black friday

Dear Kristin,
While some people wait anxiously for black friday to see what kinds of bargains can be had at the mall, I wait anxiously for black friday for an entirely different reason...leftovers! Is there anything better than a hot turkey sandwich with lots of gravy, stuffing on the side, and a sweet piece of pie for dessert? Well, okay, maybe it's not a gourmand's idea of culinary bliss, but it comes pretty close for me.

Our Thanksgiving was pretty traditional, turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, and vegetables and, of course, pie. Back when your grandparents and aunt would share our Thanksgiving table, I would always make at least two or three pies - there would always be pumpkin and either mincemeat or apple. This year, since I was only cooking for two, I really couldn't justify making two pies. (Hmm...a pie a piece? Maybe that's not such a bad idea!) Well, I really should clarify - I did make two pies - just not at the same time. We had mincemeat pie with our Thanksgiving dinner, but that was only because I've already made two pumpkin pies this year.

This pumpkin pie recipe comes from my mom. While we all know that my mom was not the greatest cook, she did make a wonderful pumpkin pie. This pie is lighter than most I've had - almost, but not quite mousse-like rather than heavier like custard. Topped with a generous dollop of whipped cream, it makes a fine ending to one of the best meals of the year. Oh - and if you can keep pie pilferers out of the refrigerator, it keeps really well, making for great leftovers!

pumpkin pie

1 unbaked 9" pie crust
1 1/2 c. cooked or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 c. white corn syrup
2 eggs
1/2 c. evaporated milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/2 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tblsp. pumpkin pie spice

• Preheat oven to 425 F.
• Heat butter and milk together just until butter melts.
• In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, corn syrup, eggs and evaporated milk.
• Add brown sugar, salt and pumpkin pie spice to pumpkin mixture. Stir well.
• Add milk/butter mixture to pumpkin/brown sugar mixture and stir well, making sure mixture is smooth.
• Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
• Bake at 425 F. for 15 minutes.
• Reduce oven to 350 F. and continue baking 35 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. (Pie may still jiggle a little, but if the knife is clean, the pie is done)

nature vs. nurture?

Dear Snookie,

Really? Jersey Shore? After your father and I strove our hardest to instill in you an appreciation for the finer things in life? Where did we go wrong? Maybe we didn't start early enough. Maybe we should have held a tv up to my stomach while I was carrying you and played endless reruns of Masterpiece Theatre. Would that have helped? Maybe not.

Maybe some things are best left in their natural state, allowed to be themselves, however unrefined as that might be. Take the lowly sweet potato. (Now, don't get all defensive - I'm not comparing you to a sweet potato.) Let's face it. Sweet potatoes aren't very elegant in their natural state. Cooks have been trying to fancify them for decades. Every November, all of the cooking magazines and blogs seem to have at least one recipe for the ubiquitous sweet potato casserole. You know the one. Sweet potatoes are cooked, whipped to a frenzy, insulted with the addition of additional sugars or orange juice, and then, just when you think they have been degraded beyond any point of redemption, they are put in a dish surrounded by marshmallows! This is kind of like putting a pink tutu on a bull mastiff. It just shouldn't be done.

I would rather let the tormented tuber shine on its own. That's why you will never find sweet potato casserole on my Thanksgiving table. I prefer a simpler, kinder treatment; just boil them, then slice and fry them in butter. The sugars in the potato caramelize on the outside, resulting in sweet buttery disks of delight.

Preparing sweet potatoes this way is simple, but a little tedious. The potatoes can be boiled early in the day, then peeled and fried just before serving. They have to be watched carefully as they are frying, because they will burn easily. The goal here is to fry them just until they start to develop a dark crust, and then remove them from the heat.

Well, I will sign off for now - your dad and I are going to sit down and watch reruns of The Beverly Hillbillies.

fried sweet potatoes

4 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 stick butter (add more as necessary)

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
2. Add washed sweet potatoes to the boiling water, and boil until fork-tender. This will take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the potatoes.
3. Remove potatoes from water and cool until they are easy to handle.
4. Peel potatoes, and slice 1/4" to 1/2" thick. (make sure all slices are the same thickness so that they will cook evenly)
5. Melt butter in a large skillet.
6. Add potatoes to skillet and fry over medium heat. Do not overcrowd the pan. When they start to brown, flip them over and fry on the other side. Watch them carefully as they fry to avoid burning them.  (Fry them in batches if necessary, removing them to a warmed serving platter when done.)