I woke up yesterday and there was a distinct chill outside. A familiar, frigid mist hung in the air and bathed everything in the kind of crisp sunlight that sharpens edges. By the early afternoon, the mist had burned off and the summer sun returned in smooth, soft focus, but the warning was clear… summer is on it’s way out.
I feel like this summer passed in the blink of an eye. Despite finding myself outside more often than usual, most of my time has been muddled in a sleep-deprived, world-changing blur thanks to my daughter, who was born in early June. Now that she is coming up on 3 months, life is getting much easier and, with sleep becoming more regular again, I find myself getting back to living again- not just surviving. It’s a good thing I love Fall, because this one will be a fun one with my little companion by my side, who enjoys the world more and more every day.
The few exciting adventures I have had this summer stand out particularly bright against the blur of new parenthood. Just last weekend, we celebrated Evie’s first weekend away by visiting my dad’s home on Pender Island. It’s pretty much paradise.
The weekend before that, we took Evie to a family reunion organized by my husband’s side of the family. Evie won a prize for being the youngest attendee, then just 10 weeks old, and her great-grandmother won for being the eldest member of the family in attendance, at 96 years old. To think, almost 100 years between them!
It was a well-attended reunion, with people flying in from as far as Ottawa. We got to see a family tree, which traced back as far as the 1600’s, and discover quirky family names that have since fallen out of use (Euleilia being the most popular one. It took me a few tries to figure out how to pronounce it. It’s almost ukelele…ah.)
My contribution, albeit small, was to bring a batch of these carrots to one of the family dinners. Fresh carrots, straight from the garden, quickly marinated in a zippy dressing. I was pleased to see they were devoured quickly.
These are almost pickled carrots, but not quite. I loooove pickled carrots, but they’re tough to find in stores. This satisfies my pickled carrot craving with none of the time or effort.
Thus, I have had a jar of these in my fridge all summer. Once one jar is done, I make the next, and so on and so forth. They’re so easy and really crowd-pleasing. It’s a great (healthy!) snack to have on hand. Something that looks fancy and extra, but is really a snap.
| Garlicky Marinated Carrots | Print |
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced diagonally
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 3 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp red onion, minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
- 1 tsp sugar
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add carrots and cook until just tender, roughly 3 minutes. Remove from heat and drain immediately.
- In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, red onion, parsley, mustard, sugar, salt and pepper. Add carrots and toss to coat. Refrigerate and let marinate for at least 4 hours or as long as 2 days.
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