In order from left to right, we have: 1)Me mashing my sweet potato/russet potato combination. 2)The mashed potatoes after being warmed in the oven along side the cornbread dressing. 3)My mother's cornbread dressing complete with cream of celery soup and veggie meat called Fri-chik. 4)Dilled green beans from "Moosewood Cooks at Home". 5) My grandmothers favorite: Candle Salad, which does not replace a mixed green salad, number 6 (provided by our guests, the Greens).
The idea for the mashed potatoes came from The 5-ingredient Vegetarian Gourmet. However, as I have posted before, I love Food Network's recipe "Johnny's Famous Garlic Mashed Potatoes" and enjoy adding fresh rosemary from our herb garden to it. So, after little discussion, my mother-in-law, Kathleen, and I decided it would be a fabulous idea. I made the recipe with some 25 cents per pound sweet potatoes Walmart had on sale before Thanksgiving. I had peeled and diced them and left them in the freezer until we were ready. I boiled the potatoes together, and the cool thing was that no matter how much I stirred the potatoes, the sweet orange ones always floated to the top. I'm proud of this new discovery because sweet potatoes are certainly healthier than white potatoes. Moreover, the color is different, sparking discussion, but the taste is the same so to not turn away anybody.
The dressing is my mother's baby, and is very popular. It is an all-day-affair just like her gumbo. She has been known to make it a day or two in advance. When I was a kid, any leftovers from Thanksgiving would be frozen and reused at Christmas. The same went from Christmas to New Year's.
The green bean recipe was a success. With the Italian crushed red pepper from Italy, compliments of Paul's sister, Elizabeth, and her husband, the beans were wonderfully spicy. Unfortunately, I thought there just might have been too much honey. Our honey is purchased locally from a 40+-year-old company. The owners happen to be friends of my parents as well as of Paul's parents. The honey is fabulous, I think I would just not add the full amount in the future. I also only had white balsamic and substituted it for the cider vinegar. I had no complaints about it.
The candle salad is a half of a banana stood up in the hole of a canned sliced pineapple. With a toothpick, a cherry (more often maraschino) is stuck to the top. Lettuce, mayonnaise and yellow cheese are a garnish. In this case, my mom offered unsweetened shaved coconut for a vegan alternative. I hope I made my grandmother proud.
I always recommend a plain salad at a meal. If nothing else appeals to a guest, a salad will. In addition, it's always an extra serving of the recommended 5-a-day.
There are no pictures of dessert. Apparently, my photographer wass in too big of a hurry to eat. Smile. But it is so simple to describe and to make. I defrosted another full package of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets, broke each sheet at its seam and then cut each third into thirds again. This gave me 18 small sheets to push down in a muffin tin. They baked and when were removed, we put homemade applesauce, cinnamon, and ice cream or yogurt on top. It created a nice stack. This is a great alternative to apple pies, which sometimes have too hard of a crust for individuals. These crusts are soft and flaky like croissants.
Any leftovers? Yes, there were leftovers. They were served for lunch today.
