Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

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This is America’s Test Kitchen Recipe from 2007, as part of their holiday makeover. It’s quite terrific. I know every family has their own version of this, but if you’re like me, you might also like to vary the marshmallow-topped yams every once in awhile. This recipe doesn’t disappoint!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

7 lbs. sweet potatoes, of similar size (6-8)

Streusel
5 T. unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and softened, plus more for the pan
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 c. pecans

Filling
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. vanilla extract
4 t. fresh lemon juice
Granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 c. half-and-half

1. For the sweet potatoes: Adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400. Poke the potatoes with a fork or knife and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake until they are very tender (they easily pierce or can be squeezed with tongs), 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and cut in half lengthwise, and let cool ten minutes. Turn the oven down to 375.

2. For the streusel: while the potatoes are baking, butter a 13 x 9 inch dish. Pulse the flour, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until blended, 4 times. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse, 6-8 times. Then, add the nuts and pulse, 4-6 times. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix the first three ingredients with your fingers or a fork, and the butter, and mix again with your fingers until big crumbs form. Then, chop the nuts–to however small you prefer–on a separate surface, and add and combine. It should look like streusel.)

Once the potatoes have cooled, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Transfer half the flesh to the food processor; cut the remaining flesh into coarse 1-inch chunks.

3. For the filling: add the melted butter, salt,  nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, and lemon juice to the potatoes in the food processor and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Taste for sweetness, then add up to 4 T. granulated sugar, if necessary; add the yolks. With the processor running, pour the half-and-half through the feed tube and process until blended, about 20 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the potato pieces and stir gently to combine. (Alternately, blend or mash half the sweet potato flesh well, then add the ingredients as listed above, using a wooden spoon to combine. I don’t have a food processor, and these still turned out really well.)

4. Assemble and Bake: Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer with the spatula. Sprinkle with the streusel, breaking up any large pieces with your fingers. Bake until the topping is well browned and the filling is slightly puffy around the edges, 40-45 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note: to cut down on Thanksgiving-day work, you can bake the sweet potatoes up to two days in advance, scrape the flesh out, and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, proceed from step 2.

Pasta with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Walnuts, and Sausage

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This is a new favorite with us. It’s easy and healthy and mostly uses things already on hand (esp. the sun-dried tomatoes in the quart jar from Costco). It works really well with the protein enriched pasta that Allison mentioned (I am also a big fan of that stuff)–in fact, I adapted it from the back of a Barilla box. It works well with regular rotini, though, and I think it would work nicely with penne too. Our local grocer makes Italian sausage that’s very affordable & yummy, so I’d recommend looking in the fresh meats. I also recommend getting the hot sausage–I usually don’t like it, but this is a very mild dish.

1 box rotini pasta
1 – 2 lbs hot Italian sausage or gourmet chicken sausage (1 lb if you’re going light on the meat, 2 lbs if you want sausage in, say, every other bite)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 cup walnut pieces (or coarsely chopped walnuts)
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil & herbs
1 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried basil (or about 16 fresh basil leaves, shredded)
salt & pepper to taste

1. Cook the pasta acc. to box directions. Add broccoli for the last 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cook sausage on a grill or acc. to package directions. Cut into half-inch-wide slices.
3. Toast walnuts in a frying pan for 2 minutes, stirring constantly
4. Cut sun-dried tomatoes into short strips, if necessary.
5. When pasta & broccoli are done, drain & return to pan. Add olive oil & stir, then add everything else, stir, and serve. Enjoy!

Creamy Sweet Potato Mac n’ Cheese

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I went through the whole “let’s try to disguise veggies for our kids by pureeing them all like Jessica Seinfeld” thing and tried a few recipes from her book.  A couple good things came from that, but I’ve decided that honesty is just so much simpler than sneaking around my kitchen with my already suspicious kid looking on.  HOWEVER – tonight I came up with something quite fantastic.  As far as redeeming irredeemable food goes when that’s all you’ve got in your cupboards.  And it’s probably already been invented. But I keep going back to the pot for another bite, so I figured I’d just post.

1 box Mac n’Cheese

1/2 box Elbow pasta (I love the new-ish Barilla protein/whole grain pasta)

1 medium soft yam (baked/steamed/boiled)

1/2 c cream cheese (pretty sure the fat free kinds don’t melt very well, so best to use the good stuff)

1/4 c milk

1-2 T butter

garlic salt

table salt

Add your protein pasta (or regular) to WELL SALTED (2-3 T?) boiling water and boil for a couple of minutes before adding the boxed stuff.  Meanwhile mash up the sweet potato in a microwave safe bowl and add the cream cheese in chunks.  Warm the mixture to the point that you can easily stir or puree it and add garlic salt to taste.  Drain the pasta when al dente (still firm to the bite) NOT rinsing (EVER) and add the butter, milk and packaged cheese as normal.  Then add the creamy potato mixture and stir in to the pasta creating a thick, creamy, hearty and healthy(er) mac n’ cheese!  Pepper it to taste.

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce

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I haven’t made this dessert in a couple of years, but it is one of the best uses for pumpkin out there. I was telling Jeff about it last night, because the first time I made it, I  think I made it 4 times in one month.  A little overkill, I know, but it’s fairly simple and really delicious. Besides, it’s November; don’t we all need more ways to bake pumpkin?

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce (from Epicurious)
originally published in Bon Appetit in 2000

Bread pudding

  • 2 cups half and half
  • 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
  • 1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice [you can just make your own blend of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and allspice or nutmeg: about 3/4 t. cinnamon, 1/2 t. ginger, 1/4 t. cloves and nutmeg or allspice]
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 10 cups 1/2-inch cubes egg bread (about 10-ounces) [sandwich bread works well, too]
  • 1/2 cup golden raisins [I leave this out–we’re not raisin fans here]

Caramel sauce

  • 1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup whipping cream

For bread pudding:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk half and half, pumpkin, dark brown sugar, eggs, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon and vanilla extract in large bowl to blend. Fold in bread cubes. Stir in golden raisins. Transfer mixture to 11×7-inch glass baking dish. Let stand 15 minutes. Bake pumpkin bread pudding until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare caramel sauce:
Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.

Sift powdered sugar over bread pudding. Serve warm with caramel sauce.

Pumpkin Spice Trifle

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Who won 2nd place at the ward dessert competition?  That’s right.  Me!

I love this dessert, Kelly! I took a picture of it 🙂

Jason says the only reason the 1st place dessert won was because the cook cheated and got all of her friends to vote for it.  To which I responded, “Yeah, but didn’t all my friends pretty much vote for mine…?”  He said that was different because my friends actually thought mine was the best.  Oh, Jason.  So loyal.  To be fair, I tasted the 1st place dessert and thought it was pretty yummy, so I don’t really think there was a conspiracy, despite what my husband thinks.

By popular demand, here’s 2nd place!

Pumpkin Spice Trifle

Layers 1 and 4
America’s Test Kitchen spice cake (this is a fantastic cake!  It’s also very involved.  If you’re short on time and/or feeling a bit lazy, a spice cake mix from a box works perfectly well.  I fed the trifle to my in-laws using a box cake and they raved about it just the same)

Bake according to directions in 9 x 13 pan.  Cut cake into little squares and arrange at bottom of trifle bowl so that there is a minimum of space between the pieces.

Layers 2 and 5
1 C. pumpkin
Sugar-free cheesecake pudding, mixed according to directions on box (what’s the point of sugar-free, given all the other sugar in this trifle, you ask?  Actually, Jello only makes cheesecake pudding in sugar-free.)
2 t. cinnamon

Mix together and smooth over the cake layer.

Layers 3 and 6
1 C. whipping cream
1/8 C. sugar
1 t. vanilla
Crushed Heath bar

Whip whipping cream with sugar and vanilla until the cream has the usual whipped cream consistency.  Smooth on top of pumpkin layer, being careful not to get any orange in the whipped cream.  Sprinkle crushed Heath bar liberally on top.

Note: I had enough to probably add another layer of each, but was out of room in my trifle bowl.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

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I made a great soup in the crock pot last night, if I do say so myself.  I had beets and carrots in the fridge to use up, but you can use whatever combination of veggies you happen to have on hand.  I think the keys to the flavor are the onions, garlic and spices.

Turkey Vegetable Soup (in the Crock Pot)

Leftovers from the crock pot turkey breast, shredded (I probably wound up with about 4 cups of turkey meat)
2-3 C. beets, chopped into 1″ chunks
2-3 C. carrots, chopped into 1″ chunks
1-2 C. onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C. dry lentils
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
3 cans water (use chicken broth cans)
1 T. dry tarragon
1 t. Kosher salt
2 t. black pepper

Combine everything in the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with a nice loaf of bread and butter.  This makes a LOT of soup.

Spanish Rice

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This recipe comes from The Joy of Cooking, and it’s great. I should make it more than I do, because it’s that great. Really.

Spanish Rice

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine in an ovenproof skillet or dutch-oven over medium heat until the onions are golden (5 minutes):

2 slices bacon (or more, if you’re me)
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. chopped green peppers
1 clove garlic, minced

Then add,
1 c. long-grain white rice

Stir until well-coated. Add:
1 3/4 c. chicken stock
1 c. chopped drained canned tomatoes
1/2 t. sweet or hot paprika
1/4 t. black pepper

Bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, and bake until the stock is absorved and the rice is tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve.

Peanut Butter Filling for Homemade Reese’s

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I wasn’t aware that making candy wasn’t actually that difficult–it takes some time to tweak out the imperfections, but it’s pretty straightforward. And this filling makes homemade candy worth it. In fact, I used to just make this recipe at Christmas to pass out to friends, but last year, I made it for Valentines, Easter, Halloween (into eyeballs) and of course Christmas too. A Reese’s just isn’t the same after trying one of these . . .

Peanut Butter Filling for Dipped Chocolates

1 stick butter, softened
1 c. peanut butter (I’ve used natural and the other [unnatural?], both work fine)
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
chocolate for dipping (the better the chocolate, the better the candy. Look for Guittard, Ghiradelli or Callebaut in block form)

In a mixing bowl or standing mixer, combine butter and peanut butter until well incorporated (about 2 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and mix for another 30 seconds. Then, add the sugar; mix for 30 seconds, then the corn syrup, and mix until incorporated. Divide the filling (it will be really soft) into two separate storage containers and refrigerate for at least one hour.

When ready to roll the balls, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Remove one container (the other will get too soft if you take it out now, so leave it in the fridge), and roll the filling into 1/2″ balls (or whatever size you prefer). Place on the cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough from both containers has been rolled, then place in your freezer for at least one hour.

When ready to dip, temper your chocolate (I won’t get into this process too much here, but tempering involves melting the chocolate and cooling it to about 89-90 degrees, depending on the type, just prior to dipping. Your chocolate will get streaky if it’s not tempered correctly. This, of course, takes practice and it helps to have an instant-read thermometer. There are several helpful websites and cookbooks that can help, too). Line another cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Using a fondue fork or other dipping instrument, spear a peanut-butter ball, and dip in the chocolate, then place on the cookie sheet. Continue until the chocolate is too cold (then you must retemper) or fillings are all dipped. If the filling gets too warm before it’s all dipped, place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before continuing.

When finished, keep the chocolate in the fridge until serving. As the chocolate warm to room temperature, a little bubble of peanut-butter filling forms on the top. This makes them easy to identify–and I don’t know how to prevent it :). Since the filling is soft, it literally melts in your mouth, and is a lot less sugary than Reese’s.

This process sounds involved, but really takes no longer than a batch of cookies with a little experience. And it’s really fun to have homemade candy. I’m pretty sure you’ll love them.

Steakhouse-Style Mini Brown Bread Loaves

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So, about two years we went to dinner at a Steakhouse in Draper, and they served us these enchanting little brown bread loaves. They were a little sweet, a little on the dense side, and a perfect pairing with butter. Since then, I’ve been trying to recreate them, basing my experiments on a recipe from King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking book. This is what I’ve come up with; I have to admit that I can’t really remember what the original tasted like, but these look about the same and I imagine they taste comparably good :). They do take longer than most yeast bread to rise (does cocoa powder slow yeast?), so make sure to plan accordingly.

Mini Brown Bread Loaves

1 c. warm water
6 T. butter, melted
1/3 c. honey
4 1/2 c. flour (you can substitute half for whole wheat flour, if you want)
scant T. salt
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. dutch-process cocoa
1 egg
2 1/2 t. yeast

Stir yeast and warm water together and let foam, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, honey, salt, sugar, cocoa, egg, and 1 1/2 c. flour in a standing mixer. Mix with the dough hook for one minute, add the yeast, and combine for another minute. Then, add the flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough comes together, and pulls from the side of the bowl. Continue to knead in the mixer for another 5-7 minutes.

Turn the dough onto the counter and knead by hand for about 30 seconds. Place in a deep, greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 2 hours (it will look poofy, but might not fully double in size).

Turn the dough onto the counter and divide into 8-10 pieces. Shape each piece into long, oval rolls (about 5″ x 2″) and place on a baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 1 1/2-2 hours. Again, they might not fully double in size, but will definitely have grown.

Half an hour before baking, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes (they will be slightly brown on the bottom or read 200 degrees F). Slice like sandwich bread and serve with soft butter.

Crockpot Turkey Breast

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Did you know you could cook a whole turkey breast in the crockpot?  Me neither.  But you can, and it’s awesome.

Jason is a HUGE turkey fan so when they had turkey breasts on major sale, I picked up a couple.  Only, when would I have time to cook it?  So I checked out my favorite crockpot recipe site and of course she had a recipe.  I can’t tell you how awesome it was to come home from work yesterday and be greeted by the smell of cooked turkey, without all the hassle.  It is tender and juicy and so flavorful.  I brought leftovers for lunch.

Crockpot Turkey Breast