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Sunday, November 22, 2009

Sweet Taters

We had a Thanksgiving celebration at church today. I was in charge of sweet potatoes. No one else would volunteer for them. John and I went to the store and bought 10 lbs of sweet potatoes. I got out the biggest bowl I had and was trying to mash them. Here are some pics. I shouldn't have used all potatoes in one bowl, it was overflowing :). Anyway, the recipe I have is from my grandma. EVERYONE loved them. This is one of John's favorite Thanksgiving treats. Here is the recipe:

3 or 3.5 C cooked mashed sweet potatoes
3 eggs beaten with 1/2 C milk
3/4C sugar
3/4 stick butter
1/2 t salt
1 t vanilla
Mix well and pour into 9x13 greased pan.

Topping:
1/3 C flour
1 C brown sugar
1/2 stick butter
1 C chopped pecans.
Mix topping. Spoon over potatoes. Bake 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes.

I recommend peeling the sweet potatoes, I didn't do this one time and John said it was gross. To make the mashed sweet potatoes I peel and quarter the potatoes and then boil them in a huge pot for 15 minutes or so. Then they are ready to mash. Enjoy!







Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Follow up to Pot luck at work

So NO one in Illinois knows what a sopapilla is!! Even the Mexican girl I work with! This is why I finally asked her why no one ever knows the Mexican food we love. It's because EVERYTHING we think is Mexican food is actally TexMex!! Can you believe that? These people don't know what they are missing!

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Potluck at Work

Tomorrow is International Food Day at Work. If you can't tell by the title, we have a lot of people from other companies who work at my office. Instead of having a Thanksgiving Celebration we have everyone bring something from their home country and I always bring something from TX!! Last year we had a flag for every country that was represented and I made them hang a TX flag!! People at work think I'm crazy, but everyone knows that I'm a Texan. Anyway, last year I made queso dip (yes I was as surprised as you to find that they sold Rotel here, it is in the ethnic isle, but still sold here). No one knew what it was!! I made 4 lbs of Velveeta cheese with 1 lb of sausage and 1 lb of ground beef and 3 cans of rotel. I brought Frito's to eat it with, but there was tortilla chips as well. I couldn't believe that no one knew what queso was, even the Hispanic girl who works at my office. Needless to say John and I ate queso dip for a week and still had to throw some of it out. I found out that day that queso is Tex Mex and not real Mexican food.
This year I'm making sopaipilla cheesecake. I figure it will go over better since it is a dessert. I have made this one other time for people in Chicago and no one knew what a sopaipilla was!! Needless to say John and I are teaching these people all about good southern food. Here is the recipe, its super easy and SO good. John likes it better right out of the oven, but I like it better cold.

Ingredients:
3 cans crescent rolls
2 C sugar
1 t cinnamon
3- 8 oz. pkg cream cheese
1.5 t vanilla
1 stick melted butter

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix cream cheese, 1.5 C sugar and vanilla in large bowl. In a separate bowl combine cinnamon and 1/2 C sugar. Separate one can of crescent rolls and spread pieces on bottom of greased 9x13 pan. Spread half of cream cheese mixture. Top with second can of rolls. Pour half of melted butter over and sprinkle with half of cinnamon and sugar mix. Cover with remaining cream cheese mixture. Cover with third can of rolls. Pour remaining melted butter over rolls and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon and sugar mixture.

Bake 40-50 minutes. Let cool to form before serving. (If you want to serve it cold, I recommend letting it cool in fridge overnight).

Houston the beginning of November

John and I went to Houston for my Aunt Lynna and Uncle Terry's 25th Wedding Anniversary. It was so nice to see family and friends! While we were in Houston we also got to see one of John's good friends JR, his wife Sara, and their baby Hailey. Here are a list of my favorite things from the trip that we don't have in Chicago:
1. Family
2. Blue Bell
3. Drive in a car
4. Good 'Ol southern food
5. Nice Weather (I had to dig this short sleeve shirt out of a bin under my bed b/c we've been wearing long sleeves since the beginning of October)
6. See long time friends
7. sun light after 4:15 pm (this really only applies to November-January)
8. Open roads with nothing around

We are really looking forward to going to TX for Christmas.

Here are some pics:

My Uncle Terry is a cook!
Uncle Terry and Aunt Lynna
Emmy, Kerri, John and I

Uncle Stan, John, and Uncle Terry
John and I
Aunt Jeanne, Kerri, Mom, TooToo, Me, and Aunt Carol
Kerri, Mom and I
Baby Hailey