sides Archives - 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Speaking of classic Thanksgiving recipes, this is the classic baked sweet potatoes or yam casserole recipe. I know there are a lot of new moderns versions of this side, but I love this original marshmallow-covered one too much to give it up. When we were younger my mom made the mistake of trying to update the sweet potato recipe to a more modern version which was topped with candied walnuts or pecans. I am sure it would have been delicious, but my sisters and I threw such a fuss that she ended up having to put marshmallows on half.

What can I say? To me it wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without marshmallow-covered candied yams/ sweet potatoes or canned jelled cranberry sauce (sliced at the can ring lines…. Not mashed up!) I call this sweet potatoes, but really I use yams because they are cheaper. Preparing this dish is so easy, you will never use yams out of a can again!

Sweet Potato Casserole

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Ingredients

2-3 pounds of yams or sweet potatoes
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup butter, melted
2 tbsp. maple syrup
2-3 cups marshmallows

Instructions

Peel and cut sweet potatoes up into 1-1/2 inch pieces. Place in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook for about 10-12 minutes until sweets potatoes are tender.
Drain sweet potatoes
In a large bowl add cooked sweet potatoes, butter, maple syrup, and brown sugar. Mix together until combined and smooth.
Spread out sweet potatoes in casserole dish. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 375 degrees until sides are bubbling. Add marshmallows on the top during the last 5 minutes. To get the toasted marshmallow effect, turn broiler on for the last 2 minutes. Be careful because they can burn easily!
These yams can be made ahead, up until the baking step and then refrigerated or frozen. You will need to add extra time to the baking to make sure they heat thoroughly.

Oh dear, where have I been for the last few months? This is a great question! I have been busy moving… again! I didn’t move across the country again, just across the bay. I moved from the South Bay of San Francisco to the East Bay which equals a shorter commute for me and a larger kitchen! A win-win in my book. I have over 1-2 hours back in my life each day, which is beyond amazing. People who don’t commute in major cities probably wouldn’t understand the excitement of moving from a 2-hour commute each way to a little bit less than an hour each way, but it is life altering!

I can’t believe next week is Thanksgiving, but I also can’t believe it’s almost December! No fear the 2 sisters in 2 cities are here to help you with you last minute holiday meal planning.

One of my favorite sides for a holiday meal is homemade apple sauce. It is so easy to make and 1000 times better than store-bought apple sauce. Homemade apple sauce is like eating the inside of an apple pie- so delicious! You don’t have to use the most expensive apples to make apple sauce. You can use a variety of apples and they don’t need to be perfect.

What do you need?

A bunch of apples is a must! Get those apples that have been chilling in your fruit drawer for weeks.

Peel those apples… bruises are okay!

Slice the apples evenly (and meticulously stack your apples cores.)

Cook those apple slices with water until softened.

Mash the apples once softened.

Tada!

Apple Sauce

Author: 2 Sisters 2 Cities

Ingredients

8-10 apples
½ cup water
¼ –1/2 cup granulated sugar (to taste)
¼ tsp. cinnamon

Instructions

Peel all the apples. Cut apples into evenly sized slices. Throw your peels and cores in your compost pile.
Place sliced apples into a large pot. Add in water to pot and cook over medium heat. Put on cover and cook for 10-20 minutes until apples soften. Turn heat down if the apples start to boil.
Apples should be easily mashed with a fork or potato masher when cooked. Mash apples to preferred thickness.
Add in sugar, to taste, and cinnamon. Stir and cook for a few more minutes. Serve warm or cold and store in an air tight container in the refrigerator.