Sweet Potato Casserole

Thanksgiving is like vacation.  I look forward to it for months, anticipate it, can't wait for it to get here.

On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I get sad because Thanksgiving is already almost over.  Can't help it.

But I wasn't sad while I ate Thanksgiving dinner with my family.  All four times that I ate it.  Love everything about it.  But these sweet potatoes - courtesy of my great-grandmother - are very special to me.

As special as sweet potatoes can be, I guess.  Which in this case is pretty special.

Don't even think about using canned sweet potatoes.  That's just wrong, people.

I even asked for my mom to make these for my birthday thirteenth birthday.  My birthday is in March.  And my mom was a really good sport about it and made me a whole sweet potato casserole for my birthday.

Can't wait to see how my children pay me back someday.

Be sure to have your toddler mix up the topping for you.

Oh, and the reason that these sweet potatoes are so good?  Easy.  The same reason that dessert is good.  Butter and sugar.

Sweet Potato Casserole
Recipe by Mary Kilpatrick Stephenson

3 cups cooked & mashed sweet potatoes (this is 3-4 sweet potatoes, boiled with the skin on until tender, peeled and mashed)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 stick butter, melted
2 eggs

Topping:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 stick (4 T) butter, melted

Mix together the mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, vanilla and butter.  Slowly add the eggs and stir quickly to keep the eggs from becoming scrambled.  Pour into a greased souffle dish (you want a deeper dish rather than a 9x13).  Mix together the topping until it is crumbly and sprinkle it on top.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, until bubbly.