Recently in Sweet Potatoes Category

4 average sized sweet potatoes, baked
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/3 cup carnation canned milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla

Oil and bake potatoes until soft. When cooked handle carefully not to get burned and slip off the skins.

Mash with a potato masher. Do not use a mixer. This will make the pone fluffy. It is meant to be very dense.

Add remaining ingredients, mixing well.

Melt 2 tbsp crisco in a square baking pan.

Add mixture to hot pan.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 45 minutes or until set.

Cool completely. Cut into squares (like a brownie).

1 pumpkin 5 - 8 lbs
2 baking potatoes
2 sweet potatoes
1 med onion, diced
8 -10 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
Vegetable or chicken stock
butter
salt and pepper

Wash pumpkin well with soapy water, rinse and dry. Split pumpkin in half. Scoop out the fiber and seeds. Rub the halves with olive oil inside and out. Place flesh side down on a greased baking sheet (or silpat). Bake at 375 degrees until the meat is fork tender and orangey-yellow.

Preparing to roast the pumpkin.

At the same time, individually wrap the baking potatoes and sweet potatoes in foil. Place in the oven on an upper rack to bake until soft. The pumpkin and potatoes should be done about the same time.

Roasted pumpkin set to cool.

When cool enough to handle scoop out the flesh of the potatoes and pumpkin into a large clean bowl. Add a couple tbsp of butter and let melt into the mixture.

In a skillet brown the bacon rendering the fat. Remove the bacon to drain. Pour away all but about 2 tsp of the remaining fat. Return to heat and add the onion. Cook until clear.

Add the onions to the potatoes and pumpkin. Using a stick blender or food processor, puree the mix.

This is my 6qt stainless mixing bowl. I used a 8 - 10lb pumpkin, 2 each of the potatoes, and almost 2 quarts of stock to make this much soup.

Pour the puree into a stock pot. Slowly add the stock until the mix is the consistancy of soup that you prefer. We like a thicker soup. You might like a thinner soup. Heat through and allow to simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

This soup is a beautiful color. Some recipes will call for heavy cream to be added. To me it isn't as nice of a soup when it has cream in it. I save the cream for my pies.

When serving use the bacon crumbles on top as garnish.

For freezing allow soup to cool. Pour into freezer containers. Lable and freeze.

**Note: I prepared this today when I was cooking a pork roast. I had plenty of broth from the pork so I used it in place of chicken/vegetable stock. It tastes great.

I am serving this soup with sandwiches made of fresh toasted bagels with a slice of roasted apple, cheddar cheese and ham. Absolutely delightful.

Jenny asked about sweet potatoes. This is what I do with sweet potatoes.

For all of these recipes (except the fries) wash the potatoes well. Dry them. Drizzle with oil and using your hands rub the oil all over the outside making sure you coat all of the skin with oil. Place them in a baking dish. Bake at 375 degrees until cooked soft, maybe and hour to an hour and half, depending on the size of the potatoes. The skins will cook crisp almost like dry leaves. As they cool the potato will shrink away from the skin. When they are cool enough to handle gently peel away the skin.

Baked Sweet Potato - You can stop at this point, slice in two and place a nice big pat of butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. This is an excellent side dish as is.

Candied Sweet Potatoes - Cut the baked potatoes into nice size chunks. Sprinkle with a little brown sugar and cinnamon, add a little butter and place under the broiler until the sugar is melted and gooey. OR Cut the raw, peeled potatoes into chunks and boil until they just begin to soften. Strain them out of the water and place in a baking dish. Save 1 cup of the water they were cooked in. To it add 2 - 3 tbsp brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, grate a little nutmeg and pour over the potatoes in the baking pan. Add a few pats of butter and bake in a hot oven until the potatoes are fork tender, basting occassionally. This is great to throw in 1/2 cup of raisin to the juice or a few prunes and waltnuts. Remember everything sweet needs a little salt. I salt after they get to the table.

Sweet Potato Pie - Make exactly like pumpkin pie only use the cooked sweet potatoes instead of pumpkin. Use the Libby's pumpkin pie recipe.

Sweet Potato Pone - Mash the baked potatoes. In a large mixing bowl add 1 tbsp butter for every potato. 1 tsp cinnamon, mix well. 1 beaten egg for every 2 potatoes, mix well. 1/4 cup cream, mix well. 1/4 cup flour, mix well. Pour into a buttered baking pan. Bake at 375 degrees. It is done when a toothpick pressed into the center comes out clean. Cool completely. Slice into squares. The end result should be firm and hold the square shape but should be creamy when you bite into it almost like the texture of a moist gooey fudge brownie.

Sweet Potato Casserole #1 - Mash 4 baked potatoes. Add a couple tbsp of butter, a tsp or two of cinnamon, 1/2 cup milk and spread in a buttered baking dish. In a bowl take 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 stick of softened butter and cream the sugar into the butter. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle this over the top of the sweet potato mash. Bake at 375 until the toping is a nice tender crust.

Sweet Potato Casserole #2 - Mash 4 baked potatoes. Add a couple tbsp of butter, a tsp or two of cinnamon, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup raisins and spread in a buttered baking dish. Bake until just done. Remove from the oven and sprinkle mini marshmallows over the top. Return to the oven and bake until the marshmallows are toasted.

Sweet Potato Baby Food - bake the potatoes. Allow them to cool completely. With a fork mash them until they are creamy. Feed your baby.

Sweet Potato french fries - peel the potatoes, slice lengthwise into strips like regular french fries. Deep fry, sprinkle with salt. Serve with Hamburgers and ketchup. My kids love these.

Please note, these recipes are not with exact measurements. These are done by feel. I might use more brown sugar based on the potato. Taste the potatoes after you have baked them to judge their natural sweetness. In the deep cold of winter I like more cinnamon. In the late fall I like less. You can really adjust these to fit your specific taste and preference.