Tag Archives: Cooking

Sweet Potato Casserole

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen, Inspirations in Life and in the Kitchen by

Inspirations in life and in the kitchen…“Sweet Potato Casserole and Carla”

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Sweet Potato Casserole and Carla

I first tried this recipe 28 years ago when I lived in Shreveport, Louisiana.  I moved there with my husband the first year of our marriage.  We visited a church one Sunday and  that is where I met Carla.  We became instant friends and she is still a dear friend to me today.

We took turns each week eating together. There I learned the value of friendship over sharing a table, laughter and recipes.  I was not a great cook and reluctant to try new things.  In fact, I had always stated that I did not like sweet potatoes and certainly not a casserole made with them. Then Carla invited us over for dinner one evening.  I could not believe what I had been missing out on all those years.

Needless to say, this recipe has been a favorite of mine during the holidays ever since.  It is not for the faint of heart…lots of butter and brown sugar in this one!

Even though we have not lived in the same city for over 24 years, I think of her often and miss her dearly.  Carla inspired me in the kitchen by encouraging me to try ALL the ingredients in a recipe first and not leave out the ones I don’t like. She is the ultimate hostess with the mostest and always inspired love and conversation in others around her table.

She inspires me in life to be “all ears”.  She never interrupts, listens as if she truly cares (and she does) and has a heart for others.  This is something I never forgot and I think of her often when listening skills are required.

God blessed me with a friendship like hers and I also have this wonderful recipe and many others to share around my own table. Make this and I think you will fall in love with it also!

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SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

INGREDIENTS:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (can)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup milk

INSTRUCTIONS:
Beat eggs well then add milk and mix.
Add to this sweet potatoes, sugar, salt and butter or margarine
Mix and put in greased baking dish

TOPPING:
Mix 1 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup flour
Pour over potatoes, then cover with 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Melt 1 stick of butter and pour over all.

Bake at 350 for 35 minutes, or until brown on top

Thankfulness…not just for November

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen, Halloween/Fall by

I am thankful for my family.  What a gift from God.
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 I am thankful for friends joining us around the table for Thanksgiving

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I am thankful for Pecan Pie and Rosemary Cornbread and friends who give me great recipes!
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I am thankful for finding wonderful bloggers who share their favorite recipes.  I love these cookies from Sally’s Baking Addiction.  Delicious!

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I’m proud to be an American

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by

We love baking sweets on all occasions and love celebrating our freedom! 

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Sprinkles shortbread cookies...yummy!  Find recipe here.
Chocolate covered Pretzels…always a winner!  Find recipe here.
Red, White and Blue Chocolate covered peanuts…perfect combo!  Find recipe here.
Rice Krispie Treats…these are so cute!  Find recipe here.

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My daughter found this recipe and thought it was so cute, so she made these as well.

Rice Krispie Treats!

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When the moon hits your eye…

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by

…like a big Pizza Pie
that’s amore!

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My daughter, Claire, loves Pizza!  She loves all Italian food, but Pizza is her absolute favorite.  She wanted to make a healthier version of this wonderful slice of heaven.

I found a recipe from  The Skinnytaste Cookbook made with Lavash bread and homemade marinara sauce.

This recipe is low cal and tastes great.  My daughter went back to college and made it the next night as well. I posted the recipe from Gina’s website here Lavash Bread Pizza and below as well.   You can find it at the top of this post also.  Enjoy!

Lavash Flatbread Pizzas
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 2 • Serving size: 2 squares • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 191.8 • Fat: 4.7 g • Protein: 12.2 g • Carb: 23.9 g • Fiber: 1.4 g • Sugar: 1.4 g

Ingredients:

  • 9×12″ lavash flatbread
  • olive oil spray
  • 3 tbsp marinara sauce
  • 2 oz reduced fat shredded mozzarella
  • pinch dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp fresh basil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450°. If you have a pizza stone, heat it as well.

Spray lavash lightly with oil then top with sauce. Too much sauce will make the bread soggy so don’t over-do it.  

 

 

 

The SkinnyTaste Cookbook…Yum

Posted in Adventures in the Kitchen by

We have been cooking out of our new cookbook for the last couple of weeks: The SkinnyTaste Cookbook.  Sounds delicious, I know. I am discovering on many of the recipes, there are a lot of ingredients and I am always tempted to take shortcuts. Since I have never been a detail person, shortcuts are easy for me. This became more evident in my first few years of marriage.  I learned to sew and make curtains for our home. They looked professional, from afar, but I would never want someone to look at the detail work on the other side, or see if the seams were perfectly straight!  I think I have the same attitude in cooking. When it says “one tablespoon” does it really mean exactly one tablespoon, or can I eyeball it?  And if I don’t like an ingredient, can I just leave it out? What difference does it really make?

IMG_5782[1]I discovered it really does make a difference!  It’s just sometimes I don’t want to chop, dice, sautè, cream, etc. And I don’t want to purchase 5 seasonings just for one little teaspoon of each. I just want it to be done!  Like the day I realized that my baked beans tasted amazingly better when I added all the onions and peppers that I was always eliminating. All those seasonings and flavors make a difference, who knew??? 🙂

Below are some of our favorite recipes we have tried from this cookbook. Everything has been tasty so far and thankfully we are discovering we can make a delicious, healthier version of some of our favorites.  While there is certainly lots of dicing, chopping, a teaspoon of this and a teaspoon of that and usually a quick run to the store, it is well worth it. Especially the time spent with my girls in the kitchen talking and laughing as we are figuring out these new meals together.

Olivia chose to make the Western Omelette. Very tasty and easy to grab and heat up in the morning.

Watch those fingers!

Teriyaki-Glazed Pork Chops with Pineapple Salsa

Cubano-Style Stuffed Pork Tenderloin

We also made Buttermilk Oven “Fried” Chicken and Skinny Chicken Parmesan, but I forgot to take pictures!  Everyone loved both of these dishes and we will certainly make them again soon.