Ellie Chabraja/Staff Writer

Upon returning to Full House after Thanksgiving Break, the last thing Rachel and I were expecting to find in the fridge was a twenty-pound bag of Bugs Bunny’s favorite beta-carotene filled snacks, straight from the Docter Family Farm.

What are we going to do with these carrots, you might ask? In an effort to improve our steadily worsening near sightedness and maintain our commitment to healthy food, Rachel and I have decided to devote this week’s articles to one of our favorite root veggies. Whether they be cooked, raw, baked, boiled, sautéed, pureed, sliced, diced, in cake, or in a hearty heart-warming soup, there is no doubt that this bag of deliciousness will be gone within the week.

Twenty pounds of carrots may seem a bit absurd, but the carrot enthusiasts of Full House beg to differ. There is no such thing as too many carrots (unless you O.D. on beta carotene and your skin turns yellow). Carrots are a delightful and healthy snack food, whether you enjoy them plain, dipped in large quantities of hummus, or mixed into a salad. Moreover, they can be used in a myriad of recipes from soups to cakes to, believe it or not, ravioli.

A recent post on the Full House Facebook page offers 99 crafty recipes using carrots. To name a few that sparked our interest: roasted carrot and bacon bread pudding, carrot gnocchi with butter and sage sauce, masala carrot dip, and, because life is always better when there is a dessert, carrot almond cake.

With finals rapidly approaching, here is a simple recipe that you can try out to satisfy your need to munch during these stressful few weeks. All you need are carrots, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and crushed black pepper. Cut up the carrots into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl. Proceed to toss them with lemon juice and olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!

Thus far, our carrots have been enjoyed in a wonderful carrot ginger soup made by our honorary housemate Sam, who knew that this hearty, spicy soup would be the perfect remedy for the post-thanksgiving sniffles.

Moreover, on Wednesday night, several Full House residences were treated to French cooking lessons with Professor Finn, who gave a hands on presentation about the making of basic French sauces and stocks. Believe it or not, carrots are a key ingredient in the fabrication of fine vegetable stocks as well as chicken stock. Carrots add both flavor and color to these broths, which also call for ingredients such as onions, shallots, and celery.

Although we have only been back to school a week, the great carrot mountain has been  pushed to the margins of the Full House refrigerator. Although ephemeral, these delicious root vegetables were thoroughly enjoyed by all who passed through our doors and served as the basis of many a delightful concoction. As such, we hope this article will inspire our fellow veggie lovers out there to indulge in one of our favorite snacks—the carrot.

Much love,

Ellie Chabraja and Rachel Warner