Monthly Archives: August 2011

Roasted Carrots with Feta and Parsley

I used to work for a company called ‘Companion Care,’ which sent me to take care of the elderly in their own homes. This could involve making a meal for them, helping them bathe or use the bathroom, simply sitting and keeping them company, sleeping on a couch next to their bed in case they needed something in the night, and doing moderate cleaning.

And–lest we forget–watching every single episode of The Golden Girls ever to air. Ever. I loved every second of it, and I want to be just like fun-loving Blanche when I grow up.

Minus the philandering part.

Minus the hairstyle . . .

. . . and minus the Southern accent.

So I guess I don’t want to be like Blanche at all.

I will never forget my resolution arising from this stint at Companion Care: I will not become a magazine lady. I remember a particular house in which the piles of magazines were just everywhere. Along with piles of mail of who knows what else–it was overwhelming. And claustrophobic. And gave me the creepy-crawlies all over my flesh.

After being given a subscription to the now-defunct Gourmet magazine by my friend Eve, a subscription to Bon Appétit by my mother, and then getting a free subscription to Martha Stewart Living using airline miles, I have been steadily heading down the path of Magazine Overload. And those creepy-crawlies started to come back.

Firm and unwavering action was needed, so I recently determined to get rid of all of my Martha Stewart issues, which comprised the bulk of my collection. But they couldn’t, of course, go straight to the trash–what if there was the Dish to End All Dishes in one of them and I missed it?? I just couldn’t take that risk. So I’ve been flipping through each magazine and ripping out any particularly inspiring recipes. Though dear Team Martha was involved to a degree in a ravioli disaster, they were also involved in a whomping mushroom success, so I really wanted to ferret out any hidden treasures and bring them to the light. My initial purging project is now 100% complete; my next project will be making all the recipes, blogging about the worthy ones, and then tossing the paper. This may take approximately 1 decade.

But anyway, this is the first recipe I snatched up. It was simple and colorful and, as I suspected, absolutely delicious. And simple. And easy. And colorful. Did I already say that? And low-maintenance. I made a big adjustment to the cooking time and some small adjustments to ingredient amounts, but besides that, it’s quite true to the original.

Ingredients

(Serves 5)

2.5 lbs carrots (9-10 large carrots)
2-3 TBS olive oil
Salt and pepper
3 TBS fresh minced parsley
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese

Wash and cut the carrots on a deep diagonal, about 1 inch thick.

Toss the carrots with the olive oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper on a large sheet pan.

Spread them into a single layer.

Pop ’em in the oven and roast them at 425 F for about 40 minutes (or until caramelized), turning them over at the halfway point.

In the meantime, mince up the parsley:

And measure out the crumbled feta.

When the carrots are done, they will look something like this:

Mmmm. Caramelization is, like, the best, dude.

Put them in a large serving dish and toss them with the parsley and feta.

Beautiful! I love the colors. Love ’em, love ’em, love ’em.

Serve ’em up!

I made some salmon to go with this:

Unfortunately that particular fish recipe wasn’t quite excellent enough to share with you all, but I highly recommend the pairing.

These carrots are a cinch to make, and would be a great dish to make for a large group of people, or for a potluck. Or for yourself, on your arduous journey toward 20-20 vision. Give ’em a try! You’ll love every bite.

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Welcome to Wonderland

This is my aunt Jacquie’s house–the sun room, to be exact. You probably got a good taste of her decorating sense from this post about the Couch Debate of 2011 . . . or this post about the beauty of her garden.

There are lovely little treasures peppering the house.

But it doesn’t give off a feel of overbearing clutter (at least not while her daughter-in-law Kristen is around to extend her Long Arm of Organization and force frequent purgings)–just one of mystery and enchantment.

Of a family history, told in the things hanging on the walls.

Aunt Jacquie has been hard at work re-making her house ever since she bought it a number of years ago. One of the inspirations for her redesign has been a certain group of little tykes.

Go hug that tree!

They are at a very impressionable age, as you can see. In fact, her grandkids are just old enough to start really enjoying everything she’s done.

And I don’t just mean the big yard that they can run in . . .

. . . though they certainly love to run!

You’ll soon see what I mean. In fact, let’s go up the staircase to the second floor . . .

. . . and up to this seemingly blank and innocent wall. With a very innocent tapestry hanging on it.

Or not so innocent.

What’s that? A hidden door behind the tapestry? Yes! I’ll take a step back so that you can see the hidden door in context:

Let’s go in!

Whoa! We’re climbing up into a castle!

Complete with a dragon and a princess!

I think we’ve just wandered into Wonderland.

There are comfy chairs for the adults to sit in . . .

. . . and a whole room full of things to play with!

Like this airplane.

But, being a girl, the most exciting part of the attic is the area solely dedicated to doll things. Because who cares about riding around in little airplanes and fire trucks when there are doll-sized trees? Doll-sized benches? Doll-sized bureaus and desks and chairs?

Here’s their sitting room . . .

. . . their dining room . . .

(would you just look at those miniature golden goblets! and miniature picture on the wall! and miniature rug! and tiny tablecloth! Oh oh oh!)

. . . the General Store where they stock up on their flour and sugar . . .

. . . and their schoolroom, complete with an iron-bellied stove for those cold winter days.

I want to play here for 5 hours, please.

In fact, make that 5 days.

I think if this attic had been in existence when I was a child, I might have had a heart attack at the age of 7. I would have gone completely ga-ga.

And it’s not just the toys–it’s the little doors. The secret rooms.

The perfect size for little people at play!

Or big people who don’t mind getting stiff knees and a crick in their back.

Plus, you can spy on the adults’ goings-on from up here!

Whether they’re in the garden or in this sitting room below, there’s a wonderful bird’s eye view.

It’s all very child-safe–the spiral staircase is guarded by this metal gate so that no children accidentally zoom down in the metal airplane or other contraption on wheels.

This attic brings joy to a lot of children–and also to the children still lurking within us adults.

Aunt Jacquie, you’ve created a magical world!

And now to get some air conditioning up there . . .