Meal Monday
This Thanksgiving I was thankful for something I hadn't anticipated.
The unthinkable happened: My kids ate vegetables. It was the first time they knowingly allowed a vegetable prepared by me past their lips in the last year. To use hockey parlance, I put one past the goalie. I was beginning to think they'd go off to college before I'd see this day.
True, only two out of three triplets actually ate—or, should I (very proudly) say, devoured—the sweet potatoes.
I allowed them to spoon-feed themselves, which often results in successful eating. The Dude immediately dug in with gusto. Golden globs of yam covered his cheeks as he shoveled the stuff into his mouth with a seriousness of purpose.
Initially Zeke was more interested in playing with his spoon—something that my independent little guy now recognizes as something that "big boys" use. But the Z-man has a sweet tooth. I was convinced that if he got the tiniest taste he'd gobble them up. And after I shoved a spoonful in his mouth, he did. The result: orange war paint on the face.
Bitty, however, wouldn't bite. Considering the girl was the only one who ate turkey, I let it slide.
Truth be told, the sweet potatoes were laden with sugar. And covered with marshmallows. Not to mention laced with bourbon. But there's no denying that the base consisted of honest-to-goodness veggies.
I'll no longer tuck this recipe away until Thanksgiving. It's now part of the repertoire. I will tinker with it, decrease the sugar, and maybe even lose the marshmallows. With any luck, I'll spend less time after meals with Zeke's best friend, the Swiffer. And for that I'm particularly thankful.
Cousin Karan's Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:
5 large sweet potatoes (microwave until soft, or bake them)
¾ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
¾ cup milk
3 Tbsp bourbon (or more, to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup butter
mini marshmallows for topping
Preparation:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Scoop out insides of sweet potatoes into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl, except marshmallows. Beat until fluffy. Pour into prepared baking pan. Top with marshmallows.
Bake for 20 minutes.
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