Sweet Potato Casserole

This is the best side dish for Thanksgiving or Christmas! I know it's the wrong time of year, but I can never find this recipe when the time comes around to make it, and I just found it, so I thought I better post it before I lose it again!

Again, I got this tasty recipe from my sister-in-law Marlene who was living in Alabama at the time. Therefore, I consider this dish to be "southern". I do think she got it from a southern friend. Anyway...this is one of those things that really almost tastes like it could be dessert. Yum!

Sweet Potato Casserole

6-8 cups sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed (about 7-8 large potatoes)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 sticks butter or margarine

Mix together and place in 9x13 baking dish.

Mix: 1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cups chopped pecans
1/4 cup flour

Sprinkle over the top of casserole and bake at 325 degrees for 25 minutes.

*** My SIL's notes:
I used 6 potatoes and halved the rest of the recipe to make it not so sweet. I also added some cinnamon, and a sprinkle of cloves.

When I have made this, I also try to half the rest of the recipe...especially the sugar! And it still turns out awesome!

Bacon Ranch Green Beans

1 package (16 oz) frozen green beans
2 tbsp butter or margarine
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
4 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled or bacon bits* (I like Hormel Real Bacon Bits)
In a skillet, saute the green beans in butter. Add the salad dressing mix and toss to coat. Just before serving, sprinkle in the bacon and mix.

I used a little more than 2 tbls butter, and only about 3/4 of the ranch packet. I also used a package of bacon bits instead of real bacon, becuase I was lazy. I just sprinkled them in until it looked good. This is quite tasty, and a great variation on the regular green beans!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

( I don't have any idea how to photograph food and make it look good, so please send your tips my way!)

I found this yummy recipe on a blog I was reading one day and decided to try it. It was delicious!

Creamy Fusilli with Yellow Squash and Bacon

coarse salt and ground pepper
8 oz fusilli (or rotelle) pasta
4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled into small pieces (save grease in pan)
4 medium yellow squash (quartered lengthwise and sliced crosswise)
2 garlic cloves, minced
½ cup heavy cream
¼ cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more fore serving

Cook pasta until al dente, according to package directions. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta and return to pot.

Place skillet containing bacon grease over medium-high heat. Add squash and garlic to fat in skillet; season with salt and pepper, and toss well. Cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash begins to soften, 5-7 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until liquid is evaporated and squash is tender, 2-3 minutes more.

Add cream and cooked pasta to skillet; toss well, and cook until cream begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in parmesan cheese and add enough reserved pasta water to create a sauce that coats pasta. Top with reserved bacon and more cheese.

* I used the tri-color or garden rotini. I think it looks better that way with the different colors. I cheated and used the microwave bacon, so I didn't have the bacon grease. I just heated up a bit of olive oil to cook the squash in. On the blog, the girl mentioned that she added onion to hers as well. I didn't, but it would be good in the future. I also forgot to reserve my pasta water. That's what happens when you are trying to cook dinner while the baby is crying, and the 3 year old is running circles around the house yelling at the top of his lungs. Anyway, I just poured a bit of warm tap water in instead. It seemed to work just fine. I am sure it would have been more flavorful with the bacon grease and pasta water, but it was still yummy. Make sure to season the squash well. I had to add a bit of extra salt at the end when eating, so i am sure that if I had seasoned it a bit more, I wouldn't have had to.I also think adding chicken broth instead of the pasta water would make it quite tasty. For some reason I kept envisioning artichokes in the dish. It would probably be really good with them as well! I might have to re-invent my own version of this recipe for sure! The bacon is really what makes it taste good. This recipe probably only made 4 servings, or 2 if you are my husband and me. We both had two nice bowlfuls and finished it off. I am a bit sad there aren't any leftovers! This would be a fantastic use for all that squash in your garden...if you plant yellow squash! Anyway, I really liked this recipe, and will definitely add it to my favorites and make again. Next time I may have to double it!