Sweet potato casserole

 
Thanksgiving is right around the corner! I'm very excited! Definitely one of my favorite holidays.  Thanksgiving is one of those days where its perfectly acceptable to eat all day long lots of rich yummy foods and not feel guilty about it, even as you loosen the button of your pants (unless you planned ahead and wore elastic waistband pants!).  Not only is Thanksgiving itself a great holiday for eating and giving thanks and spending time with friends and family, its also the start of the Christmas season too! Another of my favorite holidays!  Between Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years, its a month and a half of eating and partying! I love it!

"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good!"

Psalm 107:1

In honor of Thanksgiving, one of my favorite dishes my mom always made for us growing up is sweet potato casserole.  Now as an adult I make my mom's recipe myself.  I just made some this weekend for a Thanksgiving-type potluck at my church.  A lot of people do the whole marshmellow topping with sweet potatoes. For us, we skip the marshmellows and do a different type of sweet topping for our sweet potatoes.

Usually, I also use canned sweet potatoes but this year I decided to get some fresh sweet potatoes from the farmers market.  A little more time and work but a lovely fresh taste.  Here's what you'll need:

Mom's Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients: About 8-10 medium sized sweet potatoes (or 2 large cans in syrup, drained); 2 eggs; 1/2 cup whipping cream; 1/2 stick butter softened; 2 tsp cinnamon; For topping: 1 cup uncooked oatmeal; 1/2 cup brown sugar; 2 tsp cinnamon; 1 cup chopped pecans; 1/2 stick butter melted

Wash fresh sweet potatoes thoroughly and gently dry with a paper towel.  Place them on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for an hour.  Let them cool slightly. Then peel and mash them.

With mashed sweet potatoes in a mixer, add eggs, whipping cream, softened butter, and cinnamon.  Mix until well blended and spread into a 9x13 baking dish.

For topping, mix together oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, pecans, and melted butter.  Mix until well blended and spread over potatoes.

Bake the dish in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  The pecans topping will be lightly toasted and add a sweet crunch to the potatoes.

So for this Thanksgiving, if you're looking for a sweet potato casserole minus the gooey marshmellows, this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser!