Sweet Potato Casserole

For our annual (it's becoming a yearly tradition, yay!) pre-Thanksgiving potluck, I tried out a sweet potato casserole that turned out to be a hit! This side dish is deliciously creamy with a crunchy topping. Don't be fooled, while it highlights the natural sweetness of yams and sweet potatoes, don't wait till dessert to bring out this dish!

A few tips: I used a mixture of yams and sweet potatoes in making this dish, mainly because yams are cheaper and gives the dish a gorgeous orange hue. I used 2.5 lbs Beauregard yams and 1.5 lbs sweet potato. I popped the yams and sweet potato into the oven to roast along with the turkey at whatever temperature the turkey was baking at for about an hour. When I took out the yams and sweet potato, they were soft and easily popped out of their skins. Also, I ended up using almond slices instead of pecans in the topping, because it was what I had on hand. The casserole turned out fine, but I'm sure pecans would supply even more crunchiness.

Sweet Potato Casserole (modified from Allrecipes.com)

4 lbs. yams and sweet potato
1/4 c. white sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. salt
4 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
3 tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 c. chopped pecans

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap sweet potatoes and yams in aluminum foil and roast in oven until soft (about 45 minutes).  
2. Decrease oven temperature to 325 degrees. Scoop out flesh of sweet potatoes and yams and mix with white sugar, eggs, salt, 4 tbsp. butter, milk, and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Transfer mixture to a casserole dish (or equivalent 8x8 baking dish). 
3. Topping: Combine brown sugar and flour. Cut in butter until mixture is coarse. Mix in pecans. Sprinkle topping over sweet potato/yam mixture. 
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned. 

Homemade Salad Dressing

For our Memorial weekend BBQ, I tried out a Barefoot Contessa recipe as seen on TV. This is the first TV recipe that I have actually replicated! Result? Easy, yummy salad dressing that doesn't require any special ingredients! I can confidently say I won't be buying salad dressing (often) anymore (unless it's poppyseed or honey mustard, that is) in the future! This recipe really works out as an all-purpose salad dressing for any type of salad and anytime.

However... I managed to lose this holy grail recipe, and can no longer find it online! Do you know how many Barefoot Contessa "salad dressing" recipes are out there??? Too many... Below I've listed my recollection of the ingredients and estimations of the quantities. Taste, test, adjust to your own liking!

Barefoot Contessa All-Purpose Salad Dressing 

3 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 tbsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. orange zest

2 tbsp. orange juice

Sea salt and pepper

1/3 c. olive oil

Directions:

1. Stir together apple cider vinegar, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, orange zest, and orange juice. Season liberally with sea salt and pepper.
2. Whisk in olive oil slowly to emulsify mixture. 

As Rachael Ray would say... How easy was that?! If you do make extra salad dressing, keep it in the fridge and make sure to shake it up before using. The lipophilic olive oil tends to separate from the hydrophilic particles (that's some medicinal chemistry for you!). Your turn... and let me know the results!

Finals? What Finals?

Even though I get out of class by 12:30 everyday this quarter, my study time seems to be diminishing. By the time I get home, I end up puttering around the kitchen until 3ish, blogging for a little bit, checking emails, and then (sometimes) a nap... by the time I think about studying, it's time for dinner!

I need to get back into the groove! I used to be a study machine! What happened???

Potato, Broccoli, and Cheese Soup w/ Breadsticks

1 cup chopped onion

1 tbsp. butter

1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes (small cubes!)

1 can (14.5 oz) chicken stock

3 cup water

1 1/2 cup broccoli, cooked and chopped

1 cup. Cheddar cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a large stock pot, saute onion in butter. Add potatoes, chicken stock, and water. Cover and bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes are tender (about 15 minutes). 
2. Add cooked broccoli to soup. 
3. In a blender, puree soup. Then return soup to stock pot. Season. 
4. Add cheese and heat until cheese is melted. 
5. Serve warm with breadsticks!

For the breadsticks: Costco sells frozen breadsticks. Before baking, brush the tops of the breadsticks with melted butter (or olive oil) and sprinkle garlic powder. I learned this from Auntie Joyce, and it's amazing what a little extra work does! 

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

When my mom gifted me with a head of cauliflower a few weeks ago, I wasn't too sure what to do. I never used to love cauliflower when my mom would steam it for dinner. It was always predictable and boring. However, this recipe has turned me into a true cauliflower lover. It's super simple (takes minutes to prepare), which gives it bonus points with me. And it tastes delicious!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower

1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
2 tbsp garlic, minced
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Toss cauliflower with olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Transfer to oven-safe baking dish and cover dish with foil.
3. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Sprinkle grated cheese on top before serving. 

I served this to my friend for dinner, and she suggested adding other toppings, such as crumbled bacon bits. I think that would be a fantastic addition- who doesn't love bacon? A simple mess-free, easy clean-up way of tossing the cauliflower with olive oil, etc. is to use a large plastic zip-lock bag. Just add all the ingredients in, and shake the bag to coat the cauliflower. Best part is... you can simply toss the zip-lock bag afterwards! Experiment and enjoy!