Our Family Secrets

This is my beautiful friend Jenn’s recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole, and holy crap is it good!  🙂  It can get my sweet-potato hating husband to eat them – yay I can finally make sweet potatoes for the holidays again!  Thanks Jenn!  🙂

Ingredients:

3 cups mashed sweet potatoes (She used canned – she ROCKS!)
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla

 Topping:

 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts

 Directions: 

Add butter to mashed sweet potatoes.  Add next 5 ingredients and blend well.

 Put into a 9-inch square baking dish.  In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter, flour & cinnamon.  Heat gently over medium heat.  Remove from stove and stir in nuts.  Spread over sweet potatoes (it’s a really stiff mixture.)  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes.

This is a great side dish for Thanksgiving dinner…  My family really likes this one.  If you like cornbread – you will too!  🙂  I usually double this recipe for family get togethers.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, melted
1 can (15oz) corn, undrained
1 can (15oz) creamed corn
1 (8.5oz) box Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

Directions:

1.  Mix all ingredients together in a 2 quart casserole dish.  Bake for one hour at 350.

I made this last night and it turned out good…  It was a recipe I found online, but tailored it a bit to make it less fattening.  It didn’t sacrifice taste though…  A nice quick weeknight meal.

Ingredients:

1lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/2 cup water
1 cup dry white wine
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes
2 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1 (6 ounce) can sliced mushrooms
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
1/2 teaspoon basil
2 cloves minced garlic
1 lb spaghetti
salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cut chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces. Lightly brown in skillet with olive oil.

2. Add water, mushrooms, garlic, and spices.

3. Add tomatoes, wine, salt and pepper to taste.

4. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 15 minutes while preparing pasta, stirring occasionally.

5. Cook pasta until al dente. Drain pasta, place into serving dish.

6. Quickly pour chicken mixture over pasta, toss and serve.

Mrs. Field’s Soft and Chewy Peanut Butter Cookies 

Ingredients:

 2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

 Directions:

 1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

2. Mix dry ingredients and set aside.

3. On medium speed, in large bowl, blend sugars; add butter, mix till grainy consistency. Add eggs, peanut butter and vanilla extract; beat till fluffy. On low speed, add flour mixture until barely mixed into butter mixture.

4. Drop by rounded tablespoonsfuls, 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Use a wet or flour coated fork to gently press a crisscross pattern on top of each cookie.

5. Bake until the edges of the cookies are lightly browned, approximately 18 to 20 minutes. Remove to cool on a flat surface.