• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Marge Perry's A Sweet and Savory Life

  • Recipes
  • Articles
  • Calendar
  • About
  • Contact

What My Dogs Taught Me About Carrots

March 3, 2011 By Marge Perry Leave a Comment

Jake & Juliette at snack time

Jake, on the left, is a skinny fellow with a lax appetite. (He is the only one like this in the entire household). Juliette, as you might deduce from her picture, is, um, big boned, and lives for her next up-close and personal encounter with food. When Juliette’s zaftig figure blossomed just too far (and wide), we replaced her afternoon biscuit treats with carrots. At first, we cleaned carrots and cut them into 1-2 inch lengths. We gave the dogs a piece at a time, often having them do simple tasks (sit, up, lie down, look cute, breathe, etc) to earn each treat. All was going swimmingly until one day when the dogs refused the carrots. They did the required tricks, but they kept spitting the carrots out. Clearly, my husband wasn’t cutting the pieces properly. I elbowed him to the side and took over. But they refused even my perfectly cut pieces. We decided to try again the next day… and they once again spat the carrots out (no matter if they were washed versus scraped, cut in small slices or chunks). The next day, David picked up a new bag of carrots, and that afternoon the dogs resumed their usual carrot-eating vigor.  We chalked the incident up to a “bad batch”. But about a week of carrot bliss later, it happened again: they both spat their carrots out in doggie disdain. I’d like to take credit for what happened next, but—well, David figured it out. This time when he went to the store to buy new carrots he carefully examined the bags before he chose… …and bought California-grown carrots rather than Canadian. Yes, our dogs differentiated between where the carrots were grown, not out of any loyalty to the concept of “locally grown”—but because California carrots are that much sweeter. My dogs are so smart!

Fettucine with Carrots and Edamame

[print_this] Fettuccine, Carrots and Edamame with Lemon Dressing

8 ounces fettuccine

12 ounces carrots (about 5-6 medium), cut in 1/3-inch pieces (about 2 cups chopped)

1 14-ounce bag frozen shelled edamame

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup grated parmesan

Lemon zest for garnish (optional)

  1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a vigorous boil. Add the fettucine and cook for 5 minutes. Add the carrots and cook another 5 minutes. Add the edamame and cook 2 minutes, or until pasta is al dente. Drain.
  2. While the pasta cooks, combine the lemon juice and salt in a small bowl; whisk in the olive oil.
  3. Toss the pasta and vegetables with the dressing and cheese, garnish with lemon zest if desired, and serve immediately.

[/print_this]

Post-carrot Bliss

Filed Under: Meatless Mains, Pasta, Vegetables

Previous Post: « You Can’t Hurry Love (or broth)
Next Post: It’s Not You, It’s Me. Really. »

Reader Interactions

Get More Updates!

Sign up to get exclusive updates & tips!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

I make my living writing, teaching and speaking about food and travel. In the name of work, I (have to!) eat a lot, meet interesting people (many of whom, like me, are passionate about their work) and travel near and far to see where and how food is made, grown or raised. I am saved from a life of extreme obesity by the fact that I truly love to exercise, but I am always one forkful away from not being able to button my jeans. Mine is a sweet and savory life.

I share it with my husband and co-author, David Bonom. Check out our new book, Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day

To learn more about me, click here →

Subscribe

sign-up here for email updates!

  • Want to see a cool trick for poaching eggs? Check out this video we did for Anolon. The trick comes at :22! 

  • Craftsy Blogger Awards - Winner Best Tutorials Badge

    Popular Posts

    How to Cook Tender, Juicy (not dry!) Chicken Breasts

    Grilled or Roasted Spice-Rubbed Chicken Thighs: My Go-To Easy Dinner

    Strawberry Frosted Cupcakes

    Disclosure statement

    Do you have Chicken Anxiety??

    Become a Chicken Master!   Make moist, tender, juicy, safe chicken each and every time. My online Craftsy video class, All About Chicken will show you how. Click here to learn more-- and get a special reader discount of half price.

    Footer

    Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day, our latest cookbook, is available wherever books are sold (including on Amazon).

    Want to see more of my work? Click on "Articles" at the top of the page for links to our recipes, articles and videos in magazines, websites, and social media.

    Feel free to connect/follow via any of the social media buttons below or drop me a line here through my contact page. Read More…

    More From the Blog

    Subscribe

    sign-up here for email updates!

    Copyright © 2021 asweetandsavorylife