This Recipe Approved By The Cruise Aunts

I am happy to report that The Petrees are doing much better today. In fact, Jason was out of bed before me this morning. That's not to say that he was feeling 100%, it just means he's not a big baby like me. If I'm sick, I'm going to work that pity party for days. Jason goes out and rakes our entire front yard. See the difference?

We have determined that we are going to spend Thanksgiving on our own this year. Which is fine. Not ideal, but fine. I told Abby this afternoon, as long as I know ahead of time, I can set that picture in my mind and just roll with it. At the very least this means the TV is mine!all mine! for the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Jason braved the Super Walmart crowds tonight for a grocery run and we have all the fixin's for a traditional Thanksgiving supper. Except the turkey. If the two of us managed to finish off even a small turkey, the tryptophan coma that would follow....my word.

So Jason will handle the roast chicken, mashed potatoes and stuffing. I'm going to try Pioneer Woman's Dinner Rolls instead of leaving it to Sister Schubert this year. For me, it's not Thanksgiving (or Christmas, for that matter) if I don't make the Cruise Family recipe for Sweet Potato Casserole. As a kid, this was the one dish on Grandmother's buffet for which I needed no convincing to take a helping. Ok, so I was usually the grandkid that finished it off. What can I say? The love of all things sweet is a genetic thing in our family.

Back in my Trinity days, my students would develop a menu for our Thanksgiving party. That first year, I carefully manuevered the Sweet Potato Casserole into the line-up and I might have rigged the class voting so that it made the final cut. For the four years after that I simply pulled rank and told the kids as Queen of the Classroom this dish was a given. Trust me, after that first bite I never heard a complaint. Seriously. Fourth graders willingly eating sweet potatoes. It's a beautiful thing.

The Cruise Family Sweet Potato Casserole

Mix together the following ingredients and pour into a baking dish:

• 3 cups sweet potatoes/yams (I used the canned kind, Aunt Melba swears that you have to use fresh ones. I'll leave it up to you.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 stick margarine - softened
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine the following ingredients and sprinkle on top of the sweet potato mixture:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup self-rising flour
• 1/2 stick margarine - melted

Bake at 300 degrees for 35 minutes. This can easily be made the night before if you're wanting to simplify your life. Prepare everything as directed but store the topping in a ziploc bag. Refrigerate both parts and put together the next day. Voila! Easy, southern and so dang tasty...