The Pharr Side of Arkansas: Menu Monday: S is for Sweet Potato Casserole

I mentioned ~~last week~~ ~~this weekend~~...wait. What day is it again?

We are on DAY 5 of being snowed/iced in, and it continues tomorrow. (They've already called off finals for Tuesday, too. We were supposed to open at noon today, but thankfully, they went ahead and closed campus ALL day.) I know what the day it is; I just have no frame of reference for the past as the days seem to melt into one another quite unlike the snow outside our doors.

(I really do love snow and winter and the magic it brings. I'm just bummed we didn't get to go see Theatre Squared's production of A Christmas Carol this past weekend. And we're out of bread and low on eggs. No more French toast pour moi.)

Anyhooooo, I mentioned sometime recently that Zach and I do a Fall Feast every year. Usually, we get a rotisserie chicken, I make the sides (green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and Stove Top, which my husband prefers to actual cornbread dressing...weirdo), and we do the dessert up right. We eat and watch A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving and Garfield's Thanksgiving. It's something we started when we were dating: We decided to do our own "Thanksgiving" since we wouldn't be together for the holiday. (That first year, I don't really remember. I'm actually now not even sure if we did what we would call a Fall Feast now. But our second year, when we were married, we actually watched the Halloween specials and had Halloween Funfetti cake...but I don't remember if it was before or after Halloween. We do things in our own time.) And it is a glorious tradition! "The more you eat, the more grateful you're gonna feel..." That song kinda irks me, and I don't think it's true for commercialized America, but I also find it stuck in my head for days after, so it does what it is supposed to do, I think.

Anyhooooo, this year, we did it much later this year than usual because we've been so busy and traveling on the weekends...and then when I ordered two chickens from my co-worker's son, I knew we just HAD to wait until they came in, so I could roast one for Fall Feast.

They finally were ready the week of Thanksgiving, and so I brought them home for Fall Feast...the first week in December.

It was my first time to roast a chicken, and it was a ROARING success! The crowds went wild for the citrusy, herby, golden-skinned chicken! (By crowds, I mean Zach and Amy.) But I was very proud of my bird. :)

I realize this is a terrifying angle. It looks like a fish face.

I made some "Texas Roadhouse" (copycat) rolls along with the usual green bean casserole, but I decided to do more of a sweet potato casserole than just candied "yams." I combined two recipes, and it was delish!

SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE

3 cans of sweet potatoes, drained

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

dash of ginger

dash of pepper

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg, beaten

4 Tbsp. melted butter (1/2 stick)

1+ Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

mini marshmallows

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x8 pan.

-Mash sweet potatoes by hand until mostly smooth.

-Add all ingredients except marshmallows, and combine until well blended.

-Spread half of sweet potato mixture into pan and top with marshmallows as desired. Spread remaining sweet potato mixture on top.

-Bake for 30 minutes. Top with marshmallows as desired and bake for 10 additional minutes until marshmallows are brown and bubbly.

I know this is one of those dishes that is more like candy, but we only have it at Thanksgiving and Christmas, so I think we get a pass. And I forgot to make the Stove Top, so it was one less dish. :)