Steuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

My favorite Thanksgiving recipe can be found at Cooking Light. It has been a tradition at my house since 2002.

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole

Its also tasty with a side salad and buscuits for a simple supper. I sub fat free half-n-half in place of regular half-n-half. Other than that the recipe is perfect like it is.

Delicious Potatoes

The folks over at BCC have posted a few delicious looking recipes in the pre-Thanksgiving excitement:

The Devil's Mashed Potatoes
Whipped Sweet Potatoes with Carmelized Apples

I made a variation of The Devil's Mashed Potatoes the other night and they were AMAZING!

Eggplant and Zucchini Casserole

I got this recipe from a friend who says it's one of her favorites!

2 cups water
4 tablespoons butter
8 ounces bread crumbs
1 large eggplant, diced
2 large zucchini, diced
1 onion, chopped
1 tomato, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups shredded Colby cheese
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
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In a microwavable bowl, mix water and butter (cut into pieces). Stir in bread crumbs and cover with a microwavable lid. Cook on HIGH for 8 to 10 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Place eggplant, zucchini, tomato, onion into a large skillet. Season with thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir over medium low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C). Grease a 2 quart casserole dish.

Layer vegetables, cheese, and bread crumbs in the dish until all ingredients have been used, ending with cheese.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes.

Savory Squash

I’m not a vegetarian, but I love the beautiful variety of fresh fruits and veggies available at just about any grocery store. I am an adventurous cook and like to learn to use produce that I’ve never bought before. So parsnips and rhubarb are commonly found in our refrigerator, bok choy and fresh ginger will be on the grocery list again, and I sure wish that those greenish/yellow plums we enjoyed this summer were still in season. In all this adventuring the only thing I have disliked is turnips (so if you love turnips, you should post your favorite way to eat them and maybe I’ll try them again).

It’s coming in to winter and that means an abundance of apples, a plethora of pears, sumptuous citrus, and savory squash. Squash is one of those vegetables that have lots of varieties to appreciate, or at least say you tasted. So far, my favorite types are delicata and gold nugget, but this recipe works just fine with more commonly found varieties like acorn and butternut.


1 small (2-4 servings) winter squash
1 small onion, finely chopped
2-4 saltine crackers, crumbled
1T butter or margarine
1t brown sugar
1/8t curry powder
salt and pepper to taste (but don't leave them out altogether, they help bring out the natural sweetness of the squash!)

Cook the squash until it is mostly soft, but not all the way done (until it needs about 5 more minutes of microwaving). To cook squash in the microwave: cut it in half and scoop out the seeds and slime. Microwave it for 7-20 minutes depending on the size of the squash. Or you can follow any cooking directions on the label of the squash.

Meanwhile mix the onion, crackers, butter, brown sugar, curry, salt, and pepper together in a small bowl. When the squash is almost done, spoon the mixture into the hollow part of the squash and continue cooking until all of the squash is soft and easily pierced with a fork. Serve in the shell, or scoop it out and mash it up.

Being Vegetarian in the Family--The Ward Family, that is.

When you bring another family dinner, because you found out about their situation in Relief Society and signed up to bring a meal, do you bring a vegetarian meal?

When you go to the Ward Potluck, do you bring a vegetarian dish?

The Potluck is easier than the "compassionate service." You can entirely sidestep the issue by bringing dessert or rolls. Usually several people bring carbohydrate-based eats that are vegetarian by chance.

I think it's cool to bring a full-meal vegetarian green salad, maybe with little squares of firm tofu tossed in with the dark greens, chopped vegetables, and balsamic vinaigrette. Or, at least I hope someone else brought one. Yum.

Bringing a meal to a particular family is a little trickier. My purpose is to serve, not to educate, and certainly not to browbeat. When I was a full-time vegetarian in a full-time vegetarian family, I often brought meatless lasagna with green salad and bread, and chocolate cake. I wanted to bring something familiar, and something the kids would eat. Sometimes I would just make them a meat lasagna while I made my meatless ones.

Two meals that were brought to me in my life, perhaps I wouldn't have dared to bring to someone else. The week I had my first baby, a friend brought me a curry-cauliflower-carrot soup that I still dream about. Ditto to the zuchini-tomato-rice with cheese casserole in another state after my son was born.

I don't have the recipe for either one.

I did used to gleefully make the missionaries my weirdest vegetarian creations, like good gypsy soup. I figured they weren't getting enough vegetables. With a side of sausages, just from frozen and cooked in the microwave. Since I didn't know how to cook meat. And some wheat rolls, in case they were homesick.

What do you like to bring?

What do you hope they'll bring you?