Sweet Potato Casserole

*Can reduce sweeteners by quite a bit. Too sweet for Jared as is. 

For the Filling:

3 pounds sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

⅔ cup maple syrup

2 eggs lightly beaten

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla

¼ cup milk

½ cup unsalted butter cubed

1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the Topping:

½ cup dark brown sugar packed

½ cup all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons unsalted butter melted

1 cup pecans chopped, toasted

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Makes: 

9 x 9inch rectangle

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Peel and then boil the sweet potatoes in cold water, just covering, until fork tender. Drain well.

Mash the sweet potatoes into a puree using a food processor, immersion blender, potato masher, or stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. While the potatoes are still warm, add the butter, stirring until it melts. Then add the maple syrup, milk, eggs, vanilla, and salt. If using a stand mixer, you can mix everything using the mixer.

Pour the mashed sweet potato mixture into a 1 ½ - 2 quart casserole dish.

Mix all of the topping ingredients together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the pecan crumble topping over the top of the casserole.

Bake the sweet potato casserole for 30-40 minutes until bubbling.

Notes

Technique - Be sure your potatoes are fully cooked by piercing them with a paring knife. If there is any resistance, place them back in the boiling water until they are completely tender.

Variations - Some people enjoy a casserole with marshmallows. Try adding mini marshmallows before baking to make the sweet potato casserole a little sweeter and gooier.

Storage - Store leftover sweet potato casserole in an airtight container or the original baking dish in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. You can freeze sweet potato casserole as well.

Air Dry Clay

Materials:

1 cup Baking soda

1/2 cup Cornstarch

3/4 cup Water

Instructions:

Step 1: Cook the Clay

Add baking soda, cornstarch, and water to a pot and stir together.

Place the pot on a burner over low to medium heat. Stir continuously until the mixture starts to pull away from the pot and it forms a "mashed potato" consistency.

Pull the pot off the heat immediately when it reaches this thickness. Do not overcook!

Put the clay into a bowl or spread it out on a baking sheet to cool. Let the clay reach room temperature before working with it.

It will take at least half an hour to cool down.

Step 2: Use the Clay

The texture of the clay should be very soft and moldable, but not sticky. If the clay sticks to surfaces, or your hands, dust the work area with cornstarch.

Allow the clay to air dry for 3 to 5 days. Or bake it in the oven at 200F for 1 to 1.5 hours, flipping the piece half way through.

Cornbread Stuffing

Ingredients

 4 tablespoons (57 grams) butter, unsalted

 8 ounces (226 grams) yellow onion, chopped

 4 celery stalks, chopped small

 1 1/4 cups (295 ml) chicken or vegetable stock

 2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

 6 cups (1.5 kg) cornbread, broken into large pieces

 Salt

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F/180°C. Butter the baking dish you're using.

In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and celery, cook stirring often for 5 minutes until softened. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock and simmer for 3 minutes.

Add the fresh sage and cornbread, stir to mix well. * see note

Add the rest of the stock and stir well to combine. ** see note

Test for seasoning. Depending on how salty the chicken stock is, add a pinch of salt if needed.

Transfer the stuffing into the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes until it starts to brown on the top.

Notes

* Only add 1 tablespoon of fresh sage if you are using my sage cornbread.

** Only add as much stock as you like depending on how moist you like your stuffing

Apple Crisp

Ingredients (double for 9x13)

Filling:

5 cups fresh apples sliced

1/2 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup old fashioned oats

2/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter melted

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep dish pie plate or 9 inch square baking dish with butter or cooking spray and set aside.

Combine the sliced apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and vanilla extract in a large bowl and mix until all of the apples are evenly coated. Pour into the prepared baking dish.

In a separate medium size bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and stir until well coated and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the apples.

Bake in the preheated oven for 45-60 minutes until fruit is soft and the topping is golden brown. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream on top. Enjoy!

Notes

Slice your apples evenly. I slice my apples using this slicer to speed up the process and remove the core easily. I then slice the apples one more time each with my knife so that the widest part of the slice is roughly 1/2 an inch wide. You can also chop them into big chunks if you would prefer, but just make sure that you chop your apples to a uniform size to ensure even baking in your apple crisp.

Prevent over-browning. If your topping is starting to get too brown but your apples still need more time to cook, simply place some aluminum foil loosely over the top of your pan and continue baking.

Optional additions: Chopped nuts like pecans or walnuts would be a delicious addition to the topping! I didn't add any to ours because my son has a nut allergy.

Serving: this apple crisp tastes AMAZING with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! You could also top it with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. Yum!

Cool Whip

Ingredients

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 to 4 Tablespoons sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Instructions

• Pour heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl.  (If you using a hand mixer, make sure the bowl has high sides because the cream will splash quite a bit initially. I’ve found using the whisk attachment helps a lot!)
• Beat on medium speed just until soft peaks are formed.
• Add sugar and continue mixing until stiff peaks form.
• Stir in vanilla.
• Store refrigerated.