Here we are, Thanksgiving Week, my favorite week of the year. It involves so many of my favorite things:
Thanksgiving Food:
Not that I’m so crazy for turkey, I mean, I like it and everything, and the way our family has begun roasting a ‘Bacon-Wrapped’ turkey is divine. But I’m in it for three things, as far as food goes:
**PIE**
I adore pie.
**STUFFING**
I ADORE stuffing.
**CANDIED SWEET POTATOES**
OH MY HECK! These things are Holiday Heaven. In fact, of the three things, these (CSP) are the ones I would not want to live without. The only minor, minor problem is that I only know of one MAN alive who can make them right. My Dad. Who, thank heaven, is in pretty good health and not very old:) But, methinks I am going to have to figure out how to produce this amazing Mouth-Watering Wonder myself. My Dad’s dad was the other person who could make them, and he is long gone. That leaves me. I’ve only attempted them once…and the resulting ‘food’ (if we can even call it that) was not pretty. Or tasty. Or edible. My brother, bless his heart, manfully ate a few and did not mention the resulting gastro-disaster to me. Very gentlemanly of him, I thought:) I ate some, trying to figure out where I went wrong and the resulting intestinal trauma is still something I don’t like to think about.
You’re thinking, how hard can CSP’s BE if MAREN can’t make them. Well, apparently, harder than they look. Altho, it does seem like my Dad did try for a few years before they were perfect.
I see a Christmas attempt in my future.
Lots of people I know do not love the CSP, including my daughter Rachel who says that the smell of them makes her nauseaus. Huh. She’s 15, so it’s hard to take her seriously in this matter. Once, when I was a teenager, I remember announcing to my mom that I would not be able to use the same soap as the rest of the family because they had ‘touched’ it and gotten all their germs all over it, rendering it unfit for my use. Teenagers can be a wee bit crazy.
All I’m saying is, just because I happen to think CSP’s are an Edible Eden, doesn’t mean that the rest of you have any sense, er, I mean, taste, no, that’s not it…I mean, the rest of you
DON’T HAVE TO EAT IT
And frankly, if you DON’T eat any, there will be more for me! And Lynn’s bro-in-law, who also worships the syrup these delicious delights soak in.
Oh, and I also like:
*Being with my family (even the crazy ones)
*Counting my blessings, and
*Going on a roadtrip to my Home State, where I like to sing my favorite song (it has the state’s name in it and is probably the nerdiest thing EVER) and drive my kids crazy:)
I LOVE this Holiday:)
🙂
So I need clarification here…are they actual sweet potatoes or are they yams. I’ve discovered here in Utah when they say “sweet potatoes” they usually mean “yams.” (Two VERY different root vegetables.) Sweet potatoes have a drier yellow-ish meat and yams are darker (reddish/purplish) and are denser and moister. (I hate yams, by the way.)
And do you like them with melted marshmallows? (*shudder*) And are they baked or candied in a skillet/sauce pan.
These are important points.
Those ARE important points. Not being from Utah, I know the difference between these two roots:) The veggie in question is, in fact, a Sweet Potato. I make it a policy to NEVER consume marshmellows, and the CSP’s are no exception. They are slowlly simmered, in an electric skillet, for a Very Very, long time (up to 2 days) with Butter, Maple Syrup, and a minor amount of Molasses. There may be other ingredients…like vanilla…I do not recall. They are seriously my favorite Holiday food:)
Wow, they sound really good. I like both sweet potatoes and yams. Especially candied. Well, I might eat anything that is candied. I adore maple flavored sweets of any kind. Sometime, if it’s not a huge FAMILY SECRET, maybe you could share the recipe? I’d love to have it.
Well, they definitely sound yummy. My CSPs are much more quicker…I just boil the little suckers first, peel them (they are easier to peel after boiling), them simmer them in (the probably traditional) butter, brown sugar, and a little lemon (or pineapple) juice. I will be taking some to my cousins because they prefer yams…and I do not eat yams. And I only consume marshmallows in Krispie treats and in s’mores.
My son-in-law makes the best candied yams ever. I won’t touch anyone else’s. He even puts marshmellows in them. I don’t know what he does to them, but they’re always really good and I end up eating too many. I’ve tried to copy his recipe, but it was a disaster. I think he left out an ingredient on purpose so he can be the Man. 🙂
This is my assigned dish to bring, because last years were good enough to remember, only I don’t remember how I did them last year. Maybe I will try this version since I grew up with marshmallows on top. They need to be baked on their long enough so that children actually get some vegetable as they try picking off the marshmallows from the top of the dish.
This is not Lynn. This is Carrie. I will have you know that there is another living person who can make make the CSP’s. It is ME. I have the CSP-gene. 🙂
Um, I got stuck on the word Pie. Pie is so great! Praises be to the pie and may there be lots of leftover PIE. I hope your T day was awesomeness!
Yea for CSP. Any way you have them! 🙂
Naquai