sweet potato pie...

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Mary McLeod Bethune's Sweet Potato Pie

Filling
9 med sweet potatoes or yams (app. 4 lbs.)
1c (2 sticks) butter or margarine, softened
1/2c granulated sugar
1/2c firmly packed brown sugar
1/2tsp salt
1/4tsp nutmeg
3 eggs, well beaten
2c milk
1 Tbsp vanilla

Crust
3 unbaked 9-in Classic Crisco Single Crusts

1. For filling, boil sweet potatoes until tender. Peel and mash.

2. Heat oven to 350

3. Combine butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt and nutmeg in a lg bowl. Beat at med speed of electric mixer until creamy. Beat in sweet potatoes, until well mixed. Beat in eggs. Beat in milk and vanilla slowly. Spoon into 3 unbaked pie shells, using about 4 cups filling per shell.

4. Bake at 350 for 50-60 min. or until set. Cool to room temp before serving. Store in refrigerator.

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i have been making this recipe for YEARS...and think it is delish!!! 

i bake my sweet potatoes instead of boiling them, and i use frozen pie crusts.  i also use splenda blend white and brown sugar...and added a tbsp of spiced rum with the vanilla this year.

happy thanksgiving...

i love holidays!  all of them!  thanksgiving, christimas & my birthday (yes...i consider it a holiday) are my faves!  i look forward to them with great anticipation.  i tire myself out getting ready for them.  and then...on the actual day...i rejuvenate, relax & enjoy.  

this year...while my life is not perfect (and really...it never has been)...i have a lot to be thankful for.  

i'm thankful that while my employer is not having the stellar year we had last year...i am among the employed.  

i'm thankful that my mortgage is not upside down...and while my house is not worth what it was a couple of years ago...its still worth more than i paid for it.  

i'm thankful that my daughter's company that she interned with while at nyu...and free-lanced with for the past couple of years has hired her as an employee...with benefits!  

i'm thankful for my loving family...near and far.  blood is thicker than water.  we've had some challenges this year that faith has seen us thru.  

i'm thankful for friends.  we may not see each other often...but you're always in my thoughts.  

i'm thankful for the life that i live...and with grace...i will continue to be blessed.  

i hope and pray that you are having a wonderful day...surrounded by those you care about.  

putting up pesto...

each year i grow herbs.  rosemary, oregano & basil.  two of the types of basil i planted this year have outdone themselves.  what are they?  thai basil and lemon basil.  

i planted both of them back in the spring...and today...yes in november...they are still thriving...and almost two feet tall.  

perhaps they're doing so well because of the frequent cuttings i take from them.  you see...when i'm cooking...i love using fresh herbs & go to the patio for them.  daily.  i also take cuttings to co-workers and clients.  and yes...i've also cut a few branches and hung them to dry...but on monday....i made pesto.  

the ingredients...
2 cups fresh basil leaved, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan-reggiano or romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pinenuts or walnuts (i use pecans) 
2-3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 Combine the basil & the nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor.  Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. 

3 If you plan to freeze the pesto...transfer to an air-tight container and drizzle olive oil over the top.  Freeze for up to 3 months.  To serve...thaw & stir in cheese, salt & pepper.  *I've even added it to hot pasta straight from the freezer & grated the cheese into the dish.  

4If you don't plant to freeze the pesto...Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. 

Makes 1 cup.