Maple Glazed Carrots

I am thankful because today I get to express my wishes and desires for the direction of this beautiful country. I get to stand up and say this is what I want and this is what's important to me. For the first time ever, I carefully went through and looked up each candidates position. Well, okay not all the candidates. I didn't look up those people from the Green Party, the Socialist Party, or Ralph Nader. And I overlooked the Ohio Supreme Court people by accident. And then there were three separate people on my ballot that were somehow peripherally people I knew. My breakfast buddy A's mother-in-law, another lawyer's dad, and a friend of the family's brother were all running for things, one Republican, one Democrat, and one Independent (sorry, my town may be the county seat and twice the size of Wasilla, but it's still pretty small). But, other than that I made informed decisions. I looked up who was running for sheriff. I looked up the issues. I listened to both sides and I thought about things and I made decisions for myself and I VOTED. This is a truly great country that we get the chance to vote. And for that I'm thankful. And if when tonight is over, Barak Obama gets elected I'll be even more thankful. That's right, I've voted for Mr. Obama. It's done. So none of your political arguments are going to change that. Or those damn robo-calls. Man those are annoying.


What's most important is that YOU actually make an informed decision about what's important to you and you go out there and wait in line and vote too. And besides if you take one of these stickers to Ben and Jerry's, they'll give you a free ice cream. That's something to be thankful for. Especially if your nearest Ben and Jerry's isn't hours away.

These lovely Maple Glazed Carrots were part of my Dinner of Giving Thanks. They were super easy and completely delicious. And yes, I just ate all of the leftovers for lunch. I might have to make these again...

Maple Glazed Carrots
from Real Simple

3 pounds carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick on the diagonal
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Kosher salt and black pepper

In a large skillet, combine the carrots, syrup, butter, 1/3 cup water, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, stirring once, until the carrots are tender and the liquid has reduced to a glaze, 12 to 15 minutes. (If the carrots are tender before the liquid has thickened, uncover, increase heat to medium-high and cook until the liquid forms a glaze.)

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

So what exactly am I thankful for? Besides my happy family and my hunk of a husband? Well, today I'm thankful the brakes and headlights are good on my trusty Ford Focus. I'm thankful for my eye-foot coordination. And I'm thankful for the 4 feet of pavement that separated me from a pretty big male deer (it had horns) that happened to be standing in the middle of the road. It wasn't crossing the road. It was just standing there. Like it was suicidal or something. I hyperventilated for the next 10 miles, but I'm very thankful. Whew.

These Brussels sprouts are also something to be thankful for. It was kind of funny because my mom kept raving about them and how sweet they are. And my sister told me on the way out that if they were cooked that way at home she might actually eat them. I think that's massive praise considering M. is not a fan of vegetables in general. And even better these are a no-fuss vegetable dish.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans

courtesy of Real Simple

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved

1 cup pecans, roughly chopped

2 Tbsp olive oil

kosher salt and black pepper

(the original recipe called for 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, but I seem to have forgotten to add them. oops!)

Heat oven to 400 degrees F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the Brussels sprouts, pecans, oil, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Turn the Brussels sprouts cut side down. Roast until golden and tender, 20 to 25 minutes.

Vegan Lavash Crackers and Herbal Oil dip

I tend to shy away from vegan recipes for a couple reasons. I am completely in love with butter. I try to eat it only in moderation, but I do eat it. Happily. I love the stuff. Another reason I shy away from vegan recipes is the usual abundance of soy recipes. While soy is a lovely food for most people, it makes me violently ill. It's not life threatening or anything, just gross. And painfull. And finally, those vegan recipes can be hard to find. I admire people who stick to the vegan lifestyle. I couldn't do it.

But the Daring Baker's Challenge this month was Lavash crackers that we made vegan. Some people even went the gluten free route, but I'm afraid I just went with vegan. Then we had to come up with a vegan dip. I went with a lovely herbal oil. It's almost like a tangy pesto. Overall these crackers were damass delicious and I'll be making them again.

That way the Brain can have some too.

I may have inhaled most of them.

Herbal Oil Dip

1 cup assorted herbs (I used parsley, marjoram, thyme, lemon thyme, oregano, mint, rosemary)

1 Tbsp capers

2 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

Throw everything in the food processor and pulse until desired consistency.

Don't forget to check out all the other Daring Baker's and this month's challenge is hosted by Natalie of Gluten a Go Go and Shel of Musings from the Fishbowl.