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In honor of Thanksgiving, I wanted to share the dish I most look forward to – my mom’s Praline Sweet Potato Casserole.   It basically is a dessert, disguised as a side dish, and isn’t that what holiday eating is all about!?

Potato Mixture:

• 4 cups of mashed sweet potatoes (I actually use yams)
• 3 Tablespoons melted butter
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup of light cream or orange juice
• 2 teaspoons of brandy extract
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon grated orange peel
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Praline Topping:

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1e teaspoon cinnamon

1. Combine all potato mixture ingredients.
2. Spread in a 2 quart baking dish.
3. Combine all praline topping ingredients in a separate bowl.
4. Spread praline topping over potato.
5. Bake at 350* for 30 minutes.

So if you are looking for a dish to bring to your thanksgiving festivities, look no further – THIS IS IT.

Sometimes I get a little over zealous on my produce shopping and am left with tons of left over veggies at the end of the week. My latest solution!? Chips!

While this obviously works well with all kinda of potatoes (russet, sweet, purple, etc.) – I love experimenting with other types of baked chips. My latest favorite? Beet.

I used some leftover golden beets, and while they were a little on the small size, the flavor made up for it in a big way.  Here is my easy recipe for baked beet chips:

• Beets
• Olive Oil
• Maldon Sea Salt

1. Use a mandolin to slice beets to 1/16 inch thickness (or thinness I guess I should say)
2. Toss with a thin layer of olive oil (about 2 tablespoons for 2 large beets)
3. Disperse on 1 or 2 baking sheets (make sure to leave room between each “chip”) and sprinkle with salt.
4. If using a rimmed baking sheet, top with another rimmed baking sheet (or if your kitchen doesn’t have a ton to choose from – like mine, top a rimless baking sheet with a rimmed one). The goal is to have the beets be flattened initially, so they don’t curl up.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until the edges start to dry out.
6. Remove top baking sheet and rotate beet covered baking sheet 180 degrees.
7. Bake 10-20 minutes more.
8. Transfer to a wire rack and they will become crunchy as they cool.
9. Enjoy!

*Note: Wrap baking sheets in foil to cut down on clean up time!