Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Tender orange carrots cooked in a butter, brown sugar, and dill sauce.  A colorful and flavorful vegetable side dish.

I was looking for a new winter vegetable side dish when my husband remembered his mom making this when he was younger.  He didn't know the exact recipe so I looked it up online and made a few adjustments.  I first tried it at Christmas with our Swedish Meatballs and fell in love.  Then I had to make it again to go with other winter meals like Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie and Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish.  This is a wonderful warm vegetable side and I love the orange color.  It's like sunshine on a plate.

It's like sunshine on a plate [Tweet this]

Everyone knows carrots are good for eyes, but they are also delicious.  Carrots have a natural sweetness that can be enhanced with the addition of any type of sweetener and this recipe does just that. The carrots are tossed in butter, brown sugar, and dried dill then baked until tender.  The sugar brings out the sweetness, but it's not too sweet.  This is a great way to cook carrots that will brighten up any plate.  You can use sliced carrots or even baby carrots for a simple and quick vegetable side that tastes and looks great.

Everyone knows carrots are good for eyes but they are also delicious. [Tweet this]

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Ingredients:

1 pound carrots (either sliced or baby carrots)
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp brown sugar
a few shakes of dried dill

Preheat oven to 350F

In a large bowl, melt the butter in the microwave and then mix in the brown sugar.

Toss the carrots (at room temperature--if they are cold just out of the fridge the melted butter will solidify again and be more difficult to coat the carrots) with the butter mixture until all the carrots are coated.

Sprinkle with some dill and toss more adding more dill as needed until all the carrots are coated with some dill.

Pour everything into a covered baking dish, cover, and bake at 350F for 30 minutes-1 hour until tender.  Sliced carrots take less time than baby carrots (it all depends on the size of the carrot).

Makes 4-6 servings.

Enjoy.

Other recipes mentioned in this post:

Swedish Meatballs       -----

Lamb & Guinness Shepherds Pie

Chicken and Wild Rice Hotdish

For more carrot side dish recipes check out:

Moroccan Raw Carrot Salad

Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

Simple Carrot and Cucumber Salad

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Swedish Meatballs

Tender and delicious meatballs in a creamy gravy.  I literally licked my plate clean.

*updated post 12/21/15 pinnable images, new pics, tweetables, minor editing, etc.

Swedish Meatballs are the Christmas dinner tradition for my husband's family.  I had never had them until I met him (my family usually had ham or turkey for our Christmas dinners) and I did not know what I was missing.  Now it doesn't seem like Christmas without them.

It's not the #holidays w/o #SwedishMeatballs [Tweet this]

These bite-sized meatballs are made primarily with beef and pork, but sometimes also lamb and veal.  The lamb and veal add their own distinct properties to the meatballs, but they can be more difficult to obtain and can be left out.  The meatballs rest in a cream based, beefy, and gently spiced gravy that is indescribably delicious.  They are messy to make but well worth the meat covered hands.  Best of all my husband is in charge of making them, so no work for me. This is a very rich (in flavor) and delicious dish to have on special occasions. (I always get a small plate of a few meatballs to sample before everything is done.  That is the plate I lick clean...not at the dinner table. I do have some table manners.)

You'll want to #licktheplateclean with these #SweedishMeatballs  [Tweet this]

Sweedish Meatballs

Servings:  6-8

Ingredients:

1 cup minced onion
2 1/2 lbs meat mixture
1 cup bread crumbs
3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups half/half
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried dill
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
3 Tbsp butter
1/3 cup flour
2-10 1/2 oz cans beef broth
1 cup whipping cream
1/2 tsp dried dill

Cook onion in 1 Tbsp butter and allow to cool.

Combine meat, bread crumbs, eggs, half/half, spices, and onions.  Roll into bite-sized balls (you can also use a small icecream scoop...just scoop and drop) and heat in the oven at 400 degrees F for about 15 minutes.

Melt 3 Tbsp butter in a large skillet, stir in flour.  gradually whisk in broth.  Cook at medium, stirring constantly until thickened.  stir in whipping cream and 1/2 tsp dill.  Simmer.

When meatballs are heated combine them, and pan drippings with the gravy. Allow the meatballs to simmer in the gravy for about 15 more minutes.

The meatballs are ready to eat immediately but tastes best if you let them set in the gravy overnight.

Makes 6-8 servings.

What to serve with Swedish Meatballs?  Mashed potatoes of course but check out these other ideas:

Sweet Dill Glazed Carrots

Easy Crescent Rolls    -

Sauteed Kale        -

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