THANKSGIVING RECIPE! - Smoky-Sweet Candied Yams

I prepared these subtly smoky and very sweet candied yams a day before Thanksgiving, mainly because they reheat incredibly well.  This way on Thanksgiving, you can be thankful for a lot less stress and a lot more time to relax and drink wine. You can also add more marshmallows to the top when reheating so that a new layer is golden and crisp on top of the original golden crispy layer.  It's very easy, very basic, and a must have on the Thanksgiving table!

~Ingredients~

40 oz can of yams, drained
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. J&D's Bacon Salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg, beaten
4 Tbsp. melted butter
1-16oz bag of mini marshmallows

 ~Directions~

1.  Preheat oven to 350.
2.  In a large bowl, mash the drained yams.

3.  Add brown sugar, salt, J&D's Bacon Salt, cinnamon, egg, and melted butter.  Mix well.

4.  Place half of the mixture into a 1 qt. baking dish.

5.  Cover with a layer of mini marshmallows.

6.  Add remaining mixture to the top of the marshmallows.

7.  Add another layer of marshmallows.

8.  Bake 30 minutes.
9.  Add remaining marshmallows and bake another 10 minutes until golden brown.

10.  ENJOY, AND HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!!

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What's For Dessert? - Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

I'm backtracking a little here by blogging past recipes, but this particular dessert was requested multiple times after its initial debut.  Obviously this pumpkin dessert is most popular during the fall, especially for those of you cheesecake lovers who still enjoy the cozy and nostalgic taste of pumpkin. Plus, at the age of 3 months, Piper really enjoyed experiencing all of the smooshy textures as I'm sure your infant will!  Enjoy!

~Ingredients~

2 (8 oz) packages of softened cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of cloves
pinch of nutmeg
whipped cream

~Instructions~

1.  Preheat oven to 325.
2.  In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until it's smooth. Blend in the eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of this batter and spread into the graham cracker crust and set aside.
3.  Let your child squish the pumpkin in his/her hands and taste it. Be ready for MESSYHANDS!

4.  Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter that's already in the crust.  Letting your baby stir is always fun....

 5.  Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until the center is done (test with a knife...if it comes out clean, it's done).

 6.  Refrigerate for 3 hours and top with whipped cream.

.....BEAUTIFUL!......

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