A Thanksgiving Favorite

Favorite recipes are an often overlooked part of family history. Below is a recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole – an American favorite we adopted in our family for Thanksgiving courtesy of my Aunt Helen. I have made this dish to serve on my Thanksgiving table tomorrow. This recipe can be found (along with many others) in my book Baba’s Kitchen: Slovak & Rusyn Family Recipes and Traditions (Gateway Press). For more information about this book, click on the Baba’s Kitchen Web Site.

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 c. mashed cooked sweet potatoes or yams
1 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
⅓ c. milk*
½ c. butter or margarine
1 c. firmly packed brown sugar
⅓ c. butter or margarine
1-¼ c. flour
1 c. finely chopped pecans

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, vanilla, milk and ½ c. butter. Beat with electric mixer until smooth. Spoon into greased (butter) 2 qt. shallow casserole dish. Combine brown sugar, flour, ⅓ c. butter and pecans. Sprinkle over top of sweet potato mixture and bake at 350 °F for 30 minutes.

*NOTE: Orange juice may be substituted for milk
(it gives a nice flavor).