I am so grateful that I woke up today, not everyone has that pleasure or is that lucky. On top of that, I see my son, husband, his octogenarian parents, and my Mom are also alive and well. This is a big deal and I know that I am incredibly fortunate; yes, I’ve been faced with loss, illness, and my share of bumps in the road. Nevertheless, I am still breathing, I have good wholesome food, potable water, shelter, a loving family, people that I can call my friends and one thing I will never take for granted ~ control over my bodily functions.

This year, we are blessed with hosting Thanksgiving in our new multi-generational home. Mathew is very excited about bringing both limbs of his family tree together, as it rarely happens. I am grateful that we can bring our family together and share time and our favorite recipes along with creating new memories.

One of our favorite side dishes when I was growing up was Sweet Potatoes with Marshmallow. It was made with canned candied yams, canned pineapples, spices and marshmallows. When I took over making this dish years ago, I decided to add a little spin to the dish and use fresh ingredients, instead of canned. I found this great recipe in Saveur Cooks American and it has become a staple at our holiday table. I think it’s a delicious improvement on an old favorite. What do you think?

Sweet Potato Casserole
Ingredients
1⁄2 cup raisins
1⁄3 sweet sherry
3 medium organic sweet potatoes
2⁄3 cup brown sugar
4 tbsp. butter, melted
1⁄2 cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. finely chopped organic orange zest
1 tsp. pumpkin spice (or 2⁄3 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1⁄4 tsp. ground ginger, pinch ground nutmeg, and pinch ground allspice)
1⁄2 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup pineapple cubes, coarsely chopped
1 1⁄2 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°. Soak raisins in sherry until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain raisins and transfer to a large bowl.
Meanwhile, bake sweet potatoes until tender, about 40 minutes. I like to throw them in the oven while the turkey is roasting (hey, the oven is already on, might as well capitalize on it). Allow potatoes to cool, then peel, mash up (I like them a little chunky). Add raisins, brown sugar, butter, orange juice, orange zest, and pumpkin spice and mix well. Fold in pecans and pineapple and transfer to an 8” square baking dish.
Bake casserole for 20 minutes, then cover with marshmallows and bake until marshmallows are golden, about 5 minutes more. Serve warm.

May you also wake up and have the opportunity to feel the blessing of a loving family, good food and friends (and control over your bodily functions).

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!