Even better than how good they taste is how easy they are to make. Cutting the carrots into pieces is the most time-consuming part, and if you make a big batch, they’ll keep in the fridge for weeks.

If you like these, but aren’t so big on the spices, you might also want to try these marinated carrots from my grandmother Pat. They’re another great refrigerator staple to keep around in the summer.

Spicy Carrot Pickles
These quick pickles are a takeoff on this recipe from Bon Appetit, but with different spices. In terms of the spices, I really just used whatever I found in my cabinet, and encourage you to do the same. I think the carrots, garlic, lemon, and vinegar are about the only things essential for this recipe.

6-8 medium carrots (or about 5 large ones), cut into thin sticks, about 2″ long, or whatever shape you like, such as quarter or coins
peel from one lemon (removed in strips)
4 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
3″ piece of ginger, cut into thin sticks

1 cup water
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon chili flakes (or more if desired; with 1 teaspoon my pickles had a very mild kick, but the chili flakes I have on hand right now are pretty mild themselves)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon dried savory
1 teaspoon dried oregano

Pack carrots, lemon peel, garlic and ginger into a one quart jar.

Combine water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices in a microwave safe container. Bring to a boil in the microwave, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar and salt.

Pour the brine and all the spices over the carrots (they should be covered). Let cool, close tightly, and refrigerate at least overnight. Pickles will keep for several weeks in the fridge. However, they will get spicier with time.

You might also like:

Cranberry Salad

Serves a crowd, at least 8-10

2 small packages cherry (if you want it sweeter) or cranberry Jello
1 cup hot water
1 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1 cup pineapple syrup of juice
1 heaping cup of cranberries
1 whole orange
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup drained, crushed pineapple
1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)

1. Dissolve Jello in water. Add sugar, lemon juice, and pineapple syrup and put in refrigerator to thicken somewhat, but not long enough to congeal.
2. Chop cranberries and whole orange in food processor into very small pieces (until ground).
3. Mix all other ingredients together well and stir into thickened Jello.
4. Spread into a 13″ x 9″ or 11″ x 13″ glass dish and chill until firm.

I don’t know about you, but now that it’s November, I’ve got Thanksgiving on my mind. I usually don’t plan ahead enough to actually share my Thanksgiving recipes this early, but I have a few Thanksgiving recipes from last year that I never got around to sharing, so in a way, I’m so late that I’m actually ahead! Didn’t get a great picture of the corn pudding last year (and it’s not the most photogenic of dishes anyway), but it’s that dish front and center in this post of my plate from last year.

Corn pudding is always one of my very favorite parts of Thanksgiving. It is super easy, but for some reason we never fix it except at Thanksgiving, which makes it extra special. Last year, I doubled the original recipe for only the six of us, and there still wasn’t very much leftover, so it’s always a hit.

You might also like:

Corn Pudding

As written, serves about 4.  I usually double it.

1 can cream style corn
2 eggs
1 T sugar
1 T flour (heaping)
½ stick margarine or butter
¾ c milk

Combine ingredients and bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes or until thick.