GiGi’s Sweet Potato Casserole

November 1, 2011 by Aliesha

With Thanksgiving just three weeks away, I wanted to share one of my family’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes! I shared this last year when I guest-posted on U-Create Foods, but I wanted to have it here on my blog as well.

Like many of you, I have recipes that have been passed on to me from friends and family members. One of my favorite recipes is my GiGi’s Sweet Potato Casserole! I can remember always having it at her house for Thanksgiving, and it is how I learned to like sweet potatoes. This recipe is easy, classic, and completely melt-in-your-mouth fantastic. (Notice I did not say it was healthy. There’s a reason I only make this once a year!)

GiGi’s Sweet Potato Casserole

Casserole:
1 large can of sweet potatoes, drained
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 stick melted butter
2 beaten eggs
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/2 cup milk

Topping:
1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans
1/2 stick softened (not melted) butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a ceramic pie dish or another serving dish.

Empty drained sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Mash with a fork, then add sugar, brown sugar, salt, melted butter, eggs, vanilla, and milk. Using a wooden spoon, stir well to combine. Pour mixture into greased pie dish.

In a smaller bowl, mix together flour, brown sugar, and pecans. Use a fork to cut in the softened butter until a course crumb mixture forms.

Sprinkle topping over the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes (time varies depending on size/depth of dish). You’ll know it is done when the edges are golden and the center is still slightly “jiggly.” (It will continue to cook once you remove it from oven.)

I usually prepare this ahead of time and reheat it on Thanksgiving Day.

I often make a little one to stash in the freezer for Christmas! (My husband doesn’t care for sweet potatoes, so I get to enjoy this myself!)

Enjoy!

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Double-Orange Scones and Orange Butter

September 27, 2011 by Aliesha

I made these scones a few weeks ago and they were SO delicious for breakfast! They would be perfect for a cool fall day or for a Christmas brunch. The orange butter is simply divine and pairs beautifully with the warm scones.

Double-Orange Scones

2 cups flour
4 Tbsp. sugar, divided
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. grated orange peel
1/3 cup COLD butter
1/2 cup mandarin orange segments (canned), chopped, drained
1/4 cup milk
1 egg, slightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray.
In a mixing bowl, combine flour, 3 Tbsp. sugar, baking powder, and orange peel. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter (or two knives) until mixture resembles course crumbs. Add mandarin oranges, milk, and egg. Stir just until a soft dough forms.
Turn dough over onto a floured surface. Knead gently 10 times. On a cookie sheet, roll out dough into a 7-inch round. Sprinkle with remaining 1 Tbsp. sugar. Using a pizza cutter, divide into 8 equal wedges. Separate slices slightly.
Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Meanwhile… prepare the orange butter…

Orange Butter

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp. orange marmalade

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Stir in marmalade. Serve with warm scones.

Enjoy!

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Stretching a Chicken to Last Eight+ Meals

September 20, 2011 by Aliesha

I gave myself a little cooking challenge over the weekend. I like to push myself in my culinary abilities (see my culinary bucket list here) and learn how to do new things. This was also as a result of a panic moment when I realized I had nothing planned for dinner (um, at 4:45pm).

Tad went and bought a rotisserie chicken (which was a little pricey at our Food Lion – $8). I promptly announced that I was going to stretch the chicken to last for six meals! Tad couldn’t believe me at first, but as the weekend went on and I kept producing more meals from this one little bird, I think he became slightly impressed.

Here’s how I stretched one rotisserie chicken into eight+ meals.

Meal #1 – Chicken & Biscuits with Gravy and Roasted Carrots
Sorry, no picture of this meal. It was extremely simple and nothing to blog about! ha! Just make some biscuits, top with chicken, pour on some gravy, and serve roasted carrots on the side.
This served the two of us and Vera.

That night I picked all the meat off the bones of the chicken, shredded it, and stored it in the fridge. The next morning, I made stock using the chicken carcass (I hate that word).

Meal #2 – Chicken Tortilla Soup
This is another easy recipe.
I used half of my chicken stock to make this and saved the rest for meal #5. I added a can of fire roasted tomatoes, some frozen corn, half a jalepeno pepper (leave out if you don’t like it too spicy), cumin, ground black pepper, cilantro, and the juice of half a lime. I garnished the soup with a dollup of sour cream (actually Greek yogurt), toasted tortilla strips, and more cilantro and served it with chips on the side.
This recipe served the two of us plus gave us two leftover servings as well.

Meal #3 – Chicken & Garlic Pizza
Again, super easy (are you sensing a theme?). I made a pizza crust, added sauce (can of tomato paste plus a can of water plus Italian seasonings and parmesan cheese), and topped it with mozzarella cheese, chicken, chopped fresh garlic, and thinly sliced red onions. Yummy!
This recipe served the two of us plus Vera, plus it gave us one leftover serving.

Meal #4 – Hummus, Chicken, & Spinach Wraps
We were out over lunch for this meal, so I made these wraps before we left.
Spread hummus on a tortilla, then top with spinach, chicken, red onion, and shredded cheese. Roll up and enjoy!
This served both me and Tad for lunch.

Meal #5 – Chicken Soup with Bulgar and Orzo
I made my mom’s standard chicken noodle soup recipe, but instead of adding rice or noodles, I added about 1/2 cup of bulgar and 1/4 cup of orzo.
This served the three of us generously, plus provided two or three leftover servings.

Meal #6 – Caprese Chicken Pasta Salad
This was one of the meals I was most excited about. I made a caprese salad (fresh basil plus fresh tomatoes, chopped, plus marinated mozzarella balls) and added it to cooked whole wheat pasta and our trusty cooked, shredded chicken. (The marinated mozzarella balls were from the antipasta bar.) It was so delicious and was light but filling at the same time!
This served me & Tad.

At this point I could have stopped, since I had successfully made the original six meals I promised to make. I really made more meals than that if you counted the leftovers! But I still had more chicken so I kept going!

Meal #7 – Black Bean Southwestern Salad
I tossed some of the chicken with a little bit of taco seasoning and heated it up. I topped a bed of red leaf lettuce with black beans, corn, chicken, green onions, and homemade salsa. This was a great lunch!
Served two, plus some extra stuff for Vera (beans, etc.).

Meal #8 – Chicken Pot Pie
I used THE LAST of the chicken to make a chicken pot pie. I made the easy version, using pre-made pie crusts and canned mixed veggies. It turned out great!
This recipe served me, Tad, and Vera, plus provided us with leftovers for another whole meal!

The end! I ended up using my $8 rotisserie chicken to make eight different recipes, which (including leftovers) actually was 23 servings (not counting Vera’s)! I know I could have saved more money by cooking the chicken myself (I saw roasters for about $4 at Aldi today), so maybe I’ll do that next time. But this was so convenient and easy and still ended up being quite cost efficient!