Sweet Potato Casserole

Here it is! My highly coveted recipe for sweet potatoes. I don't usually share this recipe with people, but it is so good and my family requests this dish every holiday. My husband was so sweet and told me that I make the best sweet potatoes and that my cooking doesn't get the credit that it should from family members.

Now he's not talking about my children. He's talking about siblings and such. I don't mind though. I just figure they are jealous that they can't cook as well as me. Funny thing is I got the recipe from my sister in law and I just tweaked a little to make it a little easier to prepare. Now everyone raves about her dish, but never about mine.

So I decided to share my recipe for my highly requested sweet potatoes. I'm sure you'll love them too. You can make these a few days in advance of your dinner. Just keep it covered and refrigerated.

Sweet Potato Casserole before baking.

Sweet Potato Casserole
7-8 sweet potatoes
1/4 t salt
1/4 + 2 T butter
3 eggs
1 1/2 t vanilla
3/4 t cinnamon
3/4 C sugar
3 T half and half or milk
1/4 + 2 T soften butter
1/4 C + 1 t brown sugar
3/4 C pecans, chopped

Peel sweet potatoes and boil until potatoes are done. Drain the potatoes and  mash them in the kettle. Add the salt, butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar and half and half. Mix well. Transfer mixture to a 9 X 13 pan. In a medium bowl combine softened butter, brown sugar and pecans. Mix with fingers to a course meal and sprinkle on top. You may cover and store in the fridge until ready to bake. Bake 35 minutes until topping is crisp. and lightly brown.

Cranberry Sauce

Well I've spent the last few hours listening to Christmas music blasting on the radio in the kitchen and prepping dishes for Thanksgiving dinner. This is my favorite holiday! I love the food and I love the mood of getting ready for Christmas.

I actually have quite a few dishes that I make ahead of time, but this year I wanted to try something new. I've always wanted to try and make cranberry sauce, but I was afraid that it would turn out soupy or taste sour. I love cranberry sauce and I didn't want to wreck that perfection that I've had in my head for years.

After searching online for a recipe I kind of came up with my own recipe. I was a little nervous about trying this, so I made sure I had a can of cranberries in the cupboard as back up and then I went for it.

So after much anticipation I am happy to say my cranberry sauce turned out to be very good! It was so easy to make that I don't know why I have never tried it before. This recipe is for  sure a keeper and I'm going to make some more for Christmas. It'll be the perfect side dish with the turkey on Thursday.

Give this one a try and I'm sure you'll agree that it is a keeper!

Cranberry Sauce

Cranberry Sauce
1- 12 ounce package of cranberries
1 C of cranberry juice
1 C sugar
3 T lemon juice

Rinse cranberries and then put in a 2 quart sauce pan. Add juice, sugar and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a boil. Stir constantly. Boil for 3-4 minutes then reduce heat to medium heat. Cook for another 10 minutes. Mixture will start to gel as you cook. Cool sauce in a cover container. Mixture can be made a few days in advance.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Today was just one of those days that I just wished I could have had the day off. Not that I don't like my job it's just that I have been going strong since mid August and I really need a break.

 I am also really starting to feel the pressure as the end of the trimester approaches. So many assessments that need to be finished and only 14 days to do it in. Yikes!

Needless to say I am really need some stress relieving food right now. Usually I would opt for chocolate, but I'm just not in the mood for that.

What I am in the mood for is peanut butter. So I decided to make some peanut butter cookies. This recipe is one that my mom use to make when I was a kid. I have no idea where it came from. All I know is it is one of the best peanut butter cookies that I have tried.

It tastes best when you use a real good brand name peanut butter, but I don't have any in the house right now so I'm going with a cheaper brand.

I'm sure these cookies will help chase away my blues and give me that positive outlook that I need to get these darn assessments done! Be gone dumb assessments! Be gone stress!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies
3 C flour
2 t soda
1/4 t salt
1 C shortening
1 C sugar
1 C brown sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 C peanut butter
1 t vanilla

Mix the first three ingredients together and set aside. Mix the next seven ingredients together. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well. Form into tiny balls and press on a greased cookie sheet with a fork. Bake at 375 for 15-18 minutes.