Common Cuisine |

How often do you find a new recipe that gets you completely excited about cooking again? Usually for me those recipes are desserts or breakfast dishes. I will admit, I did find new dessert and new breakfast recipes this year.

But a few months ago I found a recipe for carrots, of all things, that just blew me away with how wonderful they taste. I have served these with grilled chicken, roast beef, and chicken fried steak, (another new favorite).

The secret is the rosemary herb mix, I believe. The original recipe, which is probably also wonderful, calls for rosemary. I don’t keep that in stock, but I do have a rosemary herb mix from Pampered Chef that gives it a more complex taste.

Another reason I am so jazzed about this recipe is that it is simple and the kids love it.

I declare Carrot French Fries to be my favorite new recipe of this year, the best of the best in my opinion!

This is a super easy recipe! You can get the kids to help by peeling the carrots, stirring them into the butter mixture, and dumping them onto the pan. Remember to scrape the peeler down the carrot.

• 2 pounds whole organic carrots (they really do taste better)
• 2 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 tsp dried); a rosemary herb blend also works well
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• a couple shakes of freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Line a rimmed cooking sheet with foil, and spray with cooking spray.

Wash and peel carrots, and trim ends. Cut each in half to make two sections, the stem end and the tip end. Cut each half longways into quarters, to make four french-fry-shaped sticks. Place carrots in a large mixing bowl.

In a small bowl or dish, combine butter, oil, rosemary, sugar, salt and pepper. Melt together in microwave for 30 seconds. Alternatively, melt together in a small saucepan over low heat. Pour butter mixture over carrots, and stir with a wooden spoon until evenly distributed.

Pour the carrot sticks onto the foil, and spread them out as evenly as possible. Bake until carrots are soft and turning brown in places, 20-40 minutes. This is not a time-critical recipe; the longer they bake, the sweeter they taste.

Serves 6-8 as a side dish.

• 1 lg butternut squash
• 1 med onion
• 3 med apples
• 1 cup chopped carrot
• 5 cups broth
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp granulated sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup milk

Place whole squash in the microwave for 8 minutes.

Peel and cut squash in cubes. Place all ingredients (except milk) in a soup pot and cook for 45 minutes or longer. Adjust seasonings.

Stir in milk and ladle into bowls.

Serves 10.

The secret to having fabulous pot pie is to use tasty cooked chicken. Dawn likes to season and roast a whole chicken for this recipe, or pan-fry two or three chicken breasts with garlic, lemon pepper, and poultry seasoning until golden.

• 1 cup each, chopped: onion, celery, carrots
• ½ cup peas
• 1/3 cup butter
• ½ cup flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1½ tsp poultry seasoning
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 4 cups chopped cooked chicken
• 1 prepared pie crust

Saute onion, celery and carrots in butter for 10 minutes. Add flour to mixture, stirring well; cook one minute, stirring constantly.

Preheat oven to 400°. Combine broth and milk; gradually stir into vegetable mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly. Stir in poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add chicken and peas, stirring well.

Pour chicken mixture into greased shallow 2 qt casserole. Top with pastry, and slit with a few air vents. Bake for 40 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Serves 6.

Oven roasting brings out the full flavor of vegetables. You can use a variety of winter vegetables, including sweet potatoes, parsnips, or whole peeled garlic cloves.

• 2 large potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 1 red pepper
• 1 large zucchini
• ½ head cauliflower
• 8 oz package fresh mushrooms
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp Italian Seasoning or Oregano
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 425. Scrub potatoes and carrots. Wash all vegetables. Cut potatoes into 1″ chunks. Cut carrots into 2″ chunks. Cut red pepper and zucchini into ½” x 2″ chunks. Cut cauliflower into small flowerets. Cut mushrooms in half.

Place vegetables into large mixing bowl and toss with oil and garlic bits. Sprinkle with Italian Seasoning, salt and pepper.

Spread vegetables in 1″ deep cookie sheet. Bake 45 minutes, stirring twice, until golden brown and a little crispy.

Serves 8.