It does sort of get your life in perspective doesn't it? The main thing folks is are we happy/contented? More important, are we healthy? Do we still appreciate what we have, the beauty and wonder of life, a reason to get up tomorrow morning,

Leni, I agree. That's something that has to be settled early on, I think. Contentment is a wonderful thing! I think it represents being grateful for the life we have, the family and friends we have, and the beauty of the world around us, all of our blessings. For me it is about faith as well.

So, here's to that next little slice coming up!

Hello everyone! I haven't been here in a while, but the upcoming food season - er, I mean, holidays made me come back for a visit. I like what I see!

Here's a question: Does anybody have a recipe to suggest for roasted sweet potatoes?

I tried roasting some the other day, like oven baked fries, and they turned out tasty, but quite soft and did not crisp up on the outside like potatoes do.

Is it just the nature of the sweet potato? Or should I have done something differently? I just cut them into thick wedges and put them in a 425 oven for about 25 minutes. Works great on potatoes.

I dunno why but this year I'm wanting a more savory sweet potato dish that doesn't involve brown sugar, orange juice or (ick) marshmallows. The combo of cinnamon & cayenne sounds intriguing but I'm not sure that roasting is the right way. (hmmmm)

Cheers!

One of our favorite side dishes is butternut squash. I peel it, chop it in fairly large chunks add chopped onion and garlic. I put a couple of tablespoons of butter and brown sugar and lemon juice to taste. I also sprinkle nutmeg and salt and pepper over it. I cook it covered for about an hour. Once the squash is cooked I sort of smash it all together. It is yummy. Sort of sweet and sour, buttery and salty. My family loves it.

Hi morcar...nice to see you! I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. My thought was maybe you could tweak it and use all sweet potatoes...or any combination you like. The recipe came from Bon Appetit.

Roasted Root Vegetables With Thyme and Marjoram Vinaigrette

Nonstick vegetable oil spray
9 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram
2 pounds medium yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, halved lengthwise, then cut crosswise into 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds carrots, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 pounds parsnips, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-thick rounds (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 pounds rutabagas, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
2 medium-size red onions (about 1 pound), peeled, root ends left intact, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
Fresh parsley sprigs

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Spray 2 large rimmed baking sheets with nonstick spray. Whisk 6 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons thyme, and 2 tablespoons marjoram in large bowl. Add yams, carrots, parsnips, rutabagas, and onions and toss to coat. Sprinkle vegetables generously with salt and pepper and divide between prepared baking sheets. Roast vegetables until tender and brown in spots, turning occasionally, about 50 minutes. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature. If desired, rewarm in 350°F oven about 15 minutes, or microwave on high until heated through, about 6 minutes, before continuing.)

Whisk balsamic vinegar, remaining 3 tablespoons oil, 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme, and 1 1/2 teaspoons marjoram to blend in small bowl. Drizzle over roasted vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon peel. Season with more salt and pepper, if desired. Transfer to platter; garnish with parsley sprigs. Serve hot or at room temperature.

morcar, you might check epicurious...I just looked and they have several recipes for roasted sweet potatoes that sound good.

My 2 1/2 cents: First, make sure you are using the "sweet potato" and not a yam. There always seems to be several versions of a "sweet potato" on the market shelves. I always use the very light, barely yellow "sweet potato". I cut them and cook them like I do with red potatoes when I make "country" potatoes and they alway come out crisp. I cut and toss the "sweet potato" with a little olive oil, rosemary and salt/pepper and I always set the oven at around 400 degrees. I have not tried doing fries with a sweet potato yet. I'm sure the starch and sugar content is much different than a potato, so maybe that's why they're always a little softer after cooking. I'd suggest trying a higher oven temperature to help crisp up the softer nature of sweet potatoes.

The only thing you can get here in the good old USA is a sweet potato. But there are kinds that are more red and kinds that are more yellow. None of them are yams. Following is a description of yams.
================================================
bout Yams: Yams are often mistakenly called sweet potatoes, and vice versa, but they are two different vegetables. The true yam is the tuber of a tropical vine, and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato. Rarely found in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets. Generally sweeter than than the sweet potato, this tuber can grow over seven feet in length.
Botanical Name: Dioscorea batatas
Common and Other Names: yam, boniato, njam, nyami, djambi, yamswurzel, ñame, igname de chine
Yam Availability: If you find them, they will most likely be sold in chunks sealed in plastic wrap, since they grow up to 7 feet in length and weigh up to 150 pounds.

Brent,

Yes, you are correct about Yams. For whatever reason I just refer to the really orange varieties as Yams and the pale yellow ones as sweet potatoes so it's easier to describe them to other people. But for the poster who can't make fries out of sweet potatoes, I wondered if she was using the really orange varities which are softer and I believe have a lot more sugar content than the pale varities, and the higher sugar content could prevent her fries from being successful. I've had pretty good luck cooking the pale varieties into something that's crispy and firm.

What a wonderful topic. I have not posted here in awhile. Been checking it out, but very busy and my internet time seems to be getting scarcer. We could spend days and days looking at old posts here for this time of year. I love the fall, especially now that it is cooling off. It is always fun looking for new recipes to try for the holidays. Each of my recipes I have used have come from Melinda, or from here, or some such source. Dan, I loved your idea for green beans. I have never made the green bean casserole, but 2 years ago, I spent the holiday with my sister out of town, and she made it. It really was good, but the simple with pearl onions sound divine. I like to try something new, but with only about 6 or 8 people for dinner, I would have more leftovers than got eaten for dinner. I just adore Ina Gartens spinach casserole that Champagne delighted us with. I prefer just baked sweet potatoes, or whipped with bourbon, but my kids like marshmallows on them. Melinda's recipe for "Karen's glazed sweet potatoes" look similar to what I have made before. I must have fresh sweet potatoes, even if I add some of those marshmallows at the end. The one thing I have never done is brine a turkey. I made my turkey breast side down, after getting whatever the store has on special. I have never made a dry turkey. From what I've read you don't get good gravy from brined turkey because of the salt. Is that correct? And the texture is a bit different, right? Any others have any input to the turkey, I would appreciate it. Thanks.

Hi Carrie, so nice to see you! I hope you try brining...Melinda's Ultimate Brine recipe is wonderful. The drippings can sometimes be a little salty for gravy. However, if I add unsalted stock (or very low in salt) to the drippings, it balances it out. I don't ever stuff a brined bird...just fill it with aromatics like onion, carrot, garlic, lemon...

Speaking of sweet potatoes, this is one of my favorites for Thanksgiving. The cream cheese and sherry make it really special. It's also something you can make well in advance, cover and chill. Just bring to room temp. before baking.

Sweet Potato Casserole With Walnuts

Recipe from Susan Branch

About -6 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (I roast them)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
6-8 T. butter, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup (packed) brown sugar, (I use a little more)
2 1/2 T. dry sherry (really adds nice flavor)
1/2 tsp. salt (or to taste)
3/4 cup walnuts, chopped (optional - see Note below)
1/2 tsp. nutmeg (see Note below)

Preheat oven to 350. With electric mixer (not food processor) whip all ingredients, except walnuts and nutmeg, until light. Stir in walnuts and put in buttered casserole. Spread evenly and grate fresh nutmeg over the top. Bake (uncovered) about 45 minutes or until lightly golden.

Note: I often stir the nutmeg in instead of sprinkling on top. You can also sprinkle the walnuts on top instead of mixing in.

Sophie: I have always included Scalloped Oysters on Thanksgiving.

Scalloped Oysters

1 pint shucked fresh oysters with their liquid
1 & 1/2 cups crushed unsalted saltine crackers
1/3 cup heavy cream, salt & pepper to taste
4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Place a double thickness of cheesecloth in a sieve over a bowl and add oysters with their liquid. Save the liquid. Check out each oyster under
running water to remove any sand or shell. Drain oysters well on paper
towels. Sprinkle 1/3 of crumbs over bottom of a lightly greased shallow
4 cup baking dish. Arrange 1/2 of oysters in a single layer over crumbs.
Combine reserved oyster liquid with cream. Sprinkle 1/2 of mixture over
oysters. Season with salt & pepper. Repeat layers, ending with crumbs. Spoon melted butter over top. Bake at 400 degrees until cream
is bubbly and crumbs on top are golden, about 25 minutes.
This can be made 2 hours ahead; refrigerate covered until baking time.
Enjoy!

bump...

I'm late to the party for the holidays on this one, but if you're like me, you sometimes roast a turkey off-season because it's economical and because it's just darned good. So sometimes the sides I make for the holidays are ones I've tried off-season first to see if they're any good with a turkey.

I've always lamented the lack of fresh greens at the Thanksgiving table, so I try to include a salad of some sort that has lettuces, etc. in it, and make it sort of special. This year I made an avocado-grapefruit-spinach salad with a poppy seed dressing, and it knocked a home-run out of the park with the people who shared it with me at Thanksgiving 2010. I also made Brussels sprouts in a way that defied SproutHatred: thinly-sliced and sautéed with bacon and garlic.
Finally, I've had a few people ask me to repeat a fresh root slaw I make with carrot, celery root, and sunchokes. Everything is grated, and I make a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing for it with garlic and lots of fresh thyme.
Nothing except for the salad is particularly low-cal, but they're definitely different from the cranberry-green bean casserole-sweet potatoes sides that typically show up on a holiday dinner table.