yummy yams

Here is a picture of my homemade, from scratch candied yams. Mmm...

I never liked yams growing up. I never ate them at Thanksgiving, but I always thought they should be on the table. Like a decoration. Then a few years ago I went to a mini-enrichment where they talked about cooking thanksgiving dishes and had samples to try. That was the first time I ate and loved yams. This year I finally got the chance to make them myself.

My husband's reaction after tasting them, "You've reinvented yams! This has to be part of our Thanksgiving tradition from now on."

It really is that good. Imagine pecan pie on top of pumpkin pie and you can kind of get an idea. (Probably not as healthy as eating a baked yam, but you just make it once a year.)

YUMMY YAMS

1 can of yams, drained (or I used 2 fresh yams, cut and boiled)

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 c butter, melted

1/2 cup milk (I used a 1/4 c of condensed milk I had left over from the pumpkin pie)

Mix together with an electric beater and spread in a 8x8 pan.

Topping:

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 Tbsp flour

1/3 cup butter

1 cup chopped pecans

Cut butter into flour and sugar. Mix in nuts and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

Next year I want to try and make another recipe I discovered at that mini-enrichment, Summery Succotash. Anyone ever tried it?

Roasted Winter Vegetables/Soup

The cool weather has made me feel like making soup. This one is made from the leftovers of the Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Winter Vegetables. Delicious! And so easy:

1 lb carrots, 1 lb parsnips, 1 large sweet potato, 1 small butternut squash

Peel, cut, toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake at 425 for 25-35 min. (Sprinkle w/ fresh parsley if you like.)

The Roasted Vegetable Soup is simple. Coarsely puree the roasted veggies in a blender/food processor, add chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want to make it vegetarian) and heat it up! If you have an awesome blender like a VitaMix this would take minutes!

My husband really liked the soup but I think I like the veggies better.

Tomato Basil Bruschetta

The other day I had a craving for bruschetta so I asked a friend if she had a recipe. She told me she just buys the stuff at Trader Joe's, so that's what I did. I know, kind of cheating, but it was SO yummy. I brushed the bread with some olive oil, broiled it for a minute and then pilled the bruschetta on top. Maybe next time I'll try making it from scratch. Like this recipe at allrecipes.com.

Gurken

Cucumbers taste like summer to me. I think when I was little I didn't like these pickled cucumbers my mother would always make for 'midsommers' along with the Swedish Meatballs. It's hard to remember exactly though because I love them so much now it seems weird to imagine ever not liking them. Now whenever English (hot house or seedless) cucumbers go on sale I always buy a few and use one of them to make this recipe. It's definitely one of my comfort foods.

Pickled Cucumbers

(this is the recipe the way my mother gave it to me, I'm not sure why it only uses half the cucumber, I always just double it and put the whole thing in)

1/2 cup water

4 Tablespoons Vinegar

2 Tablespoons Sugar

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8-1/4 teaspoon pepper

fresh chopped parsley (I just used dried parsley flakes this time)

1/2 cucumber, very thinly sliced (I use the cheese slicer)

Mix together first ingredients then add cucumbers. Cover and let sit at least over night.

oven roasted carrots

Here's another example of roasted veggies. Just drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast for 20-40 minutes (depending on thickness).

My daughter said they were "too spicy" (the pepper) so my husband and I ate these and I made some more- steamed- for the kids which they gobbled up.

asparagus

I ate asparagus growing up but it was never something I really loved. My husband and kids LOVE it. So I've been making it for them and eating it too, but it wasn't anything special... until I found this recipe for Parmesan Roasted Asparagus in my Barefoot Contessa Cookbook. I love it! It's great even without the parmesan cheese.

The Barefoot Contessa Cookbooks have started me roasting my veggies a lot more. The flavor is just wonderful that way. I still have to steam some for Eleanor and Gregory (it's easier for them to chew), but Kurt and I really enjoy it this way.

I usually foil line my cookie sheet for easier clean up.

Just drizzle olive oil and sprinkle with salt (kosher) and pepper (freshly ground).

After 20 min at about 400, grate cheese over and put back in oven for a few minutes.

These asparagus were really skinny I usually like to get them bigger, they seem to have more flavor and don't get dried out as much.