Roasted Carrots Scented With Cumin and Lime

The other night for Hanukkah dinner we made these yummy roasted carrots with cumin and lime. I also fried latkes again but I'm so over those I can't stand to even write about 'em.

After my friend Shannan ate her 57th carrot she claimed, "I can't stop eating these carrots and I don't even like carrots!"

That's how good they are!

Make these carrots immediately and email me in the morning.

Roasted Cumin-Lime Carrots

1 pound thin carrots with fresh green tops
2 tablespoon olive oil
Juice and fresh grated zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon honey
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon each ground coriander and smoked paprika
2 green onions, thinly sliced
Small handful fresh mint leaves, chopped

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Trim the tops off the carrots Toss them on a baking sheet with the olive oil, lime juice and zest, honey, salt and spices.

Roast about 20 minutes, depending on size, until the carrots are just tender and beginning to brown. Transfer to a plate and sprinkle with the green onions and mint before tossing together and serving. I served them room temperature as an appetizer with champagne, that tasted like cough syrup (which I don't advise), and cheese and crackers.

Serves one hungry friend or 4 normal folks.

Confidential to Flora: I'm practicing posting recipes for "my cookbook"!

There was a battle, we won, let's eat!

Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah. Hooray!

Can you guess what we made for dinner?

Clay and I actually fried the latkes in the backyard because I can't stand when the house stinks like oil.

Whenever someone asks me to tell the story of Hanukkah, Passover or any Jewish holiday Clay likes to take over and tell his version, which is

"There was a battle, we won, let's eat."

It's not like some guy rose from the dead, geeesh.

Mr. Davidson

A few weeks back I promised I'd write about Hawaii and never did. I don't have a lot to say except our trip was really fun and Goldie is a very good swimmer now. So is George, but that's old news.

One day we were all sitting in the hot tub and George went under water causing his hair to form a little mohawk. A boy sitting next to him laughed and said, "You look like Tony Hawk." To which George replied, "Who?"

Instead of telling George who Tony Hawk was, he laughed and said, "You don't know who Tony Hawk is?" To which George defensively replied, "Well do you know who Harley Davidson is?"

To which I laughed.

What Rhymes with Chihuly?

Somehow we got invited to Dale Chihuly’s gingerbread decorating house party at his boat house this weekend.

This over-the-top party featured an 88 ft. table (made from a single slab of old-growth fir) packed from end to end with gingerbread houses and decorating candy for all the kids. (Even the Jewish ones!)



The space was beautiful. Look at the ceiling. ( Try to ignore Clay's weird facial hair.)



The kids begged us to let them swim in his pool.



Even the fish in the aquarium have their own glass sculptures. I wonder if they get nervous swimming so close to something so breakable?



Hopefully Mr. Chihuly didn't notice how much candy our family consumed and we'll get invited back next year. Plus, we didn't break anything and that's gotta count for something, right?