Heavenly Carrots

This is from Mary LeRoux, a feature of Thanksgiving dinners from the times she volunteered her apartment as a meeting place for all of us when Mike and I drove over from Ames, Iowa. Carrots were a staple of her diet; she always had a jar of crinkle- cut, raw carrots, in her refrigerator. I think she lived on them (and Scotch).

4 cups cooked, sliced carrots

1 1/2 cups croutons

8 ounce block of Cracker Barrel sharp (or extra sharp)

Cheddar cheese, grated

1/4 cup light cream

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

salt to taste

Butter a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Mix together carrots, salt, cheese and croutons, place in casserole; mix together cream, eggs and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over carrot mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes until browned.

Note from Marm: This recipe can be easily adapted. I’ve never found plain croutons, which the original recipe calls for; I’ve substituted seasoned croutons, but make sure they’re the small variety. I usually increase the carrots to 6 cups, with 3 eggs and 1/2 cup cream, but I don’t increase the amount of Worcestershire sauce.