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.

Corn Bread Stuffing

Bryan has started making this for our Thanksgiving Turkey.  It is good and is a little different than the usual bread one we are used to. I admit we don't add the hard-boiled eggs. They just don't seem right. It is from Parade Magazine and originally from Elizabeth Mitchell.

  Corn Bread Stuffing
Serves 12
Active Time 15 min. 
Total Time 45 min.

Ingredients

• 1½ (8-inch square) pans cornbread
• 4 slice Italian bread with sesame seeds, torn into very small pieces
• 4 hard-boiled eggs (use just 2 of the whites), mashed
• 1 tsp seasoned salt
• ¼ tsp white pepper
• 1 Tbsp chopped sage
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 2½ cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped Spanish onion
• ¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, divided
• 1 (14-oz) can chicken or turkey broth

Directions

1. Crumble cornbread into a large bowl; combine with Italian bread pieces. Add mashed egg yolks and whites. Sprinkle with seasoned salt, white pepper, sage, and parsley. Toss gently to mix. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Set aside.
2. Sauté celery and onion in ½ cup butter until soft.
3. Add onion and celery to bread mixture and toss. Pour in most of broth and mix well. Add more if mixture seems dry.
4. Grease a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with 1 Tbsp butter. Transfer stuffing to pan. Lightly moisten with more broth if needed. Dot top with rest of butter.
5. Bake at 325°F for 30 to 40 minutes, until browned on top, or stuff in a turkey and cook until done.
6. Elizabeth's Tips:
7. When my grandmother makes this stuffing, she tops it with little bits of butter, which then melt.
8. Grandma Helen makes her cornbread with white cornmeal, not yellow.
9. Mix wet and dry ingredients gently with your hands or a large fork to keep the stuffing light
10. Serve the stuffing in a crystal bowl with a silver spoon. Set the bowl on top of a beautiful tablecloth.

Kitchen Counter

Serves 12. Per Serving: 190 calories, 20g carbs, 7g protein, 9g fat, 90mg cholesterol, 670mg sodium, 2g fiber

Corn Souffle

Bryan found this recipe from Linda Evans of Dynasty fame.  It is really good.  He makes it for Thanksgiving.

Southwest Corn Souffle

3 cups corn kernels (you can use fresh or thawed frozen)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 C sour cream
9 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (can use pepper jack instead of jalapenos)
1/2 C cornmeal
1/3 C jalapenos, finely chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350*. Generously butter a 2 quart baking dish (if using a 9X13 baking dish, increase proportions by 1.5).

In a blender or food processor, puree 1 cup of the corn with the melted butter and the eggs.

In a large bowl, combine all the remaining ingredients (including the other 2 cups of corn) except Parmesan.
Add the pureed corn mixture. Stir until well-incorporated.

Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle with the Parmesan and bake for 45 to 90 (depends on batch and pan size) minutes until set and browning.  If the top isn't browned at the end of the baking time, place it under a broiler for a couple of minutes - careful not to let it burn.

Remove from the oven and let it cool for at least 20 minutes, then cut into squares and serve.