Christmas and Colored Sugar

I've been so busy these past couple weeks getting ready for Christmas I haven't had much time for blogging.  But I have several blog posts lined up in my mind to get us through the new year at least.  For now, I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a wonderful New Year!!

And while you're waiting for more yummy Christmas recipes, here's a quick little post about coloring your own sugar for decorating your holiday cookies and desserts.  (Pictures to come later...)

Coloring your own sugar is super easy.  But why would you do it?  You can just as easily go to the store and buy multiple colors of sugar in little jars.  The Wilton company has some very nice decorating products.  However, sometimes they can be a little pricey.  And if you have nut allergies in your family like I do, you have to read the labels very carefully.  You may not think that sugar or icings or nonpareils have any nut products in them.. But sometimes they are processed in the same facility as other nut products and there's a possibility of cross-contamination.  Depending on the sensitivity of your loved ones nut allergies, you might not want to take the chance even with that.

So here I put about 5 tablespoons in a bowl and pulled out my little food coloring bottles like what you use for dying Easter eggs!  Squeeze several drops of food coloring into the sugar and stir until color is completely distributed.  You may need to add more food coloring to make darker colors.

For the red I put in about 15-20 drops.  For the green, about 10 drops. For the blue and the purple, 5 drops each.  Once the color is thoroughly mixed in, you can use it immediately or store it in a tupperware container, tightly sealed.

When first making the red, I did a little experimenting and put in about 15 drops of red, 5 drops of blue, and a couple drops of pink.  The outcome was a beautiful burgundy color.  So another benefit...you can create your own signature colors of sugar to match the occasion!

Enjoy!  Merry Christmas!

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!