Colcannon [Sweet] Potatoes

Both Hali and Mom have been telling me about colcannon potatoes. How is the world have I never heard of this recipe? My image of myself as the cabbage queen is now completely dashed and I am scrambling for new cabbage-licious recipes.

Since I had 3 pounds of sweet potatoes that have been looking at me I used them instead of regular potatoes. It is absolutely F.A.N.T.A.S.T.I.C. The best thing about it is that it is a simple, earthy, delicious, wholesome meal.

Colcannon Potatoes

3 lbs potatoes or sweet potatoes, cubed and steamed or boiled

1/2 head cabbage, finely chopped

4 strips bacon

Cook the bacon and crumble it on a large frying pan. Throw in the cabbage and cook the cabbage until it wilts. Toss it together.

Mash the potatoes in a ricer or with a potato masher. Throw in some milk, butter, salt, and pepper. Put the potatoes into the cabbage and mix it together.

Enjoy the simple life while savoring this delightful meal.

Sweet Potato Pecan Balls

Sweet potatoes. Was there ever a more perfect food? Aldi's has run out of bags, which were $1.50 for 3 pounds, so I am stuck with buying them at Rainbow. Even at twice the price, this makes a cheap dessert.

They are also really easy. I know the directions are a bit long, but the whole process takes less than 10 minutes, half of which is nuking the tater. Another great thing about them is that I get to use my Silpat mats, which Santa brought and have been woefully under utilized.

Hey - where did that 9th ball come from? Either it is a really big rascal or else I can't count . . .


Sweet Potato Pecan Balls
1 medium sweet potato - scrubbed
2 T butter
8 pecan halves, chopped (about 2 T)
up to 1 T sugar or honey (I didn't use any)
1 t ground cinnamon
salt to taste

Preheat the broiler. Wrap the potato in a paper towel and microwave at full power for 5 minutes, until soft to the touch. Slice open and scoop out the pulp with a spoon.While still hot, mix in the butter. Add the pecans, sugar, and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly and form into 8 balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter.

Place on a baking sheet and put it about 4 inches under the broiler. Broil until slightly crusty, 2-3 minutes. Turn the balls over and broil for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with salt and serve.

Sweet Potato Fries with Ginger-Peanut Sauce

Kevin walked up behind me while I chopped the sweet potatoes, wrapped his arms around me in a full, tender hug, and whispered in my ear, "Sweet potatoes are gross." So I get to eat all of them. This recipe is more work, and many, many more dishes to wash. But the fries turned out pretty darn good.

I had to look up "parboil." Why can't they just say "partially cook" if that is what they mean? Sheesh....it has to be so confusing. Also, I like sweet potatoes dipped in frosting mixed with cinnamon better than the peanut ginger.


Sweet Potato Fries
4 sweet potato fries (about 2 pounds)
1 t sea salt
1 T olive oil

Cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch fries. Put them into 3 quarts cold water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot over high heat. Parboil (cook partially) uncovered for 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and pat dry with a clean dish towel.

Toss the potatoes in a large bowl with 1 T olive oil. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 50 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes to ensure even browning, until tender.

Ginger-Peanut Dipping Sauce
1 t ground ginger (or 1 T minced fresh ginger)
1/2 c peanuts
1/2 c apple juice
1 t sugar
1/8 t cayenne
1/4 t salt

Blend until creamy.

Sweet Potato Fries (or Steak Fries) and Pumpkin Parfaits

Thanksgiving has come and gone, and I was worried that I missed the chance to try some pumpkin recipes. So I asked Kevin if it pumpkin season was over. He told me it was OK to eat pumpkin any time of the year. Even on Valentine's day. And I listened to him for a couple of reasons.

1) He is extra smart and I like to listen to everything he says.

2) He gave me the answer I wanted to hear.

So we are going to keep eating "fall" foods until either Kevin demands that we give them up until next year, or else I get tired of them.

If you don't like sweet potatoes go ahead and use regular potatoes. Nobody will think any less of you for it. It is fun to leave the skin on and cut them into wedges. Kevin tried these fries two times, just to see if he would like them better the second time. Both times he gagged and made a face similar to if he just found a giant cockroach in his sandwich. I like them with shredded cheese melted on top or else dipped in ranch.

Sweet Potato Fries or Steak Fries

4 large potatoes

2 T oil

1 t paprika

1/2 t cumin

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Mix the oil and seasonings in a large bowl. Cut the potatoes in quarters and then lengthwise again. If you are using sweet potatoes, I like to cut them a little bit smaller.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Broil for another minute or two to make the fries a little crispier.

Pumpkin Pie or Parfait

1 can pumpkin

1 1/2 C milk (any kind - I used skim)

2 eggs

1/2 C maple syrup (or granulated sugar)

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1/2 t ginger

1/4 t cloves

Mix everything together and either pour into a pie shell or into a baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until somewhat firm. This is not as thick as most pumpkin pies since it uses milk instead of evaporated milk.

If you are making a parfait, let the pumpkin mixture cool, blend it with a hand blender, then layer whipped cream with the pumpkin in an ice cream glass.

Sweet Potato and Chocolate Pumpkin Pie With Marla

Marla is fabulous. She is easy going, and she doesn't care if we cook all evening only to have the food end up yucky. She would just feed me a Fiber One Pop Tart (with a reminder on why you should eat them in moderation) and call it a successful evening.

For this particular get together, she had found a recipe for Sweet Potato Pie. The same blog contained a recipe for Chocolate Pumpkin Pie. So off we went on our adventure, with the firm desire to produce something edible at the end of the night.

Here is Marla with her apron, looking particularly stunning. I have no idea how she kisses, but she is a fantastic cook, so ya better watch out if you are trying to take her on a date. She's a fire cracker. Really, I have no idea what that means, it just sounds wild and crazy.

The pies are finally in the oven.

Where they cooked and cooked and cooked, until Marla couldn't wait any longer. She left for her church meeting, and I stayed at her house until they were done. Then until I was finished taking pictures and eating my pieces. All alone in her house. With nobody to supervise me. And then.......well, nevermind. I won't talk about that here.

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 - 15-oz. can pumpkin puree (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice)

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp freshly ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup milk (low fat is fine)

1 pie crust (graham cracker or pastry)
In a large bowl, beat eggs with a whisk until slightly foamy, about 1 minute. Whisk in all the remaining ingredients, except the milk, and beat until smooth. Then gently whisk in the milk. Pour the pumpkin pie filling into the crust and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes, until pumpkin filling is set.Cool completely in the pan before slicing and serving.

Sweet Potato Pie

cup cooked, pureed sweet potato

1 cup buttermilk

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

2 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 cup brown sugar

3 large eggs

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 graham cracker pie crust
Preheat oven to 350F. Press sweet potato puree through a wire strainer to make it as smooth as possible, adding a tablespoon or two of water if you are working with leftover potatoes to make them a bit more pliable.In the bowl of a food processor, combine all ingredients except the flour, and whiz until smooth. Add in flour and pulse the food processor a few times until it is fully incorporated.Pour filling into pie crust. Place the pie crust on a baking sheet and place baking sheet on the middle rack of a preheated oven. Bake for 50-55 minutes, until pie is set and jiggles only very slightly when the pan is bumped.