To the tooth - #MFRWAuthor 52-week blog challenge

Seeing that this is the holiday season, what's more natural than to share favorite holiday dishes? I remember my mother making Christmas cookies with a cookie press and decorating them with sprinkle of colored sugar. She also made divinity, a candy based on egg whites. I can't remember the taste of those. Other than that, my family has no traditional holiday favorites; however, I have two, one of which is supposedly too simple for words and which I never make. The other comes from my sister-in-law, Deva, who believes in the wonders of butter and heavy cream.

The first holiday delicacy that I only get at potluck dinners hosted by my mother-in-law is deviled eggs. Yes, she told me the recipe once, but I don't remember it. I have never made them--and likely never will. The temptation to gobble down a dozen eggs is too strong. Best to enjoy them as holiday treats.

The second holiday delicacy is sweet potato casserole. I've had such casseroles that were disgustingly sweet, heavy (lead in the belly), and slimy. My sister-in-law's recipe comes from the mountains of North Carolina and is the only way that I'll eat pecans. Here it is:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Ingredients:

• 4-1/2 lbs. sweet potatoes
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 2 cups mini marshmallows (optional)

Topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup pecans, chopped
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 6 Tbsp. butter, melted

Bake the sweet potatoes at 400 degrees F for about an hour or until tender. Let cool to the touch, peel, and mash. Beat mashed sweet potatoes with sugar, milk, butter, vanilla extract, and salt in mixer until smooth. Spoon mixture into a greased 9 X 13 inch baking dish.

Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over top of the sweet potato mixture. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes. For additional sweetness, sprinkle the mini marshmallows over the casserole and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until marshmallows are golden.

I prefer to leave off the marshmallows, as the casserole is plenty sweet enough. This casserole is surprisingly light and fluffy, utterly delicious even with pecans.

What's your favorite holiday dish?

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