Sweet Potato Casserole - Day #3 Thanksgiving Spectacular

Welcome to Day 3 of our Thanksgiving Spectacular!  Today is a special guest post featuring one of my kitchen soul sisters Brandie.  Brandie is known as thecountrycook and was recently a Featured Member on Tasty Kitchen.  You can also find her posting new massively yummy recipes almost daily on Facebook under Thecountrycook!  With that...here's Brandie!  /clap  (don't forget to stop by Siggy Spice's blog too for her continuing Holiday special as well!)

When it comes to Thanksgiving, I’m a side dish kinda gal.  You can have a big ‘ole deep fried turkey in the middle of the table or a sweet, glazed, bone-in Smithfield Ham but my attention will always be on what is hovering around the edge of the Thanksgiving table – the sides.  You got your veggies, your rolls, your stuffing and my personal favorite – the casserole.  Whether it be green bean or sweet potato, I adore them all. I could fill up my entire plate with just the side dishes and be as happy as a clam.  

So having said that, I’m going to share my favorite Sweet Potato Casserole dish with y’all today.  The beauty of this particular dish is it has a shortcut (to help out the already busy Thanksgiving Day cook) and it can also be made up to 2 days in advance and put into the fridge until ready to bake.  Also, for your guests who think they don’t like sweet potatoes, I do believe this may change their minds. Let’s do this!

Ingredients

1 Bag of Ore Ida Steam-n-Mash Sweet Potatoes

½ stick butter, softened

1/2 cup Evaporated Milk

1 Egg

3/4 cup Packed Brown Sugar

1/2 Tablespoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/2 Tablespoon Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

1 pinch of Salt

1/2 cup Chopped Pecans (optional)

1 1/2 –2 cups Mini Marshmallows (enough to cover the top)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 8x8 casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray.

Cook sweet potatoes in the microwave according to package directions (the Steam and Mash potatoes are a big time saver here). Empty into a large mixing bowl, add butter and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Mix the remaining ingredients (except marshmallows) and beat until well incorporated.  Remember, the brown sugar is gonna turn this mixture from a bright orange to a brown-ish color. Don’t be put off by that.

I tend to like my sweet taters a little more cinnamon-y, so I will usually taste test this while it’s still in the mixing bowl and add a little extra cinnamon (about a teaspoon or so).

Pour into prepared dish and bake for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with mini marshmallows. Place under the broiler until lightly browned and slightly melted. DO NOT walk away from the oven while this is under the broiler.  Watch it like a hawk!  This can easily burn on you if you’re not careful.  If you don’t want to mess with the broiler, you can certainly put the marshmallows on and then just pop the casserole back in the 350 degree oven for another 5-10 minutes until melted.  Put out on the table, sit back and finally relax and enjoy all the fruits of your labor!

Cook’s Note: You can make this up to 2 days in advance. After pouring all ingredients (except marshmallows) into the baking dish, cover with plastic wrap and put into the refrigerator. When ready to bake, take it out of the fridge, remove plastic and finish baking per above directions.  You may need to bake it a few minutes longer since the ingredients will be starting out cold.

For a slightly different twist, try using Marshmallow Fluff on top instead of mini marshmallows.  

Lastly, this recipe is easy doubled.  I usually have this as a small side dish because there are already so many other dishes on our crowded table.  But, if you‘re making it for a large crowd, just double the ingredients and bake in a 9x13 casserole dish.

Happy Thanksgiving!

thecountrycook

Coming tomorrow - my mom's infamous secret side dish!

Veggie Cravings!

Let me be the first to say - I am NOT a veggie fan.  In fact, if its green, I more than likely won't touch it.  I am a self-admitted veggie snob.  I think those adorable brussel sprouts taste like dirt balls, greens smell moldy and dusty to me - I just can't do it.  Best I can do is celery with cream cheese and on certain days even that's pushing it.

I am oddly however, a veggie soup fan and every once in awhile, I get the insane craving for that lovely tomato beef broth with crispy crunchy corn, sweet carrots, soft potatoes and yes, even peas.  Its only made better by the fork tender beef that's been cooking for hours on end.  Add some crusty bread for sopping the broth and you're in sheer heaven.

Today was that day.  I heard the call and I answered.  It takes some slicing and dicing but man, is it worth it!  Beats Campbell's canned soup ANY day!  I made mine in my crock pot but you could surely do it stove top.  Clean out your veggie bin and add whatever you have laying around.  Its totally adaptable!  Hope you enjoy - now excuse me while I finished my third bowl!

Vegetable Beef Soup

2-3 pounds beef roast, trimmed of all fat
64 ounces of beef stock
6 ounce can of tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 small onion, finely diced
3 celery stalks, diced
3 medium carrots, sliced thinly
3 Yukon gold potatoes, diced
1 c frozen corn (or fresh)
1/2 c frozen peas
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp dried oregano
salt/pepper to taste
1/4 c barley, optional
 
Place the roast in your crock pot and season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano and onion powder. Pour in the beef broth and add water if needed to cover the roast. Drop in two bay leaves. Turn on low and leave to cook over night or until fork tender.

Remove the roast to a plate and allow to cool slightly. Fish out the bay leaves and discard. Add the tomato paste to the hot stock mix and stir well. Add all veggies EXCEPT frozen peas to the stock.

Using two forks, shred the meat into chunks. Add back to the broth and stir. Let cook in the crockpot for another two to three hours. Five minutes before serving, add frozen peas.

If using barley, add a few minutes before serving.