Sweet Potato Casserole

We recently had my parents over for a steak cookout lunch, and I decided sweet potato casserole sounded like the perfect side! My mom has always made Boston Market's version, but I am really not a fan. It's SO bad for you, and I always think it's a little watery. (Maybe because she boils the potatoes?) I tried this version from The Pioneer Woman, and we absolutely thought it was great!

4 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 3/4 pounds)
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup milk
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Bake sweet potatoes for 45 minutes at 375 until potatoes are fork tender. Once the potatoes have cooled enough to handle, scrape the flesh in to a mixing bowl. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Add the granulated sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Mash ingredients together until they are incorporated but the potatoes are still lumpy.

Now, in a separate bowl, mash the brown sugar, pecans, flour and butter with a pastry cutter or fork until thoroughly combined. The mixture should resemble a crumble.(I actually melted the butter and mixed. I do my crisps the same way, and I actually prefer it that way. I think it gives the butter more even distribution.)

Spread the sweet potato mixture in a 14-cup oval-shaped baking dish and sprinkle the crumb mixture all over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Whipped Cream and Cream Cheese Frosting

For my second Christmas dessert, I made a red velvet ice cream cake. I really did not care for the red velvet cookie or the homemade cream cheese ice cream that made up the actual cake, but the frosting was AMAZING and surprisingly easy! It is a must have for your recipe collection! Here is how I made it,

Ingredients,

8 oz of cream cheese
1 cup of white sugar
1 tsp of vanilla
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

To begin with, whip 8 oz of room temperature cream cheese until it is light and fluffy. Then, whip in 1 cup of sugar, 1 tsp of vanilla and a pinch of salt. In a separate chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream to very stiff peaks. Then,gently fold your cream cheese mixture and whipped cream together. The frosting is done, and you can use it to frost your favorite cake, cookies or cupcakes!

Paula Deen's Strawberry Shortcake Trifle

I typically am in charge of holiday desserts, and I had a really hard time deciding what to make for Event #1 this year. I wanted something a little lightish because that is what sounds the most appealing to my pregnant self. : ) I definitely don't think of strawberries for Christmas, but hey, they're red! Also, my kids love them, and the only way I would spring for them at $3.99/lb is for Christmas. So, I decided to create a less diabetes inducing version of the Paula Deen original. Here is my recipe,

Ingredients

• 1 frozen pound cake

For the custard:

• 1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 (12-ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed

For the glaze:

• 1 cup sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 tablespoons strawberry gelatin (recommended: Jell-O)
• 2 cup water
• 3 lbs of strawberries (if berries are extra large, they can be cut into quarters) 

Directions

Slice cake, using a serrated knife, horizontally into 3 equal layers.

For the custard:

Mix together cream cheese, condensed milk, and whipped topping in a bowl; set aside.(Note, I recommend whipping the cream cheese first. I didn't, and I couldn't get my mixture totally smooth.)

For the glaze:

In a medium saucepan, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and gelatin; add water. Cook stirring over medium heat until thick. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Add slowly to your strawberry mixture and stir until they are lightly coated. I used about 2/3 of the mixture. I didn't want my cake to be soggy!

For assembly:

Place 1 layer of cake in a large clear bowl. Top with a layer of glaze, followed by a layer of custard mixture. Repeat layering in this order for remaining cake, glaze and custard.Chill and serve! YUM!

See more recipes at beautyandbedlam.com.

Cranberry Pecan Sticky Buns

I've seen Ina make this recipe on her show a few times, and every time I think, "I really need to remember to make that." I was able to pick up puff pastry on sale this week, so it was a good chance to give it a try. After reading the reviews and based on our own preferences, I did make some changes. Here is how I made mine,

Ingredient,

• 1 stick tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces
• 1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

And for the filling,

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 cup dried cranberries

Directions, 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 6 tablespoons butter and 1/4 cup brown sugar. Place 1  small spoonful of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of cranberries. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

***

We all really liked these. I thought the dried cranberries were an obvious swap. They added a nice little tart kick to the roll. Next time I make these, I may skip the pecans. Pecan rolls need pecans, but we are just not huge fans at this house. I think these would be perfect cranberry cinnamon rolls! I might add a little more sugar and cinnamon too!

Twice Baked Potato Casserole

This twice baked potato casserole is one of our family favorite side dishes. It definitely isn't the healthiest thing in the world, but it makes enough to feed an army! It's great for potlucks or family get togethers for that very reason. Here is how you make it,

Ingredients

• 5 lb russet potatoes
• 10 slices bacon
• 8 oz cream cheese, room temperature
• 1/2 c unsalted butter, melted
• 1 c sour cream
• 0.25 c chives, minced (I omitted because green onions and chives are one thing I really don't like!)
• 2.5 c sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• 2 t kosher salt
• 0.5 t pepper

Directions -

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel potatoes, and cut into 1-inch chunks. Boil potatoes over medium-high heat, and reduce to a simmer. Cook until tender and easily pierced with a paring knife.Transfer to a colander to drain.
2. While your potatoes are cooking, cook bacon until crisp and browned, turning once. (We bake in the oven at 425 for 17 minutes.) Transfer to paper towels to drain. Chop in to bacon bits.
3. With an electric mixer, whip the potatoes. Add the cream cheese, butter, and sour cream, and stir until combined and smooth. Add the chives, 2 cups cheddar cheese, half the bacon, salt, and pepper. Stir until well combined.
4. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, bacon and a generous amount of black pepper. Bake until top is slightly golden and potatoes are heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven; garnish with remaining bacon. Serve immediately.

(Note, this picture is before the final step of baking these. If possible, I prefer to finish them off wherever we're eating, so they're nice and warm when served!)

See other great recipes at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam!

Christmas Meal Planning

We're starting to cook Christmas food around here!  This is my first of two trips to the store. I spent $50 of my allotted $100. Even with $100, I had to be extra conscientious at the grocery tab we were racking up as my $100 also had to cover our meals for the week.  Rather than sharing our meal plan for the week, I'll share what we're cooking for our various events! These are the frugal ideas I cooked up for some of the various events we had going on. Some of the new recipes will follow soon!

Christmas Eve -

My Mom's Cheesecake with my Salted Caramel Sauce

Christmas  Day-

Blueberry Lemon Scones (cranberry orange recipe, sub blueberry and lemon)
My dad's favorite Holiday Broccoli Salad
Twice Baked Potato Casserole
Red Hot Jello
Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream for Jesus's Birthday

The Day after Christmas with my in laws -

Veggie Tray
Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels (Next year I might fill a popcorn tin with these! People have loved them!)
Apple Pie with Salted Caramel Sauce

Merry Christmas!

For more meal plans see www.orgjunkie.com.

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzel Recipe

It should be illegal for something this easy (AND CHEAP!) to be THIS GOOD.

A lady I work with has a gift basket company. Before the Holidays, she tests a lot of new recipes out on the people in the office. These delicious little pretzels turned up last year, and I thought they were OUTSTANDING. Of course, she wouldn't tell me how to make them! I searched the internet and came up with NOTHING. Now, imagine my excitement when they turned up on Pinterest! Here is the recipe,

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels 

1 (16 oz) bag pretzel twists 

⅔ cup vegetable oil 

½ cup sugar (I used homemade vanilla sugar.)

2 tsp cinnamon 

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Pour pretzels into a roasting pan. In a medium sized bowl mix together vegetable oil, cinnamon and sugar. Pour over pretzels and stir to coat. Place in oven on top rack and bake for 30 minutes, removing twice to stir.

I haven't been able to stop eating these since I made them! I am hoping to make a few more batches next weekend to take to our Christmas festivities. If you're looking for a last minute DIY Christmas gift, these would be great. You can easily make a lb of these for under $3 if you buy your pretzels on sale. If you're looking for a last minute idea for your teachers, friends or neighbors, try tying a cup of pretzels in cellophane and tie with a ribbon! You'll have all of your last minute gifts covered in a snap!

See other recipes at www.beautyandbedlam.com.