Sweet Potato Pie

This is a result of a 2013 Thanksgiving baking frenzy; it is easy to make and very tasty. 

Sweet Potato Pie

1 unbaked 9 inch pie crust

2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes, without skins

½ cup sugar

½ cup firmly packed brown sugar

2 eggs

¼ cup melted butter

½ cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon grated nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375°F.  Mix sweet potato, sugars, eggs, buttermilk, butter, vanilla, and nutmeg with a whisk or mixer.  Pour mixture into prepared pastry. 

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix; pretty simple!

Unbaked 9 inch pie crust.

 

Ready for the oven.

Bake for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center of the crust comes out clean.  Serves 8.

Split Pea Soup

This recipe makes a boatload of soup; halve the recipe if you like.  It freezes well; soup in the freezer is like money in the bank. 

 

Split Pea Soup

2 cups chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
8 cups chopped vegetables:
·         1 bunch carrots, thinly sliced
·         1 bunch celery, stringed and thinly sliced
·         1 large potato, peeled and cubed
2 lbs. dry split peas, rinsed
4 cups chopped, cooked ham
1 ham bone
1 gallon water
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper

Sauté chopped onions and minced garlic in olive oil.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil; cover and reduce heat, simmering until split peas and vegetables are tender and soup is thick, about two hours.  Adjust salt and pepper to taste.   

Butterscotch Ice Box Cookies

Baked and ready to dunk in a good cup of coffee.

My maternal grandmother always had ice-box cookies baked and ready to serve.  My skinny grandfather slathered butter on his cookies, and the grandkids enjoyed them for snacks.  Before we knew about Salmonella and recognized that eating raw eggs was a bad idea, she always kept a bit of leftover dough for the grandkids to eat raw, straight from the refrigerator. This recipe was always referred to as "Stella's cookies" because my grandmother got the recipe from her sister, Stella.  Why does it call for 6 teaspoons baking powder?  Who know, it doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s what the recipe calls for, and the cookies turn out just fine.

Butterscotch Ice Box Cookies

2 cups light brown sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup finely chopped pecans

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream brown sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour mixture; I use the electric mixer on low to do the preliminary mixing.  Add pecans, then mix by hand until the dough is well blended and pliable, resembling the texture of Play-Doh. 

Smooth ball of cookie dough.

Divide the dough into roughly three portions.  Tear off three sheets of waxed paper, each about 15 inches long.  Working one at a time, dust each piece of waxed paper with about a tablespoon of flour, then place a third of the dough on the sheet.  Use your hands to roll the dough into a cylinder, about 1.25 inches thick. 

About a third of the dough.



Wrap the waxed paper around the roll, tucking in ends.  Repeat for each section of dough.  If the cookies are to be baked within a few days, place the dough in the refrigerator and use as needed.  Otherwise, wrap each roll additionally with foil, label and freeze.

Shaped roll of cookie dough.

Wrap rolls in waxed paper.

Wrap again in foil; label, date, and freeze.

 

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375°F.  Slice dough into pieces about 3/8 inch in thickness; place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned.