Sweet Potato (or Yam) Casserole

Happy Thanksgiving!! I am a little late with this post, but had to get this awesome recipe up. Yams/Sweet Potato dishes are pretty much my favorite dish at Thanksgiving. This year, I wanted to make a recipe my friend Amber gave me. She made this at our last Christmas party and it was delicious. I definitely recommend this dish, I made a couple minor changes to quantity so I could serve the crowd I was feeding, but the idea is the same.  I will be making it again for our Christmas Eve dinner with Stephen's family :)

5-6 cups mashed sweet potatoes or yams (I prefer the orange color)

3/4 cup milk

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

3 eggs

1 stick of butter, cut into small pieces

Topping:

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour (I used AP gluten free)

1/2 cup butter

2 cups pecans, chopped roughly

Directions:

• Peel and boil sweet potatoes. 
• Once drained, mash sweet potatoes and add all of the top ingredients and mix until smooth and creamy.
• Put in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. 
• Melt the butter for the topping and mix all of the topping ingredients together and put over the top of the sweet potatoes. 
• Cover with foil and bake for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees. 
• Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes until everything is bubbling. 
• Serve up next to your favorite main dish!

Pumpkin Gingerbread Trifle

This has become a Thanksgiving staple for Stephen and I. I have made it every year for the past 5 years! This recipe is great when you first make it, but it is one of the few desserts that just gets better as it sits in the fridge. Love it the day after with leftovers :)  Happy Thanksgiving!

1 box Gingerbread cake mix

1 box instant vanilla pudding mix

1 can pure pumpkin

2 containers cool whip

2 tablespoons cinnamon

2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup brown sugar

Directions:

• Make the Gingerbread cake according to the box. Set aside and let cool completely
• Make the vanilla pudding as directed and put in fridge to cool for 5-10 minutes.
• Mix 3/4 can of pumkin, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together
• Cut the cake into small chunks and add to the bottom of a big trifle bowl.
• Then layer the pudding mix on the gingerbread
• Then layer the cool whip... repeat all layers 1 more time
• Refrigerate overnight
• Serve :)