Carl's Southern Sweet Potato Pie

Happy Holiday Season, Y'all!

For many Americans -- especially those folks who live above the Mason-Dixon Line -- no holiday meal is complete without Cranberry Sauce and Pumpkin Pie. I confess a bit of bias as I have never been particular fond of either of those particular desserts. No offense to anyone who actually enjoys them.

Down here in Dixie, we have our own Thanksgiving and Christmas time specialty: Southern Sweet Potato Pie.

Sweet Potato Pie has been a staple of the Southland since colonial times. Even though creamy vegetable pie recipes date back to Medieval Europe particularly Ireland, Sweet Potato Pie became an African cuisine tradition brought to the United States by African slaves who made it using sweet potatoes as an alternative to their traditional yams which were a plant native to Africa.

Sweet Potatoes are often called "yams" though the two are distinctly different botanically. Sweet Potatoes were first cultivated in the Yucatan region of Central American and Venezuela in South America by Native American tribes as early as 5,000 years ago. Probably the first Europeans to taste sweet potatoes were members of Christopher Columbus's expedition in 1492.

Folks here in the South adopted Sweet Potato Pie as an alternative to the Pumpkin Pie often found in other parts of the country. In fact there was a bit of a friendly regional rivalry of sorts in the early 19th century where Southern folks rejected the "Yankee dessert" in favor of Sweet Potato Pie.

These days Pumpkin Pie can be found all across the United States, including the South where we do have our own unique versions of the classic recipe.

Every fall and early winter, I break out a recipe for this particular Southern tradition that my grandmother Carolyn (God rest her soul!) taught me to make -- though I added a couple of small touches to my version of that recipe.

Ingredients

2 pounds Southern Sweet Potatoes (sliced 1/4 inch thick)
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1/4 cup (2 oz.) coconut
3/4 cup (6 oz.) evaporated milk
2 white eggs
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 pinch of salt
2 unbaked 9 inch pie shells

Preparation and Cooking Directions

Place your cut Sweet Potatoes into a pot of water and boil them for 15 to 20 minutes until they are softened. Drain the sweet potatoes and then mash them all.

Next add all of the ingredients and carefully stir them together for a minute until they are thoroughly mixed together. Then carefully spoon the mixture into the two pie shells and smooth the surface evenly. Do not overfill the top of the pies as the mixture will expand as it cooks, then shrink.

Preheat your over to 350 F and place your pies on a cookie sheet, then place them carefully into the oven. Cooking time approximately 50 to 55 minutes until the crust and pie surface is brown. Remove and let them sit for an hour to cool off, then serve.

This recipe makes two pies and it goes good with just about every Thanksgiving and Christmas meal, or for that matter any other large gathering. I hope y'all try it out and enjoy it for yourselves. Let me know what y'all think.

Until next time have a Happy Holiday Season and Y'all come on back now, ya hear!

Carl's Famous "Better Than Sex" Spaghetti

Greetings and Salutations, Y'all! 

 

One of the best dishes that my family and friends both swear by is this blogger's famous "Better Than Sex Spaghetti" named so after a complement I received from a former co-worker that I fixed some for who thoroughly enjoyed it; declaring in her ecstasy that it was better than the sex she'd previously had the night before. Apparently my recipe for spaghetti had a profound emotional impact on her -- or she simply had a really lousy partner? 

 

Well, in my case, my spaghetti recipe has gotten me through many a lonely night, sitting in my recliner and watching old horror films, or action movies. While I cannot personally claim I got the same reaction from eating it as those infrequent occasions I've enjoyed some naughty bedroom fun, I will say that it's really damn good spaghetti. 

 

If y'all want to find out how good it compares for yourselves, feel free to try it out. 

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb. Ground Hamburger

1 Cup Diced Green & Colored Bell Peppers (Red, Yellow, & Orange)

1 Garlic Clove (or minced garlic)

1/2 Cup (4 oz.) Diced Onions 

1 Cup (8 oz.) Sliced Mushrooms 

3 Cans (15 oz.) Tomato Sauce

1 Can (15 oz.) Diced Tomatoes 
1 Can (6 oz.) Tomato Paste
1/2 Cup (4 oz.) Water

1 Tablespoon White Cooking Wine
1 Tablespoon Rootbeer

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Basil 

1/4 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Peppermint leaves

1/4 Teaspoon Salt

1 Tablespoon Sugar
A small squirt of Ketchup

 

Preparation and Cooking Directions

Cook the hamburger meat, green and colored bell peppers, garlic, onions and mushrooms together ten minutes till meat is brown and vegetables are softened, and then drain. Add the tomato paste, tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, with the meat and vegetables and cook on a medium setting until it comes to a boil.

Once the spaghetti sauce is boiling, reduce the heat slightly and let it simmer on the stove for another for about 30 minutes on the medium setting till it thickens. Add the rest of the condiments while the sauce cooks and keep it stirred in order to avoid the sauce sticking to the pot.

Once the homemade spaghetti sauce is simmering, all that’s left to do is boiling the spaghetti noodles according to package instructions and then, once the spaghetti is done to your liking, drain it and mix the spaghetti in with the sauce and then dish it up.

This recipe makes enough to feed one serving to about 6 to 8 people.

 

Total preparation and cooking time runs about 45 to 50 minutes, but its well worth the time I can promise y'all that. I also like to serve my spaghetti with garlic bread, or Texas Toast.

Try it out of yourselves and let me know what y'all thought of the recipe in the comments section. Enjoy!

Grandma Carolyn's Classic Yellow Squash Casserole

Happy Thanksgiving Day Y'all!

Most folks think that Southerners like their vegetables smothered in butter and cheese -- which we do. This holds especially true for yellow squash. 

Perhaps more than any other side-dish on Thanksgiving Day supper -- or Christmas and Easter for that matter --  the one I looked forward to the most on the table was my grandmother's classic yellow squash casserole. 

Now like just about every other proud Southern grannies my grandmother Carolyn didn't specifically follow recipes most of the time. Oh sure she knew what to use and how to make it, but her cooking instructions when I helped her prepare big meals sounded something like this: use a pinch of salt here, a dash of pepper there, a "thingie" of something, then use that "doohickey" to smooth it out. Also if you had no clue what the "doohickey" was, she would fuss at you for not being a mind-reader. Yep, that was my grandmother, God bless her soul!

Having watched and helped my grandmother prepare this wonderful side dish with her for years, I am going to provide y'all with the recipe -- uh, with specific measurements for the ingredients, of course.

Ingredients

1/2 lb sliced yellow squash -- cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 large carrot -- grated

1 onion -- chopped

1 can cream of chicken soup

8 ounces sour cream

1 1/2 cup grated cheese

1 small box cheddar cheese crackers 

1/2 stick margarine -- melted 

salt & pepper

 Preparation and Cooking Directions

Boil squash, carrots and onion in a pot of water for about 7 to 10 minutes  until tender, then drain really well. Combine soup, sour cream, and cheese with the vegetables. Add salt and pepper as desired and carefully fold the combination to avoid crushing the vegetables. Pour into a lightly greased casserole dish, smoothing it out. Crush cheese crackers and stir into the melted margarine, then sprinkle over top of the casserole to form a light crust. Preheat oven then bake your casserole at 350 F for 20 minutes, then cool and serve. 

This recipe serves up to 8 people for one supper.  

*On a personal note, you can also modify this recipe to make a really awesome Yellow & Zucchini Squash Casserole by simply using 1/4 sliced yellow squash and 1/4 sliced zucchini squash.

There you have it folks, my Grandma Carolyn's Classic Yellow Squash Casserole. It goes good with just about every big supper. I know it is popular with my immediate family and friends. I hope y'all with try it out and enjoy it for yourselves. 

Have a Happy Thanksgiving Day today, and a wonderful Dixie day, y'all!