Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

Once again, my photographer skills are lacking in this one, but I made this yummy sweet potato casserole last night to test it out before Thanksgiving. I wanted to make this recipe beforehand to see if it passed approval for the Thanksgiving Day menu. It definately did! The dish has a sweet potato base and is topped with a brown sugar, cinnamon, pecan topping.
**Update: made this for our Thanksgiving crowd of 18 people and it received rave reviews..It's a keeper!

The recipe listed fills a 9x13 in pan. (I only made half in the pictures)
Ingredients:

• 5-6 sweet potatoes
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 c unsalted butter
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 c sugar
• 3 T milk or heavy cream (I used milk)

For topping:

• 1/4 c butter, softened
• 3 T all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c packed brown sugar
• 2/3 c chopped pecans
• (Feel free to add more of this topping mixture..it's the best part!!)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 deg F
• Lightly grease 9x13 in bakin dish. Bake the whole sweet potatoes for about 35 mins or until they are soft. Check softness with a fork. (Mine were not completely soft, so I put them in the microwave to finish cooking). When done, cool slightly then peel.
• In a large bowl, mash the peeled potatoes and mix in salt, 1/4 c butter, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, sugar, milk. Transfer to the prepared baking dish.
• In a medium bowl, combine 1/4 c butter, flour, b. sugar, chopped pecans. Mix until the consistency of course meal. Spread it over the sweet potato mixture.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is crisp and lightly browned. Enjoy!

Broccoli Cauliflower Salad

This is always a hit at our various family occassions/parties. This broccoli cauliflower salad is my mom's signature salad she brings to potlucks or gatherings and has been asked for the recipe several times. Try this!
*This is a great salad to assemble the night before and just add the last 3 ingredients just before serving!
Ingredients:
1 bunch broccoli, cut
1 head cauliflower, pieces
1/2 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 lb bacon, crumbled (can use turkey bacon if desired)
1 c shredded cheese

small can sliced olives

sliced mushrooms

8 oz light mayo

1/2 c sugar
4-5 T vinegar
Directions:
1. Fry bacon and cut into pieces.
2. Combine first 7 ingredients in large serving bowl.
3. Mix last 3 ingredients and add to salad just before serving.

Crock Pot Beans

Wahooooo it's football season!! My family and I have always been fans of football, so Fall ties with Summer for my favorite time of year, because of that reason. Trevor is starting his last season playing for USF, so we went to his 3rd game this past weekend @ the USF stadium.

It's tradition for parents/fans to tailgate in the parking lot before the home games and bring whatever food/beverages you'd like. We brought these Crock Pot Beans and the crock pot was scraped clean before we headed into the game. Several people commented on how good they were. If looking for a recipe to bring to a pot luck type event this is a good choice...(it's especially a hit with the guys!)

Ingredients:

1 pkg. bacon, cooked
1lb ground beef, browned

1 onion, chopped

1 c ketchup

3/4 c brown sugar, packed

1/2 c vinegar

1/4 tsp dry mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp worchestershire

1 can pinto beans, drained
1 can chick peas, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
1 can dark kidney beans, drained
1 large can Bush's baked beans
Crock pot















Directions:
1. Brown onion, burger, bacon. Drain. Chop bacon into 1/2 inch squares















2. Add ALL ingredients to crock pot. Stir to combine.

3. Cook on low for about 8 hours (I just plugged it in overnight!)

EASY!

Semi-Homemade Salsa

Welcome to my first-ever attempt at making salsa! Because I was a little intimidated by the process, I decided to go with a 'semi-homemade' approach for my first timer salsa experience. It was a success! I ended up using a package of salsa mix, but I added in 1 can of black beans and 2 ears of sweet corn. I love this salsa!! The only tedius part about it was peeling the skins from the tomotes...have plenty of paper towels around, because juice goes evvvverywhere:)















The picture above shoes the only ingredients you'll need! (along with the 18--or so--tomatoes pictured below).















Ingredients:
18 medium tomatoes
1 pkg Mrs. Wages create salsa mix (I used the Medium pkg and it is plenty spicy for me)
1/2 c apple cider or white vinegar
2 ears sweet corn (optional)--I just microwaved them for a few minutes before cutting them off the cobs
1 can black beans (optional)--I recommend the corn & beans!!
















1. First bring a pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes for 10 minutes.
You will begin to see some of the skins splitting. This is what you want, as the next step is to peel the skins off of the tomatoes.















3. Next take the tip of your knife and carve a small circle around the center of the tomatoe, where the stems are; remove.
















4. Dice the tomatoes and add to the empty pot. (Drain the water from the boiling of the tomatoes first).














5. Add remaining ingredients to the tomatoes.
















6. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. THATS IT!!

Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary

This recipe is a variation of one I make often. I am addicted to sweet potatoes. You might be thinking..Eh...Sweet potatoes..Blah, but if you haven't ever tried roasting sweet potatoes I highly recommend it. This time I used both regular Yukon gold potatoes and sweet potatoes, so any variety of potato can be used. Personally, I just like the flavor of sweet potatoes, but also found out they are suuper good for you and packed with vitamins. Let's take a moment to honor the sweet potato shall we?
Sweet Potatoes:
A nutritional All-star, sweet potatoes are loaded with vitamin A, vitamon C, potassium, caratenoids, and fiber. Despite the name, sweet potatoes are very low in sugar (unlike other starchy vegetables) so they are known as a low glycemic food. This means, sweet potatoes do not send a spike in your blood sugar when eaten. Sweet potatoes are high in anti-oxidants and high in folate. Regular sweet potato consumption has even been shown to strengthen the body's immune system and are great for muscle cramp prevention. Because of their ability to prevent muscle cramps, sweet potatoes should be a regular part of athlete's diets. This makes me remember a comment I heard from Usain Bolt (the sprinter that recently ran the fastest of any human in the 100 and 200m races) after asked what his training secret was. He responded with something like.."I've been eating a lot of sweet potoates."
So, I guess it should be..."A sweet potato a day keeps the doctor away."

Now on with the recipe:
Ingredients:
2 sweet potatoes
3 regular potatoes
2 T olive oil
3 cloves garlic (the more the better in my opinion)
Ground pepper
3 sprigs Rosemary

**Have fun experimenting with different seasonings/herbs. In the past I have used parsley, basil, oregano, garlic, black pepper, Mrs. Dash..in all sorts of different combinations. However, I think garlic, black pepper, and olive oil are the three essentials when roasting potatoes.
Directions:
1. Dice uncooked pototoes
2. In large bowl, coat potatoes with olive oil.
3. Add garlic, pepper, rosemary. Stir to coat.















4. This time, I grilled the sweet potatoes on the charcoal grill using a new grill basket. However, every other time I have baked the potoes on a cookie sheet. Either way works great. (Slightly more olive oil may be needed when grilling than in the oven).

5. If grilling, place potatoes in grill basket, or in a foil packet. Grill for 30-40 minutes.

6. If baking in the oven, spread potatoes evenly on a cookie sheet. Bake @ 375 for about 45-55 minutes.