Sweet Potato Casserole

This recipe is the Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole we had in NY. It was AWESOME! The one Kristen made for Thanksgiving tasted exactly the same as the one in the restaurant. We love it so much around here that I made it for dinner the other night and took pictures while I prepared so I could share it's secrets with you! Here we go!

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. flour
1 c. chopped pecans
1/3 stick butter, melted

For the casserole:
3 sweet potatoes (they're called yams at our grocery store - they're those big orange potato things that Marcos loves to shoot out of his potato launcher)
1 c. sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1 stick butter, softened


Directions:

1. Peel and rinse potatoes.


2. Chop potatoes into 1-2 inch pieces. (Logan came in while I was chopping and said, "Wow mommy, those are the biggest carrots I've ever seen!" Ha! Carrots!)


3. Cover with hot water in a shallow/wide pot and bring to a rolling boil. Boil for 5-8 minutes or until a fork slides through potato easily.


4. While potatoes are boiling mix topping ingredients in a separate bowl and set aside until just before you bake.


5. Drain potatoes in a colander and let cool for 15 minutes or until they are no longer steaming hot.


6. Transfer potatoes back into your large pot and mash with a potato masher until there are no large lumps.



7. Transfer potatoes to mixer (you can mix by hand or with a hand mixer) and add the rest of the casserole ingredients. Mix till well blended.

8. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sprinkle topping evenly over casserole. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or until heated through.


9. Serve and enjoy!

Jackson's Bday continued...

Here are some pics of the rest of his celebrations last week:

Jackson's bday dinner (hot dogs - his favorite!) We had a few extra bodies that night so we decided to make it a par-tay! It's always a party with the cousins...

A birthday brownie...

The big gift was something he picked out himself. We were at WalMart one day and he rode that thing through the whole store. Wasn't he surprised when mommy plopped it on the counter and purchased it! I love it when they are old enough to tell me what they like...

A little after-dinner teeter-totter action (we call it the toe cruncher)...

Sunday was the BIG FAMILY PARTY. The Durans, Wards and Givens families all got together to celebrate Jackson's and Maddy's Birthdays. Let me count... there were about 45 people here!

Thomas and Amy

Marcos and Melody

Uncle Samuel with Trevor and Zachary

Gramma Darlin'

Daddy and Logan puttin' on a silly face...

A birthday cupcake...

PRESENTS!!! Jackson got everything his little heart desires - trucks, trucks, and trucks. (Mommy got some of her desires too - some totally cute new summer clothes!)

Notice the fancy wrapping paper behind us. That's my mom's trademark (Grandma Elizabeth). She always wraps our bday presents in leftover Christmas wrap. I'm proud to say that I carry on that tradition - although our kids haven't noticed the difference yet.

The bubble machine was a hit with all the kiddies!

The best gift of the night - a plunger! Anyone want a giant tummy hickey???

So the annual physical is not really a celebration per sey, but check out his numbers! He's in the 50th percentile for height and weight. That's way up from the 10th percentile he was in the entire 1st year of his life. Way to grow Jackson!

Camping Big Daddy Style

Camping Big Daddy Style (which is what happens when the moms are at an all day women's conference) goes a little something like this:

Playing,



exploring,


climbing,


making mud,


AND sleeping in the same clothes...


Flaming marshmallows flying all over the place...



Rescuing a man down...


Brief moments of sanity...


Cooking over an open fire with work gloves when the stove is not working...


Finding and mutilating helpless animals...


Swimming in freezing cold water in mid-April...




And lotsa smelly campfire laundry waiting for mommy for when she gets home!

`*^*`*^*TWO*^*`*^*`

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JACKSON BOY!

Our Jackson Monster is 2 years old today. It's hard to believe that he's been with us for 2 years already. He is so sweet that he just melts your heart. That sweetness turns mischievous all too quickly - remember the toilet adventures??

Jackson started his special day with a delicious breakfast made to order. He began with a hot dog appetizer (Yum!), and moved on to his main course - cinnamon and sugar toast with bday candles, and chased it all down with a sippy cup full of hot/warm cocoa. Mmm!

Lizzie helped him open 2 gifts (everyone had already gone to work and school by the time Jackson got out of bed). A new outfit and his favorite - toy cars!

He measured in at 2 feet 10 3/4 inches - that's the tallest any of our kids measured at 2 years. How can that be when he looks like such a shrimp?
Here's his vocabulary list so far:
Uh-oh

hot

hot dog

light

bye-bye

poo poo

dog

mom

dad

all done

night night

baby

bath

more

open

socks

dog

blanket (he says, "goo-gah" for Samuel's baby blankie)

shoes

go

up

down

Jackson shares his special day with some Hollywood stars (Grandpa Louie this is for you - right from the birthdays in the Life section of the Fresno Bee!): Dennis Quaid and Kristen Stewart (Kristen will play Bella in the upcoming Twilight series movies!!)

Jackson, we wish you all the best this year. Show the world there is NO SUCH THING as Terrible Twos!

Grandma Dee Dee's Potato Salad

A few months ago Grandma Dee Dee came over to teach me her famous potato salad recipe. She showed me her secret tricks to making it just right! She is always adamant that Best Foods mayo is the only mayo to use for her potato salad.

This recipe is an "old family recipe" that she's been making forever. Every time we eat it at any family gathering it brings back memories... pool parties in her backyard, 4th of July, Easter dinner when the adults sat at the dining room table and the kids ate at the table in the kitchen...

It looks a little different when I make it, but it sure tastes the same! She has the perfect huge punch bowl that holds 10 pounds of salad - mine only holds 5. I love that she's willing to pass all her recipes to me and take the time to show me how it's done her way - the best way. Next on the recipe passing agenda will be her famous chili beans. Thanks for sharing with me, Grandma! I love you. (Hope you're enjoying Texas!)

The 2nd Place Race

Trevor has been practicing with the swim club since January every day after school for an hour. His other cousins, Emma and Jacob, were already in the club so it was an easy extra-curricular choice for Trevor. He is doing really well - improving quickly and always has a great attitude during practice. Jeremy loves to comment on how fluid his form and strokes look in the water - he's a natural!

Trevor competed in his first swim meet of the season on Saturday, April 5th. He swam in one race - the 25 yard freestyle. He was the youngest one in the heat at 8 years old and the oldest was 12.

He always gets pretty nervous. It's so hard to watch him suffer from these nerves and there's nothing I can do to make it better. We've all got to grow from our experiences, right?

The race only lasts about 30 seconds so it was very quick. Trevor was ready at the block. That buzzer sounded and he dove in like a pro. He swam his heart out and placed 2nd. Wow! Check out the scoreboard below. His daddy couldn't have been more proud.

Way to go Trevor!

A New Prophet

Thomas S. Monson is the new prophet of our church. This picture here is not so recent. He looks a bit older these days. I have always loved President Monson. My brother, Thomas, was allegedly named after him! He always has great stories and wonderful analogies when he speaks.

He gave his first addresses to the Church today at our General Conference that was broadcast around the world. Here is a link to his talk that he gave in the closing moments of the last session of the conference. This is an audio file so you can listen to him speak, it is not a video. President Monson's Talk He was very much in good humor and spirit. I know we all breathed a little relief when he cracked a few jokes. It is nice to have a prophet that believes in humor and laughter. I am excited to learn more about him and what his focus will be to push forward the work of the church. I know he was called of God. He has been and will continue to be a great leader in the years to come.

10 years

It was 1998. I was 19. He was 23. He truly is the best man I've ever known.


Happy Anniversary, my sweet.