Smashed Sweet Potatoes with Apples

This recipe is one of Ina Garten's, from Barefoot Contessa Family Style I think. It's my favorite yam recipe I've found so far. I think it tastes best when the apples are caramelized. I've only been able to achieve this once! Usually they end up all soft and mushy. I'm sure I'm using the wrong apples. I'm going to try my new favorite apple: Honeycrisp. I will probably split these into two casserole dishes and top one with the apples and one with mini-marshmallows, to appease my family members whose Thanksgiving tastes are not as... sophisticated as mine. :)

INGREDIENTS

	8 pounds (about 12 large) sweet potatoes
	1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
	1 cup heavy cream
	8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
	1/2 cup light brown sugar
	2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
	1 teaspoon cinnamon
	4 teaspoons salt
	2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
	6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
	6 McIntosh or Macoun apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
	6 tablespoons light brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375°. Scrub potatoes, then prick several times with a knife or fork. Bake 1 hour, or until very soft when pierced with a knife. Combine orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Remove potatoes from oven. Once cooled, scoop out the insides with a spoon. Place 1/2 of sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add 1/2 of juice-and-cream mixture, blend until combined but not smooth, and pour into a large baking dish. Repeat with remaining potatoes and juice-and-cream mixture, and add to baking dish.

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add apple wedges and brown sugar; cook about 10 minutes, turning apples occasionally, until lightly browned on both sides. Place on top of sweet potatoes and bake 30 minutes, until heated through. (Note: If refrigerating before baking, cook 45 minutes, or until heated through.)

shape monster

4:45 AM and I am stymied. I know we just went off daylight savings, but Franny is waking up about an hour earlier than usual, despite the time change. I hope she'll adjust soon. She has to eventually. We've already started pushing back her bedtime. The girl needs her sleep.

I take her to the potty, give her some milk and scoot her back in to bed until at least 5:30, but nobody goes back to sleep. Back in my room over the monitor, I can hear Franny recreating yesterday's circle time from preschool. It's like I'm actually there (and just where I want to be at 5:00 am):

"Shape monster, shape monster, munch munch munch, how about a blue square for your lunch? Who has the blue square? Say, 'I do.' 'I do.' Yeah PETER!!!!
Shape monster, shape monster, munch munch, munch, how about a red heart..."

I usually have to go in their room at least once to pull Franny out of Sophie's crib, where she is not welcome apparently. Sophie's screams are my cue when it's time to go remove her unwelcome visitor.

As I write this, Franny has just informed me that she has once again pooped in her underwear. So this tired Mommy is signing off for now, and looking forward to a one hour nap later today.

I got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell

My Thanksgiving would not be complete without this, and neither will yours. I know, I know- not exactly gourmet. But try it, I promise you'll love it. This is my Mom's recipe. I got it from her and I would be doing her and every one of my readers a disservice if I did not use this blog as a mouthpiece to share this festive holiday recipe. It's not a dessert. Its place is right in between the green bean casserole and the candied yams.

RASPBERRY PRETZEL Jell-O

2 c. crushed pretzels 1/2 c. melted butter 2 tbsp. powdered sugar 1 (8 oz.) cream cheese 8 oz. Cool Whip 1 c. powdered sugar 1 lg. box raspberry Jello 2 pkg. frozen raspberries Mix together pretzels, melted butter and the 2 tablespoons of powdered sugar. Then press in 9 x 13 inch pan. Bake 10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool. Mix cream cheese, Cool Whip and 1 cup of powdered sugar; pour over pretzel crust. Dissolve large package of raspberry Jello in 2 cups boiling water. Add 2 packages of frozen raspberries not drained. Mix well and pour over cream cheese. Chill for a couple hours.

Sunday Dinner

My mom would make corned beef and cabbage often for St. Patrick's Day. This isn't actually her recipe, because every time I would call her for the recipe she'd get all vague with her directions and be like, "you know, just stick it in the crockpot..." I did finally find a recipe that tastes as good to me as when she used to make it. I usually serve it with cabbage, but last Sunday we ate it with salad and mashed potatoes instead.

Corned Beef and Cabbage

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (5 1/2 pound) corned beef brisket
• 2 tablespoons pickling spice
• 1 large orange, sliced in rounds
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 6 tablespoons margarine, divided
• 1 large head cabbage, cored and sliced
• 1 cup Golden Delicious apples, cored and quartered with peel
• 1/4 cup cold water

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Line a 9x13 inch roasting pan with aluminum foil, leaving enough extra extending over the sides to cover and seal in the roast.
2. Rinse the brisket, and pat dry. Rub with pickling spice, and place in the prepared roasting pan. Arrange celery, orange and onion slices on and around the roast. Pour in 1/2 cup of water, and wrap aluminum foil up over the roast tightly, making sure the ends are sealed.
3. Bake for about 4 hours in the preheated oven, or until meat is tender.
4. About 45 minutes before the roasts time is up, heat 3 tablespoons of margarine and 1/4 cup of water in a large pot. Add cabbage and apples, cover, and simmer over low heat for about 30 minutes. Occasionally shake the pot so that nothing sticks to the bottom. Serve with remaining margarine and sliced corned beef.

I served it with a creamy horeseradish dressing just like my Dad taught me. Just whip up a little bit of whipping cream and fold in some horseradish.

I have kind of a fun memory attached to this dinner, so I thought it would be fun to record it here.

When Bobby and I had been dating for about six months, my mother came to Ricks to visit for Mother's week. It was the first time she met Bobby. She drove in with Phyllis (Annie's mom) late at night and Bobby came over so I could introduce them. He wore a suit! Just to meet my Mom! He knew how close my mom and I were and he really wanted to make a good impression. She laughed and gave him a big hug. She left on a Sunday, but before they got on the road, she made a big corned beef dinner in this crockpot that my Aunt Edna had sent me. (That's actually a story in and of itself- my mom and dad made a game out of trying to give my Aunt Edna and Uncle Merlin a gift they would actually keep. After my mom gave Edna the crockpot, she called and thanked her and said she thought I should have it and asked for my address in Idaho. My 19-year old roommates and I were perplexed: what the heck were we going to do with a crockpot? My idea of cooking at the time was ramen and mac and cheese. I liked Bobby's suggestion: wouldn't it make a nice home for a potted plant?) The corned beef was a huge hit and then my Mom gave gifts to all my roommates- cute little backpacks from Jack's surf shop in Huntington Beach. My friend emailed me right after my Mom died to tell me she still has it. We spent time with Annie and Phyllis, too. Just like the old days in Faire Marin. It was a great visit.

Creamed Corn Gratin With Fried Onion Rings and Bacon

Yes, please! Feast your eyes on this. I'm pretty sure we'll be having this on Thanksgiving.

I'm going to post my favorite Thanksgiving recipes early in case anyone wants to use them. It wouldn't be very helpful to anyone if I waited until after the big day to post them. I'll also be posting other recipes like this corn that look promising. This year one of my Thanksgiving goals is to incorporate something pomegranate into the menu. I'm open to suggestions, if any of you have some.

Halloween

We had a really great Halloween this year. The girls got to dress up in their costumes four different times for a carnival, two trunk-or-treats, and then of course for the real deal, Halloween night. Sophie was Sporty Spice from the Spice Girls, and Franny was Uniqua from The Backyardigans.




On Halloween night we did a little bit of trick-or-treating, and headed back for a warm chili dinner with the Jensens. I tried a new recipe for chili and I loved it! Here it is with the changes I made, but you can click here for the original.



Boilermarker Tailgate Chili

• 1 pounds ground beef chuck
• 1 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 2 (15 ounce) cans chili beans, drained
• 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans in spicy sauce
• 2 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with juice
• 1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 cubes beef bouillon
• 1/2 cup apple juice
  
• 2-3 Tbs chili powder
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce (e.g. Tabasco™)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 (10.5 ounce) bag corn chips such as Fritos®
• 1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Crumble the ground chuck and sausage into the hot pan, and cook until evenly browned. Drain off excess grease.
2. Pour in the chili beans, spicy chili beans, diced tomatoes and tomato paste. Add the onion, celery, green and red bell peppers, chile peppers, bouillon, and juice. Season with chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, oregano, cumin, hot pepper sauce, salt, pepper, paprika, and sugar. Stir to blend, then cover and simmer over low heat for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
3. After 2 hours, taste, and adjust salt, pepper, and chili powder if necessary. The longer the chili simmers, the better it will taste. Remove from heat and serve, or refrigerate, and serve the next day. (I started making it at noon, and I let it simmer all day until we ate at about 7pm).
   
4. To serve, ladle into bowls, and top with corn chips and shredded Cheddar cheese.

We also had homeade applesauce, courtesy of Ina Garten. She is a genius. I really liked this recipe, although I think next time I will not add as much cinnamon and allspice. It seemed a little strong. I love the texture of the applesauce. Delicious. I served hot apple cider and Natalie brought delicious cornbread. Chili on Halloween has always been a tradition in my family that started when I was very young by our family's home teacher, Bro. Selley, who used to bring homemade chili over every Halloween.

Homemade Applesauce

1 large navel orange, zested and juiced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
3 pounds Granny Smith apples (about 6 to 8 apples)
3 pounds sweet red apples, such as Macoun, McIntosh, or Winesap (about 6 to 8 apples)
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Place the zest and juice of the oranges and lemon in a large bowl. Peel, quarter, and core the apples (reserving the peel of 2 of the red apples) and toss them in the juice. Pour the apples, reserved apple peel, and juice into a nonreactive Dutch oven or enameled iron pot. Add the brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, and allspice and cover the pot. Bake for 1 hour, or until all the apples are soft. Remove and discard the red apple peel. Mix with a whisk until smooth, and serve warm or at room temperature.

A Girl's Afternoon In, a G.A.I.

Franny had a half-day at school yesterday, so I wanted to have some kids over to play. Tara needed to make dinner for the missionaries, so it worked out perfect for her to drop them off while she cooked. We had a really fun time and I hope we can do it again soon!

Every G.A.I. needs a tea party with fake cake and tiny teacups.

The girls had fun playing London Bridges. (Now I finally know what it means when Franny says, "I want bridges.")

My favorite part of the afternoon was the imaginary lion Allie invented. She first spotted it in Franny and Sophie's room, and we quickly sequestered ourselves in the playroom and locked the door. After a while, the lion made its way into the bathroom and hid behind the shower curtain to take a nap. Allison found him while she was using the potty. Franny was really excited about it, tip-toeing and whispering, "the lion's sleeping!" I hope Franny will keep the imaginary lion around. I like the idea of a pet lion. I think we'll call him Phil.

We also had a houseguest, which is always fun for me. Julia's boyfriend's brother, Brendan, was here to interview at the med school and it was great to get to know someone in Grant's family a little better. He was so cute with Sophie. We love having visitors, so please come see us!