Well, yesterday was another busy day. Today is the departmental Thanksgiving luncheon, so on top of preparing for youth group, I was cooking.

So - here is what I did yesterday afternoon:

Sweet Potato Casserole.

4 sweet potatoes
1 egg
3 TB cream
2 TB brown sugar
1/8 t salt
3/4 t cinnamon
1/4 t nutmeg

Peel, cut up, and boil the sweet potatoes until tender. Drain and mash. Beat egg well, add cream, sugar, and seasonings. Beat into sweet potatoes.

Put in a buttered 9 inch square dish, top with streusel made with

1 1/2 TB butter
1/4 cup (or slightly more) flour
2 TB brown sugar

I also add pecan halves to the top.

Bake at 350 (325 if it's a glass dish) for 30 minutes.

I usually either double this or do one-and-a-half (using two eggs). Then I cook it in a 9 x 13 dish and it serves more people. The 9 inch pan size will make 6 big servings or 8 smaller ones; the 9 by 13 pan is generally just right for a side dish size serving for 14-16 people. (The number of people who will be eating in my department today).

You can substitute milk for the cream if you are concerned about fat but my attitude is that I eat this only a couple of times a year (and don't consume cream otherwise), so I go ahead and use cream. You can also use the lowfat evaporated milk, which is actually a better simulacrum of cream in a cooked dish (IMHO) than fresh milk is.

You can also prepare the casserole the night before (don't put the streusel on until right before you cook it) and keep it refrigerated overnight and cook it in the morning. That's what I did.

I like this casserole better than the typical marshmallow topped ones - it's not as sweet, and using "real" sweet potatoes (as opposed to canned) gives it a better flavor. (You can use canned, and I have, in a pinch, but it's not quite the same.)