Last year, G, the Sous-chef and I had dinner at the American Legion and I wrote about glazed carrots. We all fell in love with that taste treat.

This year I discovered parmesan carrots. Basically they are totally different, but so similar. Sometimes the glazed carrots are too sweet. I want to roast them with a chicken for example.

Carrots are in my top 5 favorite vegetables. I love asparagus more, but it is not as versatile. And you can’t count out squash. As you can see, I just love veggies.

The next time I make these, I will use multi colored carrots. That sounds a bit more fun.

Decide how many people will be eating the carrots.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. In a shallow pan, place carrots and drizzle with olive oil. Salt liberally and bake for approximately 15 to 20 minutes depending on the thickness of the carrots. Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

These are pretty tasty. Give them a try.

*****from the Recipe Box:

When I first saw the carrot picture, it looked like a king crab leg. Be careful, I think I ground up the Parmesan too finely.

and remember: Relationships are always stronger when you are best friends first, and a couple second.

Big kiss, Lynn

While other parts of the country are sweltering, we are having dreary, dreary days. This corn pudding recipe is the perfect side dish to have as we approach the summer solstice in drizzly Washington state.

I usually include this as a Thanksgiving side, but the other day we had it with grilled burgers. I always think of this as something Colonial, perhaps shared by native Americans all those years ago. It’s soft and chewy.

2 cans (15 ounce) creamed corn

2 cups Bisquik (I usually prefer Jiffy Baking Mix)

2 eggs, beaten

4 tablespoons sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1 pound grated Jack cheese

2 small cans diced green chilies

Combine first 5 ingredients.  Mix well and pour half into a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Layer with cheese.  Put remaining batter on top.  Bake 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

*****From the Recipe Box:

This recipe is easily halved.

I used a 3 cheese blend and since I had no green chilies, I finely diced some green pepper. That worked out so well, I’ll probably use a full range of bell peppers in the future.

and remember: Virginia Woolf said it best: In case you ever foolishly forget, I am never not thinking of you. Big kiss, Lynn

My reticulating activator system has been working in high gear lately.  We all have one, but it’s like a Spidey sense, it’s not always tingling.  So what is it?  Say you just found out you are pregnant.   You go to the mall and you swear everyone you see is pregnant.  Or you get a Mohawk and it looks like everyone gets a Mohawk.  In my case, I heard someone mention Egg Foo Young and suddenly everywhere I looked, Egg Foo Young was being discussed.  Now for me, I take that as a sign from the gods I’m supposed to be making Egg Foo Young.

I used to make it fairly often.  Is it truly Chinese food?  I don’t think so, but it is fairly exotic if you’re used to ‘white Norwegian food’ like my family was growing up.  It’s also a good way to introduce different vegetables into a kid’s diet.  C the MP loved them.  They look sort of like pancakes so you’ve won that battle.  It’s not like the aliens have landed and want you to eat aardvark tails.  I’ve heard the recipe was developed in California during the Gold rush, in southern China to use up leftovers; you get the picture, no one knows for sure.

Bottom line, I like to use the ratio of 2 cups veggies, meat, etc. to 4 eggs.  This is the perfect ratio for me.

• 4 eggs
• 8 ounces fresh bean sprouts
• 1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
• 1 cup cooked small shrimp or chicken
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

Directions

1. Beat together the eggs, bean sprouts, green onions, shrimp, and garlic powder in a bowl until well-combined. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat, and scoop about 1/2 cup of the egg mixture into the skillet to make a patty. Fry until golden brown, about 4 minutes per side, and repeat with the remaining egg mixture. Set the patties aside.
2. Whisk together the chicken broth, cornstarch, sugar, vinegar, and soy sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat until the sauce simmers and thickens, about 5 minutes. Spoon the sauce over the patties.

*****  From the Recipe Box:

Easy fast dinner with plenty of protein and veggies.

and remember:  If you’re going to be weird, be confident about it.  Big kiss, Lynn

Sometimes you just have to branch out and try new things. I’ve mentioned in the past that I am not a vegetarian, but if I never had meat again I’d be OK with that. I love all things vegetable, almost to the exclusion of protein foods. I can always tell when I get the shakes, it’s time for a piece of cheese or a hard boiled egg.

So, I found this recipe on YouTube. It looked ever so interesting to me. I love the versatility of cabbage. I started loving it in corned beef and cabbage. I next moved on to adding it to my Asian stir fries. And of course, Hello!, I almost forgot cabbage rolls.

3 medium-sized potatoes (approximately tennis ball sized or smaller)

2 carrots

1/2 cabbage

Grate everything with a blender or by hand.

Add 2 eggs, 3/4 cups breadcrumbs, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix well. Lay down a piece of parchment paper in a rimmed baking sheet 10 x 15 or so. Spread mixture in pan. Drizzle with 1/2 cup olive oil. Cook in the oven at 400 ° for 25 minutes.

*****From the Recipe Box:

This comes out crispy and needs to be cut into squares.

I added granulated garlic and onion. Bland food is boring food.

I’m using it as a side or I crisp it up like hash browns and fry an egg on top.

and remember: It’s OK to make mistakes, to have bad days, to be less than perfect, to do what’s best for you and to be yourself. Big kiss, Lynn

When I was younger, one of the most popular cartoons on TV was Popeye. My little brother wanted to be Popeye when he grew up. He was constantly begging our mom to buy him canned spinach even though she knew he wouldn’t eat it.

Finally, the big day came. Mom bought spinach. She went to heat it up, but P said no, Popeye ate it straight out of the can. In the hopes of teaching someone (my brother) a valuable lesson, she opened the can and P took a huge bite. It did not go down well. He immediately threw up all over the kitchen.

So, what have we learned here? Listen to your mama and don’t eat spinach straight out of the can. Eat it like it is served at the fancy steakhouses. Pretend you are part of the Rat Pack.

This may be an acquired taste.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh spinach or 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ¼ cup onion minced
• 1 tablespoon butter
• ⅓ cup heavy cream
• 2 ounces cream cheese
• ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
• ⅛ teaspoon seasoning salt
• black pepper to taste

• Wash and dry spinach if using fresh. Remove any tough stems and roughly chop.
• Cook spinach in a pan with olive oil over medium heat until wilted and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Remove from pan and place in a strainer to drain.
• Add onion and butter to the pan and cook on medium low heat until onion is softened. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a simmer while stirring until smooth. Simmer 1-2 minutes or until thickened.
• Squeeze any excess moisture out of the spinach. Add back to the pan and stir to combine. Heat through and serve

*****From the Recipe Box:

G did not like this, not even a little bit.

I know it’s a lot of work for a side dish, but what the heck. Make it when you have time.

I like it over a baked or mashed potatoes.

Like I said, don’t judge me, it’s really good.

and remember: Stop wasting your life away doing nothing. Big kiss, Lynn

G and I took the grandson and sous chef extraordinaire to the American Legion for dinner the last night he was here. J loves their chicken fried steak. We all had glazed carrots on our plates. What surprised me was how much everyone loved the glazed carrots.

My Grandma used to make the kids glazed carrot coins long, long ago.

Ingredients

• bag of baby carrots  or any sliced up carrots
• ½ cup of butter
• ¼ cup of light or dark brown sugar
• salt and pepper to taste
• parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Put carrots, brown sugar, and butter in a pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally so they don’t burn.
2. Once the liquid reduces and becomes like a glaze, season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve once they are tender.
3. For garnish, you can sprinkle in some chopped parsley, thyme, rosemary, or other herbs (optional).

*****From the Recipe Box:

Believe it or not, these carrots don’t take long to cook, but I still put a lid on them for a smidgy bit. J’s already planning on these for Thanksgiving.

and remember what Ken Keyes said: To be upset over what you don’t have is to waste what you do have.  Big kiss, Lynn