Maple-Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping

4 lbs of yams (red-skinned sweet potatoes), peeled, cut into 1/4 inch rounds

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

8 Tbsp (1 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1/3 cup all purpose flour

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans (don’t chop it up too fine, you’ll lose the crunch)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Butter a 13x9x2 inch glass baking dish.*

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add yams.  Cook until water returns to a simmer, about 4 minutes.  Drain; rinse in cold water.

3. Arrange yams in baking dish, overlapping pieces.  Sprinkle with salt.  Pour maple syrup over yams.  Dot with 3 Tbsp of butter.**  Cover with aluminum foil and bake until yams are almost tender, about 25 minutes.

4. Mix flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Add remaining 5 Tbsp of butter.  Rub in with fingers until mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Mix in pecans.

5. Sprinkle pecan mixture over yams.  Bake yams until tender, about 20 minutes.

Serves 12

*  Buttering your baking dish in this instance means to let the butter melt in the dish while it is preheating.  You can also put the dish in once the oven has been heated.  Let the butter melt only for a minutes.  Then take the dish out and swirl the butter around in the dish to cover the bottom.  Be careful to not burn the butter.

**  How I ”dot” the butter is to divide the butter portion into smaller pieces and spread them over the the yams.

Recipe taken from Simply Recipes

EXTRA BONUS TIP: 

If you want this dish to be sweeter (I like the way I described above because the sweetness was just right) you can spread small marshmallow puffs over the yams after you pour the maple syrup in.  Then add the flour mix with the brown sugar and pecans.  This was suggested at the dinner table on Thanksgiving for people who have a bigger sweet tooth.

I set the alarm for 9AM this morning.   I tried to get as close to 8 hours of sleep as possible.  My arms are sore from carrying around all the grocery bags yesterday.  My back is definitely not feeling the rainbow because I lifted that bucket with the turkey and brine in it.  It’s all good though, because the day had started and I was ready to go.

I’m very happy and thankful for everything turning out so well.  Hmmm… except for one of the hors d’oeuvres.  The mini venison burgers.  I used pie crust as the burger buns and wanted the top bun to have a little color.  So in the last few minutes I turned the oven to broil and intended to only do it for 1 minute.  Did I get some color!  Of course I got busy with doing other things and burnt them.  I was very upset, but got over it. People just took of the top and ate the burger and the bottom bun.

Here are some pictures of the preparations and roasting of the turkey.

Some more pictures of me making the Maple-Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping.  Boy, they were a hit! Not too sweet but just right with a bit of a crunch.  Definitely going to make it again.  I’m going to give you the recipe in a later blog post along with all the others.

Finally, here are pictures of all of the dishes I prepared that day.  Check out the center piece!  I even made that myself.    I went with stuffing out of a box and it turned out perfect.  I kept things simple, adding nothing fancy to the stuffing.  I used canned green beans for my green bean casserole.  The hummus spread I used on the cucumber stacks were also store bought.    I decided that for the simpler dishes I used canned, prepackaged, and boxed ingredients.  Over the years I’ve learned to showcase my cooking skills in preparing dishes one cannot easily buy at the store and have it taste or look as exceptional as when it is homemade.  As for the rest, I’m not ashamed to take a short cut here or there.  Let’s be real! And yes, seldom do I burn food, but it happens.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! If you would like to share any of your stories please feel free to email them to me @ asamatteroffood@gmail.com.

Here we are the night before Thanksgiving day.  My turkey is thawed and I have my menu planned out.

The menu is as follows:

• Wolfgang Puck’s Brined Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy
• Traditional Mashed Potatoes (simply put – boiled potatoes, half and half, butter, and salt and pepper)
• Green Bean Casserole with French Onions
• Plain Green Beans
• Maple-Glazed Yams with Pecan Topping
• Cornbread Stuffing
• Turkey Stuffing
• Crispy Grilled Brussels Sprouts with Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing

I am going all out, as usual, and have added some yummy hors d’oeuvres to my menu.

Hors d’oeuvres on the menu:

• Mini Venison Burgers
• Bacon Deviled Eggs
• Tomato-Artichoke with Feta and Goat Cheese Bagel Chips
• Lil’ Polskas in a Blanket
• Petite Cucumber Sandwiches with Garlic N’ Chives Cheese Spread
• Red Pepper and Spicy Chipotle Hummus Cucumber Stacks

***  I will post recipes in a later post for those who are interested.

I am going to have 8 people for our formal sit-down dinner.  It sounds like I’ll be having a lot of food, but I thought that with the wide selection on the hors d’oeuvres I’ll be able to accommodate everyone’s pallette.  Plus I am expecting friends to trickle in after they have gone to their previous engagements and am sure they will want to snack as the night goes on.

Here are some pictures I want to share with you of the food preparations.

Prepping the Turkey

Cleaning the turkey:

Placing the turkey in brine:

Like most people, I don’t have a very big refrigerator.  All the space is needed and will be taken up by all the other foods I will prepare ahead of time tonight.  So I had to come up with a clever solution.  I bought a brand new bucket.  At first I counted on it being cold as it has been, however today it has been beautiful here.  The temperature has been in the 70′s.  So after some careful thinking I came up with this solution.  Lined my bucket with 3 new bags.  Poured the brine in.  I used a large glass bowl and my old pizza stone to weigh down the turkey then tied up the bags.  Next I lifted the entire bucket with its contents and placed it in a large storage tub.  (Since it wasn’t going to be that cold, I couldn’t let the bucket stand on its own.  I had to basically build my own cooler.)  I filled it with ice and let the turkey brine on my deck overnight.

I used 2 pots to make the brine and had to chill the bigger pot, using cold water and ice in the sink, to get it down to room temperature.  My house is smelling pretty “briney”.  It’s not a bad smell, just very strong.

Preparing the Beurre Manie:

• 2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces of flour until it forms a soft dough
• After adding the flour to the butter, first rub the flour into the butter
• Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a Beurre Manie (compound butter)

Apples and Onions with Sage and Rosemary Stuffing:

• 3 apples, quartered and cored
• 2 onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 rosemary sprigs
• 4 sage sprigs

Preparing Some Hors D’Oeuvres

Garlic N’ Chives Cheese Spread:

Bacon Deviled Eggs:

I started my day yesterday at 9:30AM.  I went out and bought all the ingredients and supplies needed.  Then I came home and started to prepare all of this.  I’m hoping tomorrow everything is going to go well and it’s just a matter of roasting the turkey and assembling the side dishes and the hors d’oeuvres.  I’m soooo tired and must go to bed now.  It’s 1:30AM on Thanksgiving!  Happy Thanksgiving!!!  For now….Good night! 

I bought a 19.06 lbs turkey from my local grocer, Giant Food.  It was for 49 cents a pound.  Not a bad deal.  I was contemplating on getting a fresh turkey this year as opposed to the frozen turkey I’ve always gotten in previous year.  I decided to go with the frozen turkey again.  I read an article from Reader’s Digest which said to buy frozen.  It says that according to Norma Ferrell, a consumer-education-specialist at the National Turkey Federation, there is no real difference between fresh or frozen turkeys.  There may be a chance that “fresh” turkeys can be days old by the time you get around to buying them – and can cost 50% more.  Therefore, I decided to save myself some money.

I started to thaw my frozen turkey this morning at 11AM.  I had two choices.  For an 18-20 lbs. turkey I can thaw it in my refrigerator for 2 – 3 days.  If your refigerator is anything like mine and you need all the space you can get, I’d suggest the second option.  I’m still going to have to house the thawed turkey in my refrigerator, but at least the space will be taken up for less time, leaving room for other things.  This is how I’m doing it.  Keeping your turkey in its orginal wrapping (making sure it is not punctured) submerse the turkey in a tub of cold water, breast side down.  Change the water every 30 minutes.  Thawing time is 30 minutes for every pound your turkey weighs.  I don’t have a deep kitchen sink, so what I do is every time I change the water I would change the side that would be on the bottom.

While the turkey is thawing, I can start prepping my dry ingredients and other things I’ll need to get done for the side dishes.  On to the next thing!

Meals don’t have to always be so complicated.  Especially when you’re a new mom and have just gotten back to work and trying to keep it all together.  My girlfriend sent me an email and chatted with me online today asking me to help kick her Chicken Alfredo with Pasta up a notch.

Here’s our conversation:

On 11/19/07, Lily of the Valley <xxxxxxx@gmail.com > wrote:

Dear Recipe Guru, 

I don’t have much time tonight, but I am defrosting some chicken breasts. I want to make a chicken alfredo, but have the chicken turn out a little more “tasty” and either marinated or friend to put on top of alfredo sauce and linguine. Any advice?  Lily of the Valley 

Instant Messenger Chat:  

me:  when do you need it ?  tonight?

LOTV: yes

me: for tonight?  okay let me see what I can do. you want a quick version or a detailed version i can do it a bunch of ways

LOTV: quick!  I’m a mom.  quick quick quick

me: okay so you don’t mind canned stuff right?

LOTV: no

me: you just want the chicken more tasty

LOTV: we have canned alfredo

me: gotcha=]

LOTV: i dont have time tonight to make it fresh and im tired

LOTV: it’s easy then

me:  I’ll get you something in a bit

LOTV:  k thanks

On 11/19/07, GotFood13 <GotFood13@gmail.com> wrote:

Dear Lily of the Valley, 

From our brief conversation I was able to gather that you’re not interested in a very involved recipe tonight.  So instead of giving you a recipe, I’m going to help you with kicking the taste of your chicken up a notch.   

Basically boil your pasta as you would usually.  You indicated that you were going to use canned alfredo sauce.  So I’d leave that up to you as far as which brand you like and which you’re going to use.  Start simmering the alfredo sauce in a sauce pan while you work on the chicken.

 The chicken: 

1. Cut your 1/2 lb of chicken breast in to bite size pieces.  (I’ll leave this up to your preferences)

2. Put cut chicken pieces in a mixing bowl.

3. Sprinkle some salt & pepper (2 – 3 small pinches of salt and 2 shakes of pepper)

4. If you have garlic powder sprinkle some on.

5. If you have Italian seasoning, add a dash.

6. Mix the chicken and ingredients.

7. Let sit for about 10 minutes.

8. Heat up a skillet on high heat and add a little bit of oil.

9. Once oil is hot put chicken in and spread out the pieces evenly.

10. Let chicken pieces sit for about a minute before turning.  This is for color and to sear the chicken.

11. Turn the chicken a few times.  Once all the chicken pieces have turned white from cooking, lower heat down to medium and cook for about 8 – 10 minutes or until chicken pieces are cooked.

12. Once chicken has been cooked remove from pan straining the oil.

13. Put chicken pieces into sauce pan with the alfredo sauce simmering and cook for another 10 minutes on low – medium heat.

14. Then serve over your pasta of choice.

I hope these quick tips helped!  Let me know when you leave a comment! GotFood13

On 11/19/07, Lily of the Valley <xxxxxxx@gmail.com> wrote:

Thanks Got Food! 

I’ll try it tonight! 

LOTV