Elf on the Shelf
Many of you are working feverishly every night to come up with new mischief for your Elf on the Shelf. We have many in our house that resided in my husband’s home when he was a little boy. That was way back in the 1960s! Way back then the elves didn’t cause mischief, there were many of them and they had new hiding places every morning. When my husband and his brother woke up, they would look all over the house to find all of the elves. We continued that tradition when our Cameron came along. Now that he’s grown the elves only get hidden once. Hiding the elves is my husband’s job!
Sweet Potato Casserole
I HATE sweet potatoes, but apparently I make that best sweet potato casserole ever made. I wouldn’t know because I have never tried it!! When I first started making it, it was way too sweet. With my husband’s help I altered my original recipe to make it what it is today. Instead of the traditional marshmallow topping, which my husband HATES, this has a crumbly, nutty topping. We celebrate Thanksgiving Day with our dear friends and I am required to bring this every year!!
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups mashed sweet potatoes, fresh or canned (I always use canned)
1/2 c. white sugar
1/3 c. melted butter
1/2 t. cinnamon (Saigon cinnamon is my favorite)
1 t. vanilla
2 eggs
TOPPING:
2/3 c. flour
1 c. brown sugar (I like dk. brown, but this is to your taste)
2 c. pecans
2/3 c. melted butter
Beat sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, cinnamon, vanilla and eggs. They should be the consistency of brownie mix. Try to get all of the lumps out of the sweet potatoes. Pour into a buttered, 9X13 baking dish.
For the topping, stir dry ingredients together. Add the melted butter & stir. Spread on top of the sweet potato layer. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Serve warm!
Enjoy!
Apple Cranberry Pie
I have been making this pie for years! There are homes I’m not allowed to enter if I don’t have this pie with me. I buy pie plates at Goodwill so that I can just leave the plate. Sometimes I get them back, sometimes I don’t – it just doesn’t matter!! I love cooking and baking for my friends.
APPLE CRANBERRY PIE
You will need pastry for a 9″ two-crust pie. You can buy the frozen pie crust, but trust me when I tell you pie crust is SO easy to make. Here is the recipe I use and it has never let me down.
PIE CRUST
2 1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. cold butter, cut into pieces
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of the food processor and give it a quick pulse to blend the ingredients. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture is crumbly. Add 6 tbsp. ice cold water and pulse until mixed. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a ball and flatten to a disc. Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and let the dough rest for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
PIE FILLING
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. sliced Granny Smith apples
2. cranberries – whole
2 T. butter
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, combine sugars, flour & cinnamon. Add fruit and mix well. Pour into a pastry lined pie plate. Dot the tops with butter. Cover with pastry and cut slits in the top crust. Seal the edges. I like to use tiny cookie cutters to cut holiday themed designs out of left over pie crust and decorate the edges of the pie. Brush an egg wash over the crust and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. (I use a pie shield on the edges of the pie for the first 30 minutes of baking. Keeps the edges from getting too brown.)
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
Enjoy!