Cook: Sweet Potato Casserole

This is my second post on the DIY Christmas Series that a great group of blogging friends and I are doing! Be sure to check out all 30 days of great posts! My good friend Joyce over at The Skinny Pear is the mastermind behind this awesome series to get you ready for Christmas with all things DIY!

Simple, classic, delicious = Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet potatoes are incredibly healthy for you so this is a healthy side dish to serve at Thanksgiving or Christmas...or, ya know...any time! And yes there may be a lot of sugar in this recipe but there's no need to be afraid of organic, unbleached, raw sugar! Or, your favorite healthy sugar substitute!

The original recipe came from MyRecipes in a list of 70+ Thanksgiving favorites. I tweaked a few of the ingredients though, as usual. 

Classic Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients: 

• 4 1/2 pounds of sweet potatoes
• 1 cup raw sugar (I actually used a little less than a whole cup, sweet potatoes provide a lot of sweetness on their own!)
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/4 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups crushed flake cereal (Total or cornflakes)
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 Tbs brown sugar
• 1 Tbs melted butter
• 1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the sweet potatoes and cut them in half. 

Place them on a baking sheet and bake them for at least an hour. They may need to bake longer. You can test to see if they're ready by sticking a knife in each one. If the knife comes right back out, it's ready but if the potato stays on the knife, it needs more time. 

They'll look dry on the outside where they've been cut. When they're done baking, let them sit and cool for about 20 minutes or so. Drop the oven temperature to 350.

While the sweet potatoes are cooling off, whisk/mix together the sugar, butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Mine looks a little funny because the butter wasn't totally soft. No worries if that happens to you, it'll be fine later.

Also while the potatoes are cooling off, prepare the crunchy topping by smashing the flakes until you've got 1 1/2 cups then mix in the pecans and brown sugar. Drizzle the melted butter around it and continue to mix. You can set this aside.

I used Total instead of cornflakes because I wanted whole grains instead of corn. You can use whichever kind you prefer. I doubt it would make much of a difference in the flavor. If someone knows of a better "real food" version, please let me know!

Now that your potatoes have cooled, take them and basically squeeze out the insides into a large bowl. The potato will come out of the skin pretty easily. 

You'll need to peel this part off because it's too hard to mix in well. 

For this step you can either use your electric hand mixer or your stand mixer, or just a good ol' fashioned potato masher. 

Stir in the mixture you made earlier. 

It will seem a little thin but it will be baked again so it will thicken up a bit. If you don't like the way that sounds still, don't add as much milk. 

Pour the sweet potato mixture into a greased casserole dish.  Spread it out evenly and sprinkle the crunchy topping in diagonal lines a couple inches apart. Bake for 30 minutes.

Let it stand for about 10 minutes then sprinkle marshmallows in the empty rows between the crunchy topping rows.

Bake for another 10 minutes or until the edges of the marshmallows begin to brown.

Let it cool and enjoy! I'm sure this will be as big of a hit with your family as it was with mine! 

What's your favorite side dish for holiday dinners? 

Till next time,

Catherine

Cook: Tuna/Chicken Salad Like No Other!

Tuna salad...such a simple recipe. It's good just about any time, any place. And if you're not feeling tuna or don't have any, you can always switch and use chicken. This recipe is fantastic for both. I developed this myself over time just picking ingredients that I thought would be tasty! I found out last night that it's one of my husband's favorite things that I made! Who knew! Together 7 years (married only 6 months) and we're STILL learning new things about one another!

Keep in mind...I don't generally cook with exact measurements. Unless it's necessary. Usually the first time I make a recipe, I'll go by exact measurements but after that I just throw things in. I learned this from my mom and it's just the way I cook now! That being said, there are no exact measurements in this recipe. You can totally customize it with whatever specifics you want!

Ingredients:

• Can of tuna (or chicken)
• Your favorite mayo - to taste
• Colby Jack cheese or Cheddar cheese, about two slices
• Craisins
• Flax seeds
• Dill weed
• Fennel seed or tarragon (tarragon is better with chicken but they both cut the fishy taste)
• Walnuts

Directions:

Drain the chicken or tuna. I'm a nut and don't like hardly any water in there so I even mush paper towels into the can to get all the excess! I like the moisture to be from the mayo. But be sure to give the juice to whatever begging pet is at your feet!

Add in the mayo to taste. I'm using Kraft Mayo with olive oil to try and be a little healthier. I like the way it tastes too! I would estimate I used a tablespoon and a half. Never measured it though. My advice is to add in a spoonful, mix, and taste test, add more as needed, till you have it the way you like it.

Note: I don't add salt because I feel like there is plenty in the chicken itself. Feel free to add salt and pepper to taste!

Cut about two slices off your cheese block. I'm using colby jack today but cheddar can be just as delicious! It just depends what you're feeling!

Shhh, don't tell anyone I wasn't using a cutting board! I like to cut the cheese (hardy-har-har) into small cubes, but you can shred it if you prefer.

Then add about a handful or so of craisins. This is my favorite part! I love craisins!! Add a small handful of walnuts, crushed to whatever size you prefer. Then toss in some flax seeds (ground or whole), dill weed, and fennel seed (or tarragon).

Yummmm

Mix to perfectection and enjoy!! I love this mix so much that I usually eat it by itself with no toast or bread. Now that I've been making my own honey wheat bread, it goes perfectly with it and I might not be able to resist tonight!

Just check out how delicious it looks on homemade honey wheat bread or a delicious wheat wrap! Add a handful of lettuce or spinach leaves and make it a fuller meal! I swear I could eat it all the time! And it's really healthy!

Bon appetit! 

Tonight we're combining the chicken salad with a lovely veggie soup! Delicious!

Do you have your own famous tuna salad or chicken salad recipes?  What are some of your favorite simple recipes?

Till next time,
Catherine

I've linked up to Wellness Wednesday (August-Week 3) with Intoxicated on Life, Nourishing Treasures, Raising the Barrs and Finding The Source!