Tag Archives: Carrots

Recipes - Side Dishes

Copper Penny Carrots

Copper Penny Carrots

I associate this dish with friendship because as years pass, the best friendships become sweeter and more meaningful. For the past ten years, I have hosted a group of my closest high school friends to a dinner party in mid-January. “The Class of ’67 & Friends Gala” is now a tradition and the evening passes with much merriment as we enjoy a hearty meal prepared at my house along with many appetizers and desserts shared by the ladies. This particular gathering is our time to celebrate and toast a happy new year and thoroughly enjoy the easy camaraderie long friendships entertain. My dinner party menu for this event varies only slightly each year with menu choices revolving around dishes easily prepared the day before; doing so provides more visiting time and less hubbub once we gather. You will like this dish both because it is tasty and because people don’t eat large servings of it so you will have enough carrots for several meals. The marinade is a basic sweet-sour mixture using canned tomato soup as a base with vinegar and sugar added; the sauce, spiced with ground mustard, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, infuses the carrots with tangy flavor akin to many relishes.

Added bonus for this dish(!) is that the flavor of the dish mellows as it sits. And that is probably why the dish brings to mind friendships. Both only get better with time. The yellowed magazine recipe page in my files, dated September 1977, reminds me that this dish also has stood the test of time. If you and your family like carrots, this is a keeper for you particularly.

Copper Penny Carrots

Ingredients

3 lbs. young slender carrots, peeled, sliced in thin rounds

For the marinade

1-(10 oz.) can tomato soup
3/4 cup vinegar
1/2 cup cooking oil
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. dry mustard
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper

Directions Peel and slice the carrots then boil them with water to cover in a large sauce pot for 15 minutes or until just fork tender but still crisp. Drain well then place them in large glass mixing bowl. Prepare the marinade by bringing remaining ingredients to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil 5 minutes, low. Pour the hot marinade over carrots and stir to coat well. Chill in fridge overnight. This dish lasts a week plus in the fridge if not eaten in one sitting; just stir well before serving again to blend the dressing.

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Recipes - Salads

Absolute Best Macaroni Salad

different mac

Ahhh, macaroni salad! Who doesn’t love pasta and veggies dressed with a special “sauce”? Because this salad keeps well in the fridge without losing its flavor or texture, it was on my carry-in list to my sister’s house for Christmas again this year. The secret to the salad’s great taste is found in the sweetened condensed milk used in the dressing. Cutting the vegetables for this dish by hand does take longer, an exercise in determined effort more than anything else, but the moisture the veggies release using a food chopper detract from the flavor of this dish and you will have better results taking the time to slice-and-dice them yourself.

The secret to the salad’s great taste is found in the sweetened condensed milk in the dressing. Use just enough mayonnaise to prevent the dressing being runny as this keeps the pasta from being overwhelmed. I already adjusted the mayonnaise amount; you should start with the smaller amount then adjust to your taste. This yields a large bowl of salad so it is a perfect choice for a “next day” menu as well. Do try this and let me know what you think; it is not the typical Hawaiian-style plate lunch mac salad, y’all, but it is a good alternative. Don’t over cook the macaroni and it’s all “duck soup!”

Ingredients

For the salad

1 (16 oz.) pkg. elbow macaroni, cooked, drained well
1 large onion, chopped, small dice
1 large green pepper, seeded, cut into strips, then cut, small dice
2-3 stalks celery, cut into thin strips then diced
3 carrots, shaved into strips then snipped small

For the dressing

1 can Eagle Brand sweetened condensed milk
1-1/2 to 2 cups Hellman’s mayonnaise, to taste
1/4 cup cider vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste
Celery seed, to taste

Directions Prepare the vegetables. Cook macaroni according to package directions; drain well in a colander. Prepare the dressing by combining the milk, mayonnaise, and vinegar in small mixing bowl, whisking thoroughly to blend. Season dressing to taste with salt, pepper, and celery seed if using. Place well-drained macaroni in large bowl, add the vegetables and the dressing; stir well, folding the dressing in thoroughly to coat the macaroni. Scrape into large covered container and chill completely before serving. Store leftovers in fridge.

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