
I am fully recovered of my terrible cold from last week. You can hardly tell I've been sick. The only way you can tell is if I cough directly in your face, uncontrollably, which has happened a lot lately. I'll be having a conversation with someone, and all of a sudden an explosion of cough bursts out, and I can't do anything about it.
I don't know... being sick really isn't that bad. I called into work, made sweet potato pancakes, and drank coffee and watched Curb Your Enthusiasm all day. I think I'd rather be ill than go wait tables. Just kidding! I love waiting tables! What am I saying?! That's crazy talk.

So Thanksgiving is in a week. A week! I am so, so excited. I love Thanksgiving! I think it's my favorite holiday. After all, tis the holiday of food. Thanksgiving is a time when we sit down at the table, give thanks to turkey, green bean casserole and marshmallowed sweet potatoes, and then eat as much as possible without getting sick, before watching TV and taking naps, and then eating pie. What's all that Pilgrim and Indian nonsense?

My absolute favorite part of Thanksgiving is the pie baking and dessert making. The day before Thanksgiving is one of the most important baking days of the year. It's so important to me, that I took off work. Yes, I took off work so I could bake pies and cakes, and maybe even pitch in a little help with the side dishes. Since I'll be off, I will be live pie blogging all day, with updates on the progress of the desserts. :) So check in next Wednesday if you're not too busy! I will be adding some twists to traditional pumpkin and pecan pie. I also may be baking a cake and an apple pie. I haven't decided yet.

Are you looking to bring something different to the dessert table? Try this sweet potato pie I created. It's the ultimate, perfect sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. The crust is composed of crushed gingersnap cookies, toasted pecans, oats, brown sugar and butter. The filling is made up of fresh cooked sweet potato, browned butter, evaporated milk, brown sugar, maple syrup, spices and eggs. Then the pie is topped with mini marshmallows and broiled.
Are you a marshmallow sweet potato family? I was born and raised into one.
Marshmallows are in my blood. Oh lawdy I love marshmallows on sweet potatoes. Yeah I'm trashy - say what you want about me - I don't care.

I know a lot of you are planning your Thanksgiving menus, so here's a list of pies you might fine suitable for your feast:
Deep-Dish Caramel Apple Pie
Ultimate Cherry Pie
Chocolate Pecan Pie
Crumb Topped Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
Chewy Ginger Cookie-Crusted Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

Sweet Potato Pie (Recipe by Me)
Printable Recipe
1 cup finely ground gingersnap cookies
2/3 cup finely ground toasted pecans
1/3 cup quick oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mini marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together gingersnaps, pecans, oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter until well combined; pat evenly into pie plate to form a crust. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool on a wire rack.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently, until butter starts to brown and foam. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together sweet potato and 1/2 cup brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in browned butter, evaporated milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs until well combined, about 1 minute. Pour filling into pie crust.
Bake for 30=35 minutes, or until golden brown around edges, and set - pie shouldn't wobble. Remove pie from oven and evenly top with mini marshmallows. Turn oven broiler on lowest setting, and broil top of pie for a few seconds until marshmallows brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Makes 8 servings
Printable Recipe
1 cup finely ground gingersnap cookies
2/3 cup finely ground toasted pecans
1/3 cup quick oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 cup mashed cooked sweet potato
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3 tablespoons maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup mini marshmallows
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, stir together gingersnaps, pecans, oats, 1/3 cup brown sugar and 3 tablespoons butter until well combined; pat evenly into pie plate to form a crust. Bake for 12 minutes or until golden brown and set. Cool on a wire rack.
Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan over medium heat; cook for 2-3 minutes, whisking frequently, until butter starts to brown and foam. Remove from heat.
In a large mixing bowl, using a mixer on medium speed, beat together sweet potato and 1/2 cup brown sugar until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in browned butter, evaporated milk, maple syrup, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt until well combined, about 1 minute. Beat in eggs until well combined, about 1 minute. Pour filling into pie crust.
Bake for 30=35 minutes, or until golden brown around edges, and set - pie shouldn't wobble. Remove pie from oven and evenly top with mini marshmallows. Turn oven broiler on lowest setting, and broil top of pie for a few seconds until marshmallows brown. Cool completely on a wire rack before slicing.
Makes 8 servings

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