I always loved Bugs Bunny growing up, and I always asked my mom to buy the whole carrots with the stems on the bottom to munch on just like Bugs.

My eight month old loves carrots too, as does my seven year old (although I don’t think either knows who Bugs Bunny is.) As an adult, I too enjoy this crunchy orange vegetable, and today I am going to share some recipes which turn them into a soft, extra sweet side dish—or dessert.

Johnny’s Glazed Carrots could be the next hit food at your dinner table. Try them out on Easter Sunday! It’s a great dish to have alongside a loin of pork, leg of lamb or any kind of roast. I guarantee everyone will enjoy it and you’ll never need to buy a frozen side dish of glazed carrots again. Here’s how it’s done…

Par-boil a bag of baby carrots in salted water, then drain and put them back into the pot. Add in a stick of butter, some honey, maple syrup, a sprinkling of cinnamon-sugar, a handful of brown sugar and a touch of vanilla extract. Once they are all glazed, I like to scoop out some of the liquid, transfer the carrots to a casserole dish and then top with crumbled graham cracker crumbs. Pour the reserve glaze on top and finish in the oven until nice and crusty!!

Now you can also skip the last step and puree the carrots once glazed and do one of two things next. You can do a puree of carrot soup, or a filling for a pie. For the pie, simply pour the puree into a graham cracker crust and top with marshmallow creme. That’s a dessert! For the soup, use a hand mixer to get them to a thick liquid and allow to simmer on the stove until ready to serve. If you close your eyes, you would think you are eating mashed sweet potatoes. What you can do to add a bit of savory flavor if you like is chop up and sprinkle in some dill, thyme or even rosemary at the very end.


We all know carrots are good for you, and even though I’ve added a whole bunch of sugary fun to them, it’s still better than eating a candy bar. Do they really help your eyes? All I know is, I have 20/20 vision and never had to get a pair of glasses. You know come to think of it, this would actually make a great healthy snack bar. The Johnny Meatballs Carrot Bar! Well, the name probably needs some tweaking. Till next time…say ya prayers, respect ya mother, eat ya carrots!

On Thursday evening, I’ll be visiting The Sons of Italy Tri Valley Lodge in Bergenfield to feed all my paisans meatballs and also to share Italian-American cultural views and to discuss my entrepreneurial endeavors. Tickets are available at the door for a $3 donation to non-members of the club. Contact president Christine Vitale at 201.387.0021 to attend! Hope to see you there!