Our Lady of Weight Loss

Our Lady of Weight Loss

Dysfunctional Chef: Holiday Bursts of Sugary Sweetness

Sweet Potato Dreams by Janice Taylor, Weight Loss Artist

It wasn’t until I permanently removed over 50 pounds and developed a taste for baked sweet potatoes plain and simple that I questioned the wisdom of creating a casserole that was topped with toasted white lumps of melted gooeyness.

Seriously, why would you want to mess up something so naturally sweet as the sweet potato with mini-marshmallows?
Marshmallows date back to the ancient Egyptians.  Back in the day, around 2,000 B.C., the Egyptians combined the sweet sap of the root of the Marsh-Mallow plant with honey creating a candy fit for their gods and the Pharaohs.
In the 1920’s and 30’s,  once available only to the wealthy, marshmallows became a mass produced item.   Recipe booklets from Jell-O and Knox Gelatin reflected this happening.  Marshmallows were included in recipes on just about every page:  Banana Fluff, Lime Mallow Sponge, Cocoa Tutti Fruit and Paradise Pudding.  (Source: How Products are Made Volume 3).
By the time 1955 rolled around, there were about 35 manufacturers of marshmallows in the United States, and Alex Doumak, of Doumak, Inc., patented “the extrusion process,” a manufacturing method that changed the history of marshmallow production.
Which leads us straight to my mother’s circa 1960’s kitchen and her GLAZED SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE topped with MINI-MARSHMALLOWS, and to the answer of the above question,  “why would anyone want to mess up something so naturally sweet as the sweet potato with mini-marshmallows?”
With each mini-marshmallow, I give a nod to the ancient Egyptians, their Gods and Pharaohs, I warmly remember my mother in her circa 60’s kitchen, and I indulge my sweet tooth, which apparently remains alive, well and yet manageable.
Today, I share with you two classic Holiday Sweet Potato Recipes.  The first, my mother’s famous 60’s style (non-Our Lady of Weight Loss approved) Sweet Potato Casserole, and my 2010 soon to be a classic, Sweet, Sassy and Sexy – Honey Glazed Sweet Potato Chips, which was met with heartfelt cheers last Thanksgiving and hopefully will be again this year!
1960’s CANDIED SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE DELUXE (topped with Mini-Marshmallows)

Ingredients:

1 (29 oz.) can sweet potatoes or yams, drained
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cloves
dash of salt
1 1/2 cup mini marshmallows
Non-Stick Spray
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350F.
In small bowl, slightly beat your eggs.  Set aside.
In medium-sized bowl, mash the sweet potatoes.
Add the rest of the ingredients with the exception of 3/4 of a cup of marshmallows.
Mix thoroughly!
Coat casserole dish with non-stick spray.
Place mixture in dish.
Add the rest of the marshmallows to the top of the casserole.  If you need more than 3/4 of a cup to make it ‘right,’ go for it!!!
Bake at 350F for approx. 20 minutes, until the marshmallows are the right shade of burnt for you!
Sweet, Sassy and Sexy – Honey Glazed Sweet Potato Chips
 
Ingredients:
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons brown sugar
3 tablespoons local honey (My niece has a bee farm in her backyard, can’t get any more local than that, can you?!)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
4 large sweet potatoes, sliced thin, thin, thin!
Rosemary, chopped – to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper – to taste
Kosher salt – to taste
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a 9-by-13 inch baking pan with olive oil spray (you can find it in the ‘spray’ aisle or make your own in one of those spray containers)
In a small bowl, whisk together the water, brown sugar, honey and olive oil – until smooth!
Place a single layer of sweet potatoes in the baking pan. Brush the sauce over the sweet potatoes. Turn to coat the other side.
Bake until tender, or until crispy.  Entirely up to you.
The trick is to coat them every 15 minutes or so.  One side and then the other (yes, even though you’ve already coated both sides).
When you get them to where you want them, transfer to serving dish and top with the Rosemary, salt n’ pepper.

Serve immediately!

 

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

————————————————————————

For the best in wellness and weight loss wisdom, visit Janice:
Our Lady of Weight Loss

join the Kick in the Tush Club

Follow Janice on Twitter @OurLady
Facebook.com/OurLadyofWeightLoss

Looking for a Life & Weight Loss Success Coach?



You Might Also Like...
Previous Posts

Kick in the Tush Tuesday: Empty Your Mental Junk Drawer
“I believe in roses. And I believe in putting roses into a vase and sitting the vase on the table. I believe in getting lost and being found, I believe in going barefoot, and in laughter! My religion is to laugh at myself, whenever I can!  I believe in the sunlight and in grey skies with big, bea

posted 12:40:02pm May. 21, 2013 | read full post »

Puzzled? "Chuga-Squeak" speaks
"Chuga-squeak, Chuga-squeak," repeats the Grackle. Our Tucson courtyard, amass in Palm, Olive, Mesquite and Cyprus trees, is home to the Grackle. The Grackle is longer than most blackbirds, slimmer than most crows.   Grackle males are colorful; very iridescent with their long tails, distinct

posted 11:06:35am May. 20, 2013 | read full post »

Eat This: Lose Weight - Best Gazpacho Ever
Q:  How amazing and magical is it when someone (a good friend, neighbor or even a relative) shows up at your front door with a bowl of somethin' special that she (or he) has just whipped up to share with you--that is not only delish, but healthy as well? A:  Very amazing! :) I am happy to re

posted 9:44:32am May. 17, 2013 | read full post »

#OneWord Thursday: 10 Quotes that Inspire the #Body
Our inner guidance comes to us through our feelings and body wisdom first — not through intellectual understanding. ~ Christiane Northrup Because thoughts come from our head, and said thoughts tend to be loud (very loud), we are inclined to live there – in our heads. What happens when we liv

posted 9:30:23am May. 16, 2013 | read full post »

Fat Daughter: "Perplexed" Needs Advice!
“Perplexed” turns to Our Lady of Weight Loss and asks “How can I help my daughter? How can I restore family harmony?” Dear Our Lady of Weight Loss ~ I have three teenage-young adult kids. They are all winners in their own ways and on track to be happy, successful people. But of course, th

posted 10:00:12am May. 15, 2013 | read full post »

Advertisement
Comments Post the First Comment »
post a comment

Post a Comment

By submitting these comments, I agree to the beliefnet.com terms of service, rules of conduct and privacy policy (the "agreements"). I understand and agree that any content I post is licensed to beliefnet.com and may be used by beliefnet.com in accordance with the agreements.





Report as Inappropriate

You are reporting this content because it violates the Terms of Service.

All reported content is logged for investigation.