Veggie Kitchen Wednesday

Ah, Thanksgiving. Considering I spend a lot of my time, especially here on my blog, counting my many blessings, Thanksgiving seems like every Thursday to me and like a natural reason for a holiday. I'm looking forward to all that good food tomorrow and am planning on eating myself silly, courtesy of my step-mother-in-law, one of the best Southern comfort food chefs around.

In honor of that and of my husband's birthday today, I present to you one of his favorite foods, a Thanksgiving tradition here in the deep South, and a dish I could eat every day if it weren't so darned bad for you.

Scarlethue's Momma's Sweet Potato Casserole
serves 4-10 (4 if you're like me and could eat this for a meal by itself. But it's usually more like 8-10 servings)

5 or so large sweet potatoes
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsps ground cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs, beaten
1 10 oz. bag mini marshmallows (vegetarian ones, as in no gelatin, usually in the organic section)
2 tablespoons orange juice (optional. some people like it and some don't. gives it a citrus kick)
1/4 to 1/2 cup milk (optional. this makes it creamier, like creamed potatoes instead of just mashed. I would do either the orange juice or milk, but not both)

Peel and cut up the sweet potatoes. Boil them until tender, then drain. Mash the potatoes until there are no lumps, then add the melted butter, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and orange juice or milk if you want those. Spread the potato mixture evenly in a casserole dish, and dump the marshmallows fairly evenly over the top (the more, the merrier). Bake at 350 degrees until the marshmallows are bubbly and just beginning to brown.

Some people do a maple pecan topping on their casserole, but I love the creamy sweetness of the potatoes with the gooey sweetness of the marshmallows. No crunch needed here.

This along with dressing, made with vegetable broth, brocolli rice casserole, creamed corn, cranberry sauce (from a can, got to have the ridges, and yes you can find this without gelatin too), and some buttery rolls make for one mean vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner. I never miss the (usually dry, coma-inducing) turkey.

Plus the chocolate pie and pumpkin pie and pecan pie (pronounced pe-CAHN, not PE-can, thank you and welcome to the South), and my husband's birthday red velvet cake for dessert?

I am ready to eat!