From Our Table to Yours

For many years, I wouldn't even look at a sweet potato, let alone eat one, until my sister, Sara, started bringing this incredible dish she called "sweet potato casserole" to our Thanksgiving meal.  Loaded up with sugar and topped with crunchy munchy goodness, it soon became my favorite holiday food.  It's almost more dessert-like than a side dish, but I have never had a problem mixing savory with sweet on my Thanksgiving or Christmas plate.

My husband, Jeremy, was openly against the humble sweet potato, just as I had been adamant that never a bite would pass through these lips.  "I just don't like those marshmellows on top," He said when I told him about Sara's casserole.
 "Oh, but this is good," I replied. "No marshmellows in sight!"
He wasn't convinced, but seeing as he's not that picky of an eater, and really likes his food, I figured I could get him to try some of my sister's casserole, eventually.

At dinner a few years ago, as we passed the dishes around, Jeremy took a scoop of the family favorite and plopped it on his plate, without really paying attention to what he was about to eat. He tucked into his food and began singing the praises over the heavenly flavors in his mouth.  "Sara, this orange crap with crunch crap on top is DELICIOUS!" he said with great enthusiasm.
My sister, in mock offense, replied "Crap?!? Did you just call my sweet potato casserole crap?!  Oh, I see how you really feel. Orange Crap With Crunch Crap On Top.  I see how it is. You think it's crap."
Jeremy started laughing and said " No, no, that's not what I meant.  I didn't know what this was. Sweet potatoes? I didn't realize this was sweet potatoes. This is really really good."
"No it's not. It's Orange Crap With Crunchy Crap On Top.  You said so yourself," Sara said, continuing to pretend hurt feelings. "See if I ever make it for yooou anymore."
"Well it's good Orange Crap With Crunchy Crap On Top," Jeremy replied.  The family was laughing pretty good by this point, including Rebekah, who normally is appalled by our use of the word crap, especially around the dinner table.
"Hey," Floyd said, "Can you pass the Orange Crap With Crunchy Crap On Top this way, please?"

Since then, Thanksgiving or Christmas, the one important question usually is, "So who's making the Orange Crap With Crunchy Crap On Top this year?"  Because in our family, it's not a holiday meal with out being able to say "Please pass the Orange Crap With Crunchy Crap On Top." 

Without further ado, we'd like to share with you our family favorite: Orange Crap With Crunch Crap On Top, or the more appetizing name: Sweet Potato Casserole.

Enjoy!

Last year's OCWCCOT, just out of the oven. Yum!

Sweet Potato Casserole

4 C mashed sweet potatoes (I use canned, but I have also boiled and mashed the yams)

½ C butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 C sugar

2 eggs beaten

Topping:

1 C brown sugar

1/3 butter

1/3 C flour

1 C chopped pecans

(NOTE: some like to make this in a 9x13 pan, it’s thin, which makes it less potato to topping ratio per bite…WE usually do it in a round casserole dish or oval, so that there’s more potato to the crunchy topping per bite, which we like better)

Mix first five ingredients thoroughly and put in a grease dish.  Mix flour and brown sugar together. Cut in butter.  Mix in pecans and sprinkle on top of potatoes.  Bake in a 350 degree oven until hot, bubbly, and topping is lightly browned. 

(about 30 minutes in a 9x13 pan, 30-50 minutes in a deep dish casserole, depending on if recipe is doubled, etc).