If you still haven’t settled on a sweet potato recipe for Thanksgiving, the following is my favorite. I got it from my friend Rachael a couple of years ago and have made it for almost every holiday since. It’s not healthy, but health is not what Thanksgiving is about!
Sweet Potato Souffle
Serves 6-8.
Ingredients:
6 small to medium sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
½ cup milk
½ cup butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp salt
Topping:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
Directions:
1. Boil unskinned potatoes in a large pot for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool, and remove skins. (I’m always impatient and end up scalding my fingers.)
2. Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 2-quart casserole dish.
3. Beat potatoes on low until they break up. Increase to medium speed and blend until smooth.
4. Reduce speed; add all the other ingredients and mix well. Pour into a square casserole dish.
5. Prepare topping, spread as evenly as possible over potatoes, and bake for 40 minutes.
If you want to go in a more savory direction with your sweet potatoes, I highly recommend this recipe from The Crepes of Wrath. I made it a few weeks ago, and even my sweet potato-averse dad loved it!
Add a Comment + Posted in: fall, food
Um. If our society now requires robot diplomacy, I don’t think Skynet is far away. :P
Add a Comment + Posted in: what i'm into
When I woke up today, I heard the swoosh of cars kicking up rain on the street outside. Knowing that we weren’t supposed to break 50 degrees by noon, I decided it was the right time to break out the boots. There’s something happy and comforting about encasing your feet in warm boot safety on a cold, damp day.
Someone used to call these particular boots my “reindeer hooves” because, when I stand in them, all that peeks out from the hem of my pants are the pointed toes. They do sort of look like little hooves. It amuses me.
2 Comments + Posted in: fall, fashion
Having curly hair means that you’re constantly subject to the whims of hair-product companies. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve found something great that works, only for it to be discontinued, reformulated, repackaged in a smaller container at a higher price (Pantene = public offender #1), or some combination of the above. So, like most curly-haired women, I’m always on the lookout for recommendations because I will always need a backup product.
Ouidad is the queen of curly hair. I’ve gotten her patented “carve and slice” cut twice, and it’s undoubtedly the best cut I’ve ever had. (Then I faced the reality that I couldn’t keep flying to Ft. Lauderdale and shelling out over $100 for a haircut. I’ve been going to Susan Harris at Gould’s Cordova ever since. She is amazing!) Ouidad’s products are wonderful too. I used the Climate Control gel and the Botanical Boost conditioning spray for a long time, and they’re now available at Sephora, which makes them much easier to get. Still, they’re pretty expensive. So when my last bottle of gel ran out, I tried this instead…
After hearing about Biosilk for years, I snatched up a bottle of their Glazing Gel from the deep clearance section at Kroger. It’s a worthy replacement for the Climate Control – really helps with curl formation without too much crunch, and smells great! I only use it on fresh hair, to establish a good anti-frizz “base,” so one bottle lasts me a long time.
Tresemme Bouncing Curls has been my go-to gel for many years. It holds well without major buildup or gunkiness. I’ve tried most moderately-priced gels currently on the market, and this is consistently the best for me.
On top of this, I need a finishing spray gel too. I’d used Pantene’s spray gel since college, through all its incarnations, but they completely eliminated it a while back. Herbal Essences Set Me Up Spray Gel has been my constant companion ever since.
My favorite conditioner is Marc Anthony Strictly Curls lotion. I get it at Ulta, but I think it’s also available at Walgreens. Just a small amount on clean hair makes my curls silky and consistent. Plus I can entertain myself by imagining the other Marc Anthony (i.e. Mr. J.Lo) acting all Vidal Sassoon.
Finally, my friend Laura told me about this Organix Coconut Milk shampoo and conditioner, and I’m about to finish off my second bottles. It’s moisturizing, natural, and smells so good that you’ll want a pina colada or coconut cream pie immediately.
Straight-haired readers, consider this post a thankfulness reminder for all the money and time you save!
Add a Comment + Posted in: beauty