Lately, I’ve been watching nothing but channels that are catered to foodies and aspiring cooks. I alternate between two channels depending on my mood.
On the weekdays, I like to watch the competitions. I am always amazed at the chefs’ abilities to make weird ingredients into something gourmet.
Saturdays, I like to be welcomed into someone’s home and taught how to cook. It makes me feel like I am an old friend of the family as the chef teaches me how to prepare their family’s favorites.
As they cook, I cook and while we are not making the same dish, it always inspires me to make something more elaborate than just a traditional egg breakfast. I like that.
Because I’ve been watching those channels nonstop, Thanksgiving has been on my mind more than usual.
Normally, my main concern is whose house I am stopping by and in what order. Now I can’t think about anything else besides the food, but who can? Am I right?
It’s not necessarily what’s going to be there, but I wonder if it’s time to try something new.
That’s why I made candied carrots Saturday night after thinking about healthier alternatives to my family’s favorite dishes. It’s a spin on candied yams, which has been a staple at my Thanksgiving table for as long as I can remember. Because carrots and candied yams are almost the same color, I thought that would be an easy transition.
Ingredients:
– 1/3 cup of almonds
– 1 tablespoon of olive oil
– 4 large carrots
– 1 decored and chopped apple
– 1/3 cup of cranberries
– 2 teaspoons of sugar
– 4 teaspoons of cinnamon
– 2 teaspoons of ginger
– 1 tablespoon of honey
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toast almonds in an ungreased baking pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes.
2. Peel and chop carrots. Roast carrots in oven after tossing with olive oil, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and ginger until the carrots are soft and tender.
3. Decore and chop apples and toss with 2 teaspoons of cinnamon and sugar. Place apples and cranberries in a sandwich bag so that they can soak in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
4. In a small saucepan, warm the honey on low heat. Add toasted almonds to the honey and remove when every almond is nicely coated.
5. Mix the apples and cranberries in with the roasted carrots. Then drizzle the honey-almond mixture over the carrots.
Enjoy!
