<p>Sweet Potato Casserole–Add the following ingredients to about 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (canned or fresh): 1/4 C each–brown sugar, evap milk (or fat-free half and half); 2 T each–butter, orange juice; 1 t vanilla, 1/2 t each–orange zest, salt, cinnamon; pinch (maybe 1/4 t if you really like the flavors) nutmeg, ground cloves. Thoroughly combine ingredients, maybe use your hand mixer if it’s handy, and smooth out in a buttered/‘Pammed’ casserole dish. Sprinkle 1/2 C toasted pecans on top (some of my family members don’t do nuts, so I often put nuts only on half–can be omitted, if preferred) and top with about 2 C small marshmallows. Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes until marshmallows are nicely browned. NOTE: if using canned spuds, I’d simmer them in a saucepan for about 20 minutes before getting started. I normally mix this up the night before and it’s ready to go after I take the turkey out of the oven. Cooking time assumes room temperature ingredients. Serves 8 or 10. You could easily double this to feed a crowd. If you want leftovers, maybe do an extra half recipe.</p>
<p>Pasta with eggplant…salad…berries…bread…</p>
<p>I’m thinking of making chicken soup for the two sick people in this house. :)</p>
<p>While there are no marshmallows in this one, it is SO good. We substitute the gingersnap cookie crumbs for the pecans because a couple of family members don’t like nuts.</p>
<p>1 pkg. (8 oz.) Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (40 oz.) cut sweet potatoes, drained
3/4 cup packed brown sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Granny Smith apple, chopped
2/3 cup chopped cranberries
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats, uncooked
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into chunks
1/4 cup chopped Pecans and/or crushed gingersnap cookies</p>
<p>HEAT oven to 350°F.</p>
<p>BEAT cream cheese, potatoes, 1/4 cup brown sugar and cinnamon with mixer until blended. Spoon into 1-1/2-qt. casserole sprayed with cooking spray. </p>
<p>MIX flour, oats and remaining brown sugar in medium bowl; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in nuts/cookies and cranberries. Spread generously over the top of the casserole.</p>
<p>BAKE 35 to 40 min. or until heated through. Serves 8.</p>
<p>Barfly,
I will need to research. I use to add pineapple to canned sweet potatoes, a few spices ( cinnamon, nutmeg) , then put mini and regular marshmallows on top. Took no time at all.</p>
<p>Change of plans: We have a stoppage in the kitchen sink. Dinner is take out…on plastic and paper. Call plumber</p>
<p>Sorry to hear that, ellebud! What a pain…</p>
<p>I have a change in dinner plans, too - got tangled in work assignments, so no homemade chicken soup. 
Will have to settle for the leftover pork adobo with a veggie of some sort.</p>
<p>You know…it could be worse. This could have happened on Thanksgiving…with 20 of EVERYTHING…plus little dishes for the football/parades. I think that I would have prayed for the gods for rain and put everything outside.</p>
<p>I hope that you get your chicken soup tomorrow.</p>
<p>Seafood paella. Left work a bit early to cook up a seafood feast because . . . well, because I had a taste for it, and cooking is fun and a recreational release for me. And because it’s just about the best feeling in the world when you can put a tasty meal on the table and share it with the people you care most about.</p>
<p>Over the years I’ve settled on very, very simple sweet potatoes. Look for the garnet variety, preferably organic. They are a really rich deep shade of orange and have a heavenly taste. I just wash then, puncture them here and there and roast them very, very slow for a long time, until the skins are splitting. Then scoop out the soft fragrant innards, a little butter, a little cinnamon, a little turbinado sugar or brown sugar and mash them up. Not too much of the sugar because the Garnet variety is naturally super sweet.</p>
<p>Oh ellebud! That stinks. Even looking on the ‘bright side’ that it wasn’t over Thanksgiving, it’s still a hassle. Hope it’s an easy and relatively easy fix (if there is such a thing).</p>
<p>bclintonk - I love seafood paella. I’ve never tried it myself. It seems daunting. Our local Costco of all places does a pretty good job and I pick it up there once in a while.</p>
<p>My SIL always does sweet potatoes for Thanksgiving. I’m not big on them, which is odd since I’m the southerner, not her. I’ll take my yukon gold mashers. I’ve been wishing for a ‘big girl mixer’ for a long time to make a lot of holiday things easier. Doing mashers with a hand mixer is a pill. Sometimes I can do just as well with a hand masher. My contribution to the feast is a squash casserole. I’m not bragging, but people who swear up and down they don’t eat squash will try a nibble and become converts. I triple the recipe so I can send people with leftovers. It’s nice to bring something you know people enjoy.</p>
<p>We’ve been working our way though a rather large batch of meatballs in marinara I made in the crock pot. I need to learn not to cook for a small army with one off in college and another with odd work hours there are often just three of us. We’ve had them over spaghetti twice and on sub rolls with melted provolone and red onion another, and there’s still a ton left. In the freezer they go. My men are saints and would eat them another night in whatever form I presented them…but I’m darn sick of them, lol!</p>
<p>Today I’m shopping for the non-perishibles for everything I’ll need when the troops do arrive home next week. Then it’s back to an army. :)</p>
<p>I think baked salmon tonight with brown rice and broccolini. And a nice piece of apple cake.</p>
<p>Oven baked Brussels sprouts, olive oil spray and spices, dipped in sabra hummus.</p>
<p>Shrimp scampi over rice with a vegetable melange of red pepper, green pepper, and broccoli.</p>
<p>I hope ellebud got her sink issues solved…</p>
<p>Mmmm… finally, chicken soup for dinner. Mr B would have licked the bowl, but decided that it was not a very appropriate thing for a grownup to do :)</p>
<p>Elk burgers. Saw Elk at the grocery store, and decided to try it.</p>
<p>Deep dish homemade lasagna</p>
<p>Ratatouille with Red Snapper, and Nicoise Orzo Salad. Fresh pears for dessert.</p>
<p>Gumbo with avocado bites were dinner tonight. Yum…</p>
<p>Corned beef hash (homemade from the leftover corned beef and cabbage I had on Sunday).</p>