicious side dish recipe for Schwartzie Potatoes (she had me at “Schwartzie”), and today we’re talking carrots. Justine’s lovely, honey glazed carrots, to be exact. With every great family recipe, comes a great story. Here’s Justine’s:

“I married into a big family. Like, my husband’s the oldest of eight. Plus foster kids. And both sets of Grandparents live nearby, as well as some aunts and uncles and cousins. So when it comes to Thanksgiving everyone’s already got their specialties. Sooo… one time I got asked to bring a vegetable. They didn’t need me to bring a vegetable – it was more to let me feel included. But I decided I was going to bring the best darn vegetable I could. So if you’re looking for a vegetable dish that can stand out amongst the stars of the show (turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing) this one’s for you. It’s a lovely balance between savoury and sweet and is a lovely companion to the usual fare.”

HONEY-GLAZED CARROTS

-2 bunches of small, slender carrots, peeled and halved lengthwise (this is the prettiest choice, but if you can’t find these, cut some large carrots in long diagonal slices instead)

-3 Tbsp butter

-2 Tbsp white onion, minced fine

-2 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only

-coarse salt and black pepper, to taste

-1/2 tsp of lemon juice

-2 Tbsp honey
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Begin melting butter in medium sized roasting pan over medium heat.

2. Add the carrots, onion and thyme leaves and toss to coat with the butter. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

3. Transfer the pan to the oven and roast, stirring occasionally, for 15-25 minutes or until the carrots and shallots are tender.

4. Remove the pan from the oven and return to the stove over a medium heat. Drizzle the honey and lemon juice over the carrots and gently toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and freshly ground black pepper, if necessary.

 
Thanks, Justine! I think we can all agree that the only thing better than carrots are carrots slathered in butter and honey! If you have any family recipes to share, we’d love to hear from you! You know what to do…