Sweet Potato Mash

I read a few recipes online and then concocted this. Everyone loved it!

Ingredients:
Sweet potatoes (Sorry, forgot to measure. I used 2 large and 2 small.)
1 stick of butter
1 cup milk
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2-3/4 cup candied pecans, ground

Peel, cube and boil sweet potatoes until soft. Place in mixing bowl with butter, milk, cinnamon, and maple syrup. Mix using hand mixer until desired consistency. Top with finely chopped pecans.

Best Apple Pie

From our Thanksgiving 2010 table to yours!

5 cups Granny Smith Apples, chopped
1 cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup water
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
¼ cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp. white sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
Dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
3 Tbsp. butter

Mix the apples, brown sugar, water, and lemon juice in a pot, heat to boil, reduce heat and simmer until apples are tender, 7-8 minutes. Mix flour, white sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add to the hot mixture, cook for one minute. Add vanilla and butter. Pour pie filling into the crust and bake for 25-40 minutes at 425. Use pie saver or foil to protect crust. It may be necessary to add an extra half recipe of pie filling to a 9 inch pie.

Tomato-Herb Fritatta

I got this one from Alli's blog and it was scrumptious and simple!

Ingredients:

2 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 (6 oz) package fresh baby spinach
1 (10 oz) can mild Rotel, drained
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
12 large eggs, beaten
1/2 C crumbled garlic-and-herb feta cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a 10-inch (2-inch deep) ovenproof nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add garlic & saute 1 minute. Stir in spinach & cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute or just until spinach begins to wilt.

Add Rotel, salt & pepper; cook, stirring frequently, 2-3 minutes or until spinach is wilted. Add eggs & sprinkle with cheese. Cook 3-5 minutes, gently lifting edges of frittata with a spatula & tilting pan so uncooked portion flows underneath.

Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until set & lightly browned. Remove from oven & let stand 5 minutes before cutting into wedges to serve.

Tomato-Sausage variation:
Brown 1/2 lb ground pork sausage in skillet over medium-high heat, stirring often. Remove from skillet, drain & wipe skillet clean. Proceed with recipe as directed, adding sausage with the Rotel in step 3.

I had to fill in my feta with mozzerella to make a full half-cup and added my own herbs since I didn't have the proper type of feta. I think it would be much easier to have the herbed feta on hand and would go ahead and add some extra mozzerella to it anyway. You can never add enough cheese right? :) I think adding some meat would be good too. Nice weeknight dinner!

Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup

Oh yum! Made this as an appetizer, sort of, tonight and it was excellent. I tried making couscous crusted tilapia for dinner from Sarah's blog but I didn't do a very good job of it. Probably lack of egg. Anyway, the soup was delightful. :)

Ingredients:
1 butternut squash, halved and seeded
1 acorn squash, halved and seeded
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion
1 quart chicken broth
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
ground cinnamon to taste (optional)
fresh parsley, for garnish

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place the squash halves cut side down in a baking dish. Bake 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly. Scoop the pulp from the skins. Discard skins.
2.Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat, and saute the onion until tender.
3.In a blender or food processor, blend the squash pulp, onion, broth, brown sugar, cream cheese, pepper, and cinnamon until smooth. This may be done in several batches.
4.Transfer the soup to a pot over medium heat, and cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through. Garnish with parsley, and serve warm.

I used about 7 oz of reduced fat cream cheese and thought it was just fine. Only used one tbsp of butter and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon. Skipped the garnish. Sweet but not too sweet! And very easy!