Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes

Shortcut Sweet Potato Bake

I got this recipe from Karen Hurley at a cooking class. She makes it quickly with the canned yams. It was good but I still prefer to boil my cut up sweet potatoes until cooked but still firm; layer them in a baking dish with some pats of butter and salt (Bryan likes it with brown sugar added here but I find it a little too sweet) and then just use her topping recipe. I will post her original.

12 Servings

Yams
2 -28 oz. cans Yams in syrup, drained
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Topping
3 Tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup flaked coconut
1/2 cup shopped pecans (or nuts of your choice-I like chopped almonds)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup self-rising flour
         (I often don't have the self-rising. You can make it yourself with 1/4 cup regular flour minus 1/2 teaspoon. Add a shy half teaspoon of baking powder and a pinch salt and you make the full 1/4 cup)


     Mash sweet potatoes in mixing bow: add sugar, salt, milk, butter,eggs and vanilla, mixing until smooth. Pour into a 9X13 baking dish. Cover and refrigerate until 1 hour before serving.
     Mix the topping ingredients just until crumbly; set aside until ready to bake. (Can be made up to one week ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.) Sprinkle evenly over the sweet potato mixture before baking
     Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes or until browned and bubbly.

Zucchini Coconut Bread

     I love coconut even more than zucchini so this is my favorite bread. I picked it up from someone at church when I lived in Chicago and have never come across it since. I have a lot of loaves frozen to keep me happy through this winter.  Bryan made some last week and put in 2 cups of semi-sweet and 2 cups milk chocolate chips -probably overkill on the chocolate but oh so good.  It was like eating a candy bar. Make sure you eat it warm.

Zucchini Coconut Bread

3 eggs

2 cups sugar

1 cup oil

3 cups grated Zucchini

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup coconut

½ cup nuts (optional)

Mix all the above ingredients well.  Pour into greased loaf pans. Bake for 1 hour at 350*