Sweet Potato Casserole and a big Thank You from Cleo Coyle

SWEET NEWS! I can't believe it, but my little Coffeehouse Mystery reprint, Holiday Grind, has once again made the Top-20 bestsellers list of all mass market paperbacks at Barnes and Noble stores across the country! Three weeks running! YES!


Thankful is such an important word this week, and I am incredibly thankful to all of you who have supported this book--readers, reviewers, bloggers, including (and especially) my fellow mystery writing cooks. Sending love, blessings, and heartfelt thanks your way.

And now for today's tasty post...

This blog post was chosen by Foodbuzz, a wonderful international community of foodie bloggers, as one of their Top-9 Picks for Thanksgiving Day 2010. Thank you, Foodbuzz!


Still looking for a delicious side dish for Thursday? Look no more. "Sweet Potato Casserole is what I'm asked to bring time and time again," wrote Pam Bigham Fulk in her comment on my Mashed Potato Makeover post last week. "I never come home with leftovers! Enjoy!"

Cleo Coyle, who believes
every cat should have
3 names, is author of the
Coffeehouse Mysteries.

Thank you to Pam for sharing this classic, comfort food recipe. With so many of you commenting that your favorite Thanksgiving side dish was sweet potatoes (no marshmallows!), I just couldn't resist making and photographing this one for today's post.

So here we go: Pam Fulk's Sweet Potato Casserole recipe (no marshmallows!)...with a little help from my cat Spunky (aka "Otis" aka "Otis Spunkmeyer" because every cat should have at least three names).





 

 

SWEET POTATO
CASSEROLE

Thanks to Pam Fulk for sharing
her foodie love of this classic...


Ingredients:

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (see Cleo’s note)
1 cup brown sugar  
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)

Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar 
1/3 cup flour
1/2 cup melted butter (1 stick)
1 cup chopped pecans

Cleo Coyle's Note #1: Now you know freshly boiled and mashed sweet potatoes are going to taste much better than canned. Simply peel 3 medium sweet potatoes (between 1-1/2 to 2 pounds in total weight).

Slice them up and throw them into water that's been brought to a rolling boil. Cook them 20 minutes, uncovered in the boiling water. Drain well and mash. Do it the night before, store in the fridge, and you're all set to throw together this casserole on Thanksgiving day.

Mashing fresh potatoes always tastes better than canned. And you get a free session of primal smashing therapy--just before the in-laws arrive! Priceless. 

Casserole Preparation:

Combine first 6 ingredients. Pour into a buttered 1 1/2 to 2-quart casserole dish. (In my photos below, I used a 1-1/2 quart dish). Mix remaining ingredients together and sprinkle over top. Bake at 350° for 30 to 40 minutes, until hot and browned.

Cleo's note #2: This is one delicious casserole. Thank you, Pam! Only one small note of warning here. With the amount of butter and sugar in this baby, this is also one very rich casserole. But, hey, it's once a year, right?

Still, I think this casserole would taste just as good with the amount of butter reduced. Next time I make it, I'm going to reduce the butter by half, cutting it back to 1/4 cup each in the potatoes and topping. (1/4 cup = 1/2 stick so that would be a total of one stick of butter for the entire recipe instead of two.)

With thanks again to Pam,
I present my photos of her recipe...



Sweet Potato Casserole -
unbaked in 1-1/2 quart casserole dish...

Still unbaked with brown sugar
(I used dark brown) and
pecan topping added...



 

Baked and cooling casserole
on Cleo's back porch...

"Spunky? Are you going to help me
taste this? Where are you, Spunky?"

It appears Spunky is busy
chasing falling leaves.
Looks like we're on our own.
That's okay. More casserole
for you and me! Dig in!

Happy
Thanksgiving,
Everyone!

Eat with joy!



Cleo's cat Spunky.
(Still holding out for turkey.)

~ Cleo Coyle, author of
The Coffeehouse Mysteries 



HOLIDAY GRIND:
A Coffeehouse Mystery
The TOP-9 national
mystery bestseller in 
hardcover is now a 
TOP-4 national mystery
bestseller in paperback!

To get more of my recipes, sign up to win free coffee, and learn about my Coffeehouse Mysteries, visit my *virtual* coffeehouse at: CoffeehouseMystery.com

HOLIDAY GRIND

“Fun and gripping…” —The Huffington Post

“Some of the most vibrant characters I've ever read. Coyle also is a master of misdirection and red herrings. I challenge any reader to figure out whodunit before Coyle reveals all.”
—Mystery Scene