Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping

Dear Auntie,

I read about your Thanksgiving dinner with friends on your blog and am sending the recipe below.  If it is not similar to what your friends made, tweak away.  My friend Carole now brings this for every Thanksgiving and Christmas, and it replaced my old favorite, candied yams. 

The casserole is absolutely yummy and I have been known to make more of the praline topping than the recipe calls for  ;-)

Linda 

Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping  

4 cups hot mashed sweet potatoes
1/3 cup butter or margarine and 2 tablespoons melted 

2 tablespoons granulated sugar 

2 eggs - beaten 

½ cup milk 

1/3 cup chopped pecans 

1/3 cup packed brown sugar                                   
2 tablespoons flour

Mix the sweet potatoes, 1/3 cup of butter and the granulated sugar. Beat in the eggs and milk. Pour into a greased 2 - quart casserole.

Combine the pecans, brown sugar and flour.  Stir in 2 tablespoons of melted butter.  Sprinkle the mixture over the sweet potatoes.

Bake at 325º for 1 hour.

Dear Linda,

Thanks for the recipe!!!

Auntie

Yummy Yams from the Jitterbug Queen

 
Dear Auntie,

Any good recipes for Sweet Potatoes?

Amber

Dear Amber,

But of course!

This is a family recipe.  Mom got this from her sister, my Aunt Irma.

I've been blessed with several wonderful aunts and uncles.  Aunt Irma was strong, caring and funny -- an inspiration. Rumor has it she was quite the jitterbugger in her day!  She and Mom kept the boys dancing at the USO in Wilmington, North Carolina.

All that jitterbugging certainly worked off the butter in this dish. Yes, it's heavy on the butter. That's what makes it so yummy! Don't feel guilty, though. After T-day dinner, just get off your rusty-dusty, grab a hep cat and dislocate your dream box. All Reet!

Happy T-day,

Auntie


Aunt Irma’s Yum Yum Yams

6 cups cooked sweet potatoes (approximately 6 sweet potatoes)
2 cups sugar
¼ pound butter (one stick)
3 eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup scalded milk

Mix well in electric mixer. Pour into buttered 9 x 13 inch baking dish.

Topping:
2 cups broken pecans
2 cups brown sugar
1 ½ sticks melted butter
2/3 cup self-rising flour

Mix toppings well and spread over potato mixture. Bake at 325º about 35 – 45 minutes. 

Serves 12 – 14.

Tuna Mac & I Reveal A Secret

Over the past weeks, I've presented several super-simple recipes. Yes, these are not the stuff of gourmet celebrations and I am very capable of making more elaborate recipes. However, the whole purpose of this blog is to look at life through a culinary lens. What is the story behind the food?

Has culinary expertise become a new prejudice? Do we judge someone based on his or her culinary skills? Do we look down our noses at those who cook recipes we deem declassé?

Southern, Soul, Mexican cuisines: these were all considered low class in times past.  Remember the jokes on Beverly Hillbillies? Now, these cuisines head up menus in the finest restaurants.  Even lobster was considered poor folks' food.  Calcium Chloride, Calcium Lactate Gluconate, Sorbitol -- the ingredients shunned by food purists -- are now the love childen of molecular gastronomists.

When we look beyond our prejudices, we can see a broader vista. We can see another story these foods tell.

The story behind these simple recipes I've kept secret for quite a while. Now, I can tell it, and it is sad.

I'm getting divorced. The pain is like outer space: dark, empty and limitless.

While we were still together, I developed these simple recipes and put them together in a cookbook for my ex-husband, Joe. Joe has very little, if any, cooking skill. With these simple recipes, he could have a home cooked meal while I was out of town. Now, I'm away for life. Never again will I cook for him. Never again will he enjoy his favorite dishes.

So, Joe, if you're reading, this is for you. Eat well. Take care of yourself. Be blessed and walk with God.

TUNA MAC

1 (7.25 ounce) box of macaroni and cheese dinner
½ cup milk
1 (6 ounce) can tuna fish

In a large pot (not the stock pot) fill half way with water. Bring water to a boil.

Meanwhile, open box of macaroni. Pull out cheese packet and set aside.

When water is boiling, pour macaroni into water. Keep stove set on high. Set timer for 7 minutes. When timer goes off, pull out a noodle with a small spoon. Cool for a second and taste to see if the noodles are done. If not, boil another minute until they are done. No more than 10 minutes. Turn off stove. Remove from stove and drain off water. You may use the mesh strainer for this.

Return noodles to pan. Pour milk, seasoning packet and tuna over noodles. Turn stove on medium low and cook until mixture has thickened and tuna is heated through (about a minute or two).

Too Easy Jambalaya

Another over-simplified dish for a complex situation.

JAMBALAYA

1 (5 ounce) package Rice-a-roni Red Beans and Rice
2 (14.5 ounce) cans Hunt’s diced tomatoes with green pepper, celery & onion
1 (1 pound) package Hillshire Farms lite sausage
½ cup PictSweet frozen seasoning blend (chopped vegetables)


Spray large skillet with cooking spray until lightly covered.
Open Rice-a-roni box.  Take out seasoning packet and set aside.  Empty rice mixture into pan.  Pour tomatoes on top of rice.  Pour seasoning blend (vegetables) on mixture.  Pour seasoning packet on top. Stir all ingredients together.
Open sausage packet being careful not to spill juices.  Place sausage on cutting board.  Pour any juices on rice mixture.  Cut sausage into ¼ inch slices.  Place sausage on rice mixture.  DO NOT STIR!!

Put pan on burner and turn to high.  Wait until mixture begins to boil.  Place lid on mixture and turn down to medium-low.  Set timer for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes check inside pan. Check the bottom of the pan by pushing back some of the mixture.  Make sure it is not burning on the bottom. If there is a lot of liquid, let it simmer 5 more minutes, however, some liquid is to be expected. 

NOTE:  This recipe uses a lot of meat.  You could easily double the other ingredients.

EASY CHICKEN POT PIE

1 refrigerated piecrust
1 can cream of chicken soup
½ teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 can chicken
1 cup frozen mixed vegetables.

Defrost piecrust according to package directions.

Spray deep pie plate with cooking spray.

Pour chicken soup into bowl. Do not dilute. Sprinkle poultry seasoning and cornstarch over soup.  Using whisk, incorporate thoroughly.

Pour chicken and vegetables over soup mixture.  Stir well. 

Place mixture into pie plate and top with crust.

Moisten edge of pie plate with water. (Do this by running water over your finger, then running your finger on the pie plate.  This helps the crust stick to the plate.) Lightly pinch crust to edges of pie plate. Press a fork lightly all around the edge of the piecrust. Prick crust on top several times.  Place pie on baking sheet and bake 1 hour at 350º.  Check it every 15 minutes to see if it has browned.  Once the crust is brown, place a sheet of aluminum foil on top to prevent it from burning.

Remove from oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

EASY CHICKEN & MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

Another easy, simple recipe. These ultra-simple recipes are a bit out of the ordinary for me. I prefer instead the challenge of complicated cuisine.  The recipe is simple, but the story behind it is quite complicated. I'll tell you the story later...

EASY CHICKEN & MUSHROOM CASSEROLE

1 (5 ounce) packet chicken & mushroom rice-a-roni
1 (10 ½ ounce) can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
 2 (5 ounce) cans chicken
1 (4 ounce) can mushrooms
¼ cup milk

Spray large skillet with cooking spray until lightly covered (or add 1 tablespoon oil in pan).

Open Rice-a-roni box.  Take out seasoning packet and set aside.  Empty rice mixture into pan.

Pour soup, mushrooms and chicken in pan.  Sprinkle seasoning packet over all.  Stir.  Cover and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes.  Add milk.  Enjoy.

ULTRA-EASY CHICKEN CHILAQUILES CASSEROLE

This is too easy not to cook.


ULTRA-EASY CHICKEN CHILAQUILES CASSEROLE

1 (8 ounce) container of sour cream
1 (7 oz) can salsa verde
12 corn tortillas
2 (10 oz) cans chunk chicken in water
8 ounces shredded low fat Colby/Monterey Jack blend (or cheddar)

Preheat oven to 350º.   Coat a 9 x 14 inch baking pan with cooking spray. 

Empty sour cream and salsa verde into mixing bowl. Using spatula, blend together cream and salsa. Set aside.

Line pan with 6 tortillas. Don’t worry if they do not cover pan completely.  It is ok to overlap tortillas. It is ok if they break or tear, just try to make it as even as possible.

Empty a can of chicken (including broth) onto tortilla layer. With fingers, crumble chicken until it is shredded and distribute evenly over tortillas

Pour half of sour cream/salsa mixture over chicken, distributing it in dollops evenly across the chicken. Spread smooth with spatula.  Sprinkle half of cheese over top.  Repeat layers.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  During last 10 minutes, remove foil to let cheese brown.  Remove from oven and let set for 10 minutes before cutting.  Top with more salsa and cilantro, if desired.

Hint:  add corn, chopped tomatoes