Bena Mae’s Kitchen: Thank God it’s over

I don’t know about you but I am so glad the election is finally over. No more robot calls at all times of the day and night, no more political commercials and no more debates. This election set a record for spending by both parties and the money spent was absolutely obscene. Somehow I just don’t believe our founding fathers intended elections to be a battle of who could raise and donate the most money. It’s time for a change.
The rigors of the last six months just about did me in. Whether you were a politico or not, you couldn’t escape the incessant pounding from both sides and a media that thought every living minute of the day had to be filled with their expert analysis — which proved to be wrong in most cases. Many of the networks were so inundated with the same faces hour after hour, day after day, that I wondered if they ever had the time to take a bathroom break. Wonder what they are going to do now that the tone is winding down and there’s nothing to report but a case of man bites dog. Guess they’ll have to go home and change shirts. Wonder if their wives and children will even recognize them.
At my age, I’ve gone through a lot of elections, but never one so intense as this one. The most involved I ever got was when I went door-to-door handing out cards for a candidate. It was a local election and I don’t recall there being a lot of excitement surrounding either candidate. I wasn’t really interested in either one. But what compelled me to get involved was the 5 dollars I made that week. I covered the town handing out every voter card, wearing blisters on both my heels. I don’t remember if my candidate won. I was only interested in the monetary result of making a little money,
I hope things will settle down now. I hope people will resume their normal lives and accept that the majority has spoken. For God’s sake, we need a rest.
Now I can return to normal television viewing without pressing the mute button on my remote every 5 seconds. I did learn a lot from watching the Discovery channel on cable TV during all the hoop-la, though. I learned about the mating habits of frogs, very important when the conversation lags.. And I learned that anthropologists who found the Iceman, the 5000 year old body that was found completely frozen in the Alps and miraculously preserved, had brown eyes and his last meal was meat and grain and herbs. That DNA stuff is really cool.  So all was not lost.
I also have 120 episodes of The Andy Griffith Show I intend to watch on Netflix to cleanse my mind of all the politics that messed up my mind for the last six months.

Looking for a good side dish for Thanksgiving Dinner? Try this.

Spicy Brown Sugar Carrots

2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut on the bias into 2 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley leaves, for garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium heat and add the carrots.
Cook for 2 minutes, then drain in a colander and set aside.
In a medium-size pot combine all the remaining ingredients, except the parsley, and bring to a simmer over low heat.
Add the drained carrots and toss to combine.
Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes to incorporate flavors.
Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with parsley and serve.