Turkey Cooking Safety for Thanksgiving

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! For my American friends, you can remember this info for a month from now when it’s your turn. International friends, perhaps you cook Turkey for another holiday, you can use this too!

© Flickr User tuchodi. Used under Creative Commons License

You don’t want your happy celebration to be abruptly ended by food poisoning do you?

Turkey Cooking Safety Tips:

1. Don’t put your turkey directly in the fridge or on the counter without putting a plate under it to collect juices. Even if it comes in a sealed bag, it still make leak juices and you don’t want those juices all over your other foods and surfaces.
2. Thaw turkey in the refrigerator or in cold water, not on the counter.
3. Wash your hands carefully with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds before and after handling raw poultry.
4. Use a food thermometer to tell if turkey is fully cooked. Measure in thickest part of breast or thigh and ensure it’s at least 85ºC (185ºF)
5. Put leftovers in the fridge within two hours of cooking. Use leftovers within 2-3 days or freeze right away for later use.

Read more on Turkey Safety, Temperature Guidelines, Holiday Food Safety and Poultry Facts visit Health Canada (even if you aren’t Canadian.)

Steak and Eggs for Dinner - We #LoveCDNBeef

Confession: I used to never like steak. I ate ground beef and the occasional beef roast but I never liked steak. Turns out, it matters how it’s cooked.

I’ve taught myself most of my cooking skills beyond the basics. I watch cooking shows and look at cookbooks and just experiment. I prefer to cook without recipes actually, I use them to help me the first time I make something new but I never follow them exactly.

Now I like steak, especially dipped in ranch dressing. Even better if they have fried onions slathered all over them. I always thought eating Steak with Eggs was weird but my husband insisted it was good. I realized my problem with the idea was eating steak for breakfast. So I made it for dinner!

Steak with Scrambled Eggs For My Husband

Steak With Eggs Over-Easy and Bagels For Me

Even My Kids Like Steak and Eggs!

If you want to try something new with beef but aren’t sure where to start, the Canadian Beef webpage has a ton of information (most of which could be used by Non-Canadians too!)

Love making burgers but can never quite get them right? Or perhaps you hear conflicting advice on how to make them and what to put in them and you aren’t sure which is better. Either way, check out this post on their blog about the best homemade burgers.

Want to try a new recipe? The next one I want to try is these yummy looking Beefy Huevos Rancheros! (see below) Also check out Canada Beef.

We used Sirloin Steaks and Burnbrae Eggs (our usual brands.) 

Burnbrae Farms is a big support of Canadian Beef as well. You can connect with Burnrae on Twitter and Facebook. They have a great egg facts section with everything you ever wanted to know about eggs.

Over to you… do you like Steak and Eggs? How do you like them?

*Disclosure: I received compensation for this post but all information and opinions are honest. Please see my full disclosure policy for more information.

REVIEW–G. Marquis Premium Wines from Niagara-on-the-Lake

*This Review is Written By Barb, a Member of my Team.

I am a wine lover, somewhere between a novice and connoisseur.  A friend gave me a two day wine course where I learned more about wine and pairing. The more I drink it the better I like it. I would like to pay more attention to pairing. Right now it’s a matter of expense dryness and taste that determined my choices. I prefer white wine but have found some reds pretty good. So I was very excited to have the opportunity to try the G. Marquis Red Line from the Niagara Peninsula.

The company sent two bottles in a nice bag with a bow and a very cute cork USB stick with product info. When I read their marketing info on the Red Line I was very happy to see that it is unoaked and fruit flavoured as I really don’t care for oaky tasting wine and tend to choose fruity wines.

I started with the 2009 Merlot, a medium bodied wine, which is a red wine I would choose. I haven’t paid too much attention to correct serving temperature in the past so thought I’d start there. I chilled it to the suggested 14-16° C and tried a glass. I tend to find red wine a little too overpowering for me and I find it difficult to taste the underlying flavours. This wine wasn’t too bad for a red. Many people who love red, I’m sure will find it very good. Next I paired it with a beef stew; I love how different a wine will taste with food. I enjoyed it much more with food. I did however find it too cold at the recommended temperature. I would recommend it as a good accompaniment when paired with suggested foods.

The other bottle was a 2010 Riesling. I have had Riesling before but one of my favourites is Pinot Grigio. I think it’s because it’s a light bodied wine while Riesling is medium bodied. The Riesling was crisp and dry and I could detect the fruit flavours in it. I found that I liked it at a colder temperature, between 16-17°C. I tried a new recipe using the Riesling. I did a search for cooking with Riesling and found Pork Chops with a Riesling Peach Sauce at allrecipes.com. It was delicious and the wine itself was even better with the dish. I think it was the peach in the food and the peach in the wine that made it so good. While I thought it was okay on its own it was totally awesome with the peach chops. I would defiantly purchase it to make that dish again. Even my husband who doesn’t like wine loved the dish.



I had never tried G. Marquis before but I sure would like to try their ice wine next.

Interested in The 5 Steps to Being a True Oenophile aka Wine Lover? Check out South Western Ontario Parent for more.

About G. Marquis:

G. Marquis is new wine brand produced in the Niagara-on-the-Lake region at the Niagara Stone Road vineyard. It comes in two lines: Silver and Red.

Where to Buy:

You can find the wine’s I tried at your local LCBO and some of the other G. Marquis wines at LCBO and Duty Free shops. The Red Line ranges from $11.95-$12.95 while the Silver line ranges from $14.95-$39.95

*The reviewer received product from a company or PR agency for evaluation purposes. All review are honest.

Creative Cooking: Cooking Without Recipes – Lasagna

I am a self taught cook mostly. I learned some basics from my mother and some more from my in laws when they were alive. The rest I taught myself. I’ve gotten better and better over the years, mostly from practicing, reading cookbooks and cooking how-to’s, watching videos online and the food network.

Even when I look up a recipe in a book or online, I NEVER follow it exactly. I make substitutions, just estimate ingredients and do whatever sounds right.

Too many people are scared to be creative with their cooking. Learn some basic techniques and what foods tend to go together and start there. The rest is trial and error. I’m going to start sharing some ideas of how to cook creatively, starting with… Lasagna.

Ingredients:

• Lasagna Noodles (Pre Cooked is easier, but whatever works)
• Protein (I used ground beef, but any other ground meat or small chunks of meat works fine, try a mixture or use some beans, vegan ‘meat’ for a vegetarian variety)
• Veggies (use what you like. I used onions and yellow pepper, other great choices are other peppers, mushrooms, carrots, zucchini, garlic…)
• Tomato Sauce (Use canned or homemade, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce works too.)
• Cheese (take your pick of one or a few: mozzarella, cheddar, Monterey jack, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, or anything else really.)

So where are the measurements you ask? This isn’t a recipe, it’s a guide! I ended up making too many noodles so I put the rest in the fridge to eat with a sauce later (cut up.)  Here are some suggestions:

I made a lasagna with 6 large pieces which fed two adults and two children with a few pieces left over for the next day. I used approx. 1lb ground beef, 1 medium onion, 1/2 pepper (so kids wouldn’t complain as much), 9 or so noodles, 1 can of spaghetti sauce, 900mg marble cheddar cheese (we love cheese) and 1lb Ricotta cheese (ended up being too much, 1/2 lb would have been fine.)

Step One: Cook Veggies

Chop Them how you want, fry in your choice of oil

Step Two: Noodles

Boil if not already cooked, if they are, still soak in hot water to make cooking time less – use a big pot so they don’t stick together. Salt the water for more flavor.

Step Three: Protein

Cook your meat/beans the way you want. Add in whatever spices/seasonings you like (Suggestions: Seasoned Salt, Ms. Dash, Club House Seasonings of Your Choice, Garlic Powder…) Don’t forget to drain the meat.

Step Four: Layers

Shred the cheese and mix meat and veggies. Layer in a dish. I would suggest a little sauce on the bottom and then noodles (that’s so noodles don’t burn to bottom). Layer cheese, meat, noodles and sauce. You want sauce to basically cover noodles and meat mixtures especially. Here’s what I did starting at the bottom:

Little Sauce – Noodles – Little Cheese – Meat Mixture – Sauce – Noodles – Sauce – Cheddar Cheese – Noodles – Sauce - Ricotta Cheese – Cheddar Cheese – Sauce – Noodles – Sauce – Cheddar Cheese (I like a lot of layers, most were small.)

That’s the Ricotta cheese above if you are wondering.

Step Five: Bake It

Cover it with aluminum foil and bake at 425-450 F till sauce is heated through and cheese is melted. 45 minutes-1 hour.

Step Six: Eat It!

Let it cool a bit so it will stay in square shape when you serve (or if you are like me, scoop it out and eat it anyways,  blobs still taste amazing!

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So.. do you ever cook without recipe? Have you made Lasagna with or without a recipe?

REVIEW: Fun Bites Bite Sized Fun Shapes

Do you cut your child’s food into little bite size pieces? Maybe it’s to make it easier to pick up, easier to chew, or maybe just for fun. Or perhaps you send your older child to school with a Bento lunch so you are making the food into fun shapes for that.

What do you use? A knife? That takes time. Cookie cutter? Can’t get the pieces small enough.

That’s where Fun Bites comes in.

Fun Bites makes meal time prep easier. Cut that sandwich into a bunch of small pieces in 5 seconds (that’s how long it took me!)

Just lay out the food item on a cutting board or plate. Put the cutter part (the one with handles) on the food and rock it back and forth. Then put the other part inside and pick the whole thing up off the cutting board and push the middle  through to get all the pieces out.

Use it on fruit, sandwiches, pancakes/waffles, pizza, hamburgers, lunch meat, cheese and more.

As you can see in the picture above, there are two kinds. One makes all squares and the other makes a bunch of half circles and triangles which merge together to make a big heart.

I got the heart one to try out. I brought it to playgroup and we tried it out on the cheese slices.

Rocking the Cutter Back and Forth Over the Cheese
(wasn’t hard for cheese slices, would need to rock more for something thicker)

Pushing the middle part through and the cheese pieces drop onto the plate.

Suggestions For Use:

• Slice melons and use square fun bites to make cubes of melon. Serve as is, add to fruit salad or make fruit kebabs with grapes and banana slices.
• Make quesadillas and cut them into fun bite sized shapes that you can dip into sour cream.
• Cut bread into pieces, then spread with a little topping of your choice and add another piece of bread for mini sandwiches.
• When you make pancakes, instead of adding syrup and then cutting it up for your child, cut it up with fun bites and then add syrup on top.

I was sent the heart shaped one to use but I must say I would have preferred the squares. While the small pieces in mine make up a heart and could be used to create pictures on your plate by moving them around, personally I would have preferred to have all the same shape.

One thing that is very cool is that it’s NOT sharp. Your child could help you cut the foods without worrying about getting cut. It’s the rocking motion that helps cut it, there is no blade. The product is also BPA free and is top shelf dishwasher safe. Also because it helps you pop the food right you, you don’t have to touch the food, keeping germs to a minimum. It’s great for picky eaters, adding a little fun encourages kids to eat up!

Buy It! Fun Bites can be ordered online at Funbites.com If you are in Canada, you can also order from Tiny Wiggles which is located in Canada to help you save on shipping!

*Disclosure: I received the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

Get $10 off and Free Shipping at Sophia Grace Until Dec. 25 With This Code #deal

I wanted to make sure everyone saw this. Sophia Grace, one of my sponsors for Coupon Cabin's 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz has offered a coupon code to anyone who would love order their own apron.

Use the code "CallRamb" to get $10 off AND free shipping! But hurry, this code is only good till Dec 25.


*Disclosure: I will be receiving the product(s) mentioned above free of charge by the company or PR representative for evaluation purposes. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz | Win One of Two Prize Packs - Weight Loss ($191) or Cooking/Food ($115) (US/CAN) #CouponCabinHop

Welcome to CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz!

This multi-blog event is hosted by Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA and is sponsored by CouponCabin. This is the biggest event the blogosphere has seen with over 400 giveaways each at $25 value or more plus a huge giveaway with some major prizes like a MacBook Air, iPad2 and Visa Gift Cards. You can find all the giveaways from the participating blogs by visiting the host blogs, Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA. Each host blog will feature a different set of giveaways for you to enter!

No matter what type of coupon you're looking for, you'll find it and over 100,000 others at CouponCabin.com, a leading destination for coupon codes, printable coupons, deals and more. Now with a new and improved grocery coupons section and the largest selection of coupon codes that are guaranteed to work, CouponCabin is the best place to start your search for savings. This holiday season, CouponCabin is dedicated to making holiday savings as easy as pie by bringing you the best deals for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. You can also download our CouponDetector and we'll let you know when the site you’re shopping has coupons and deals available. Never pay full price again with help from CouponCabin.com!

CouponCabin is giving away the following fabulous prizes:

Grand Prize: MacBook Air (11-inch, 128GB; ARV $1,199)
2nd Runner Up: iPad2 (16GB, with Wi-Fi +3G; ARV $629) and $200 Visa Gift Card
3rd Runner Up: iPad2 (16GB, with Wi-Fi +3G; ARV $629)
4th Runner Up: $300 Visa Gift Card
5th Runner Up: $200 Visa Gift Card
6th, 7th, 8th and 9th Runner Ups: $100 Visa Gift Card each

Please visit Simply Stacie, Makobi Scribe and Sassy Mama in LA to enter the grand prize giveaway and make sure to say (Callista's Ramblings) referred you! You can enter on all three sites or just one- it’s up to you! If you enter all three giveaways that just means more chances for you to win.

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I decided my theme for this event would be Food/Cooking. I have seven wonderful sponsors that make up two prize packs that you can choose from. The links go to my sponsor spotlights.

Prize Pack #1 - Weight Loss
Zone Fast Weight Loss Program (RV: $179)
Around the Plate 31 Day Food Diary (RV: $12)
TOTAL: $191

Zone Fast Weight Loss Program

Around the Plate 31 Day Food Diary

Prize Pack #2 - Cooking/Food
Sophia Grace Apron (RV:$35) Use the code "ilovecallista" to get $10 off AND free shipping! But hurry, this code is only good till Nov. 30.
Cowboy Food by DD Little + Jar of Spice ($19)
Easy Entertaining for Beginners by Patricia Mendez ($19)
La Vie Non-Alcoholic Wine ($32)
Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract($10)
TOTAL: $115

Sophia Grace Apron

Cowboy Food by DD Little

Entertaining for Beginners by Patricia Mendez

La Vie Non-Alcoholic Wine/Health Drink

Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract

I will be doing a review of all of these over the next 25 days (except for the Zone Fast which I'll be reviewing some of their foods, not the weight loss program itself.)

To enter, please use the rafflecopter form below. If you don't know how to use it, see this rafflecopter guide. A copy of the giveaway rules are below and on the rafflecopter form. Entering the giveaway means you have read and agree to the rules. If you have any problems, email me callista83@cogeco.ca

GIVEAWAY RULES:
One Person Per Household. Open to residents of the USA and Canada who are 18+. Giveaway open until November 25, 2011 @ 11:59 PM EST.  Odds of winning depend on number of valid entries received. Duplicate (accidental or not) entries will be deleted before a winner is picked and winners entries will be verified. Winners will be selected using random.org on November 26, 2011 and will be contacted by email. Winners will have 3 days to claim their prize or their prize is forfeit and another winner will be chosen. Prizes will be shipped by each sponsor so you will receive all prizes separately. If you do not receive your prize within 6 weeks, you can contact me and I'll see what I can do but I cannot guarantee a replacement. Contest Void Where Prohibited. This giveaway is not associated, nor sponsored by Facebook. We hereby release Facebook of any liability.

(Click Read More if you cannot see the rafflecopter widget)
PLEASE NOTE: I've changed it to one mandatory entry but those who already entered will still have the same amount of entries, so it's fair!

CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Sponsor Spotlight – Nielsen-Massey Vanillas #CouponCabinHop

Be sure to come back November 1 for your chance to win a prize from this company during the 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event.

Neilsen-Massey Vanillas carry Vanilla Extracts, Powders and Beans of many types. Nielsen-Massey has been creating with Vanilla for over 100 years!

Neilsen-Massey had donated one 4oz bottle of Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Extract (RV: $10)
The Bourbon is named after the place and it has no alcohol in it!

The website has information on Vanilla as well as some vanilla recipes. You can also buy their new cookbook. The vanilla facts section is interesting as well.

Buy It: Check out the Where to Buy page to find out where to get it.

*Disclosure: I will be receiving a bottle of vanilla extract to review this month. The company is sponsoring a giveaway during Coupon Cabin's 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information.

CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Sponsor Spotlight – Sophia Grace #CouponCabinHop

Be sure to come back November 1 for your chance to win a prize from this company during the 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event. 

How many stained shirts do you have from food splatter while cooking? I have so many it's not even funny. I have an apron but it's black and boring and I forget to put it on most of the time.

Sophia Grace sells beautifully designed aprons for women, men and children. They are made in Canada too! They also sell laminated ones that are great for hair dressers, crafters or anyone who prefers a apron that can be wiped clean. They even carry some special aprons that would make great wedding gifts!

Now you can cook in style! Their motto is Be Fun Be Flirty Be Fabulous!

Follow Sophia Grace Aprons on Facebook and Twitter

Sophia Grace Aprons is donating one apron for the Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event.



 Buy It: Buy directly from the Sophia Grace website

Use the code "ilovecallista" to get $10 off AND free shipping! But hurry, this code is only good till Nov. 30.


*Disclosure: I will be receiving an apron to review this month. The company is sponsoring a giveaway during Coupon Cabin's 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Sponsor Spotlight – Cowboy Food Book & Spices #CouponCabinHop

Be sure to come back November 1 for your chance to win a prize from this company during the 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event. 

Do you wish you lived in the Wild West? Here's your chance to cook like you did. Cowboy Food by DD Little is part novel/part cookbook. It features chili and many other recipes including salads and snack foods. The characters tell tales of the past throughout the book. The recipes originate from the mid 1800's to the early 1900's and have been converted to heart smart healthy recipes with the help of a number of cardiologists at UCLA, Kaiser and VA medical centers. Cowboy food is endorsed by a UCLA doctor.

Additionally, the book has spawned a unique line of gourmet spice blends.

 The blends originated from the chuck wagons and Oregon trail trecks made by early Americans. They carried their spices in bags or tins then and when one ran low they poured what was left in with something else. The result was wonderful spice mixes. They are now in Jars called Cowboy Food Spice Radicals. They truly give the taste of the Old West to your dishes. 

Find DD Little on Facebook and Twitter. Also check out the blog.

DD Little has donated a copy of Cowboy Food and a jar of spice (RV: $19) for the Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event.

Buy It: From amazon.com Cowboy Food


*Disclosure: The purchase link above is an affiliate link. I will receive some change for any purchase made through the link. I will be receiving a copy of the book and a jar of spices to review. The company is sponsoring a giveaway during Coupon Cabin's 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

CouponCabin’s 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Sponsor Spotlight – Easy Entertaining for Beginners #CouponCabinHop

Be sure to come back November 1 for your chance to win a prize from this company during the 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event.

I've never been one for entertaining, I don't host parties a lot. However recently it was decided I would host Easter and Thanksgiving at my house every year while my mom would do Christmas. Hosting this past Thanksgiving showed me that I need to purchase some serving dishes and that I need some new ideas if I want the holidays I host more than just an okay dinner.

Enter Easy Entertaining for Beginners by Patricia Mendez. It's a book for people like me, who are new to entertaining and want to know what to do.

Maple Heights Press (2008)
172 pages softcover
$18.95

There are 13 complete menus including one for first Thanksgiving, instructions and terms designed for beginning cooks and also includes some design ideas and drink ideas. I can't wait to review it.

Patricia Mendez has donated one copy of her books (RV: 18.95) for the Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz Event.

Buy It: From Amazon.com: Easy Entertaining for Beginners

*Disclosure: I will be receiving a copy of the book for review purposes. The purchase link above is an affiliate link and will provide me with some change if you purchase through it. The company is sponsoring a giveaway during Coupon Cabin's 25 Crazy Dayz of Giveawayz. No other compensation was provided. See my Disclosure Policy for more information. 

Carla Hall of Top Chef & CanolaInfo - Cooking Fish Together

I watch Food Network Shows all the time. One I enjoyed was Top Chef All Stars. Carla Hall, a finalist, was voted fan favourite.

Carla has teamed up with CanolaInfo to bring you a video and recipe collection for fish dishes. They are designed for those who are unsure how to prepare fish. I don't eat fish. I'm afraid of how it tastes. I don't like that fishy taste. I think I'd try other seafood before fish (such as mussels or shrimp) but I'm in no rush. I know fish is good for me though which makes me think about trying it. However when I do decide to try it, I'd have no idea how to go about it. That's where this collection comes in.The dishes are created using Canola Oil which has the least saturated fat of all the oils and is heart healthy.

Check out the collection at CanolaInfo.

TWITTER PARTY!
Carla is hosting a Twitter party from @CanolaInfo on Tuesday, May 17, 2011 from 8:30-10 pm EST, when she will discuss her new recipe collection, tips on selecting and preparing fish and more! To join, RSVP at Facebook.com/CanolaInfo and then follow @CanolaInfo and use #GoFish during the party. Door prizes will be given to the first 25 attendees.

Budding Iron Chefs or Nutritionists?

My kids, especially my 5 year old, LOVE cooking. Not only do they fight over helping in the kitchen, they watch Food Network Shows with me.

My 5 year old pays more attention to a cooking show than she does to some cartoons. She doesn't just passively watch either, she asks questions about everything:

• What food is that? 
• What is he doing to the meat?
• What's that she's using?
• What are they making?

She loves Iron Chef America but will watch any Food Network Show. Both girls (the other one's 3)  like the children's show Big Cook, Little Cook on BBC. 

They eat their fair share of non healthy foods but they are aware when something is not healthy and if they aren't, they always ask. They know that you should only have un-healthy food sometimes and in small quantities. They know that food gives them energy so they can do things.

My 5 year old has some kids magazines that feature a recipe or two and she wants to try them. 

One can only guess what their children will do for a living when they grow up but I wouldn't be surprised if I was nurturing a future chef or nutritionist.

Do your children show signs of a possible future job?

7 Delicious Ways to Prepare and Cook Frozen Carrots

Created Using Flickr Photo from User colorline

If you don't have time to make your own carrots but don't want your frozen carrots to taste the same every time you make them, I have some ideas for you. These can be used with any type of frozen carrots (baby carrots, carrot slices, julienne carrots etc.)

7 Ways to Cook Frozen Carrots

1. Boil them to preferred tenderness, drain, then add butter/margarine and sprinkle with a vegetable seasoning (from Ms. Dash or something similar.)
   
2. If you like your carrots sweet, you can boil them directly in honey or if you don't want them TOO sweet or want to be thrifty with your honey, boil them in water first till it's just about at desired tenderness, then drain, add enough honey to coat bottom of pot and put back on to simmer. Stir so that all carrots get time to simmer in honey. Simmer at least 5 minutes but make sure all carrots get time in honey.
   
3. Put a thin coating of olive oil in oven-proof dish and add frozen carrots on top. Bake in oven at 350 until desired tenderness. If you are cooking something in oven, just add the carrot dish next to it at whatever temperature it's at and just keep an eye on them.
   
4. Saute carrots in your desired oil. This is better if you like your carrots to remain a bit crunchy. You can saute by themselves or with onion, garlic or the seasoning of your choice*.
   
5. Cook them any way you want (boiled, sauteed or roasted) but then toss with some balsamic vinegar (about 1/2 tbsp per 1 cup of carrots) and brown sugar (1 tsp per 1 cup carrots) before serving.
   
6. Have you ever had mashed carrots? Boil them long enough so that they are very soft and until water in pot is boiled almost all the way down. DON'T drain them or you'll lose lots of nutrients. Take off heat, add butter/margarine and mash. Don't add milk as you will have a bit of liquid from pot already. If you find they are too carroty, next time make mashed carrot-potatoes. Boil both and mash them together.
   
7. If you like cheese, try making cheesy carrots. You can bake them and add shredded cheese on top in last few minutes of cooking or saute them and do the same.

* Seasonings/Flavours that pair well with carrots: tarragon, ginger, parsley, cinnamon, orange, sugar, thyme, dill, butter, chili peppers, allspice, garlic.