What a relief!

I put off this blog post for too long. I kept meaning to update things but sometimes a break away from the computer is nice... I have had a lot of things going on lately and it's been good to just sit back and relax once they were done.

...So what's happened? (As if anyone is truly anticipating my update :)

Well I'll just share the two most exciting things:

I graduated college! Finally, after 5 long years.

And secondly, I got all of the fraud charges taken care of with my cell phone company!  This is huge. I mean, I've been dealing with it every week since Halloween and quite honestly, I thought I was getting the run around. 

The grand total: $ 952.00

And it was all credited back to my account.  We are talking ringtones and games here. That a 16-year-old girl downloaded in 36 hours... Isn't that just ridiculous? 

I had my doubts, but it all worked out. Thank you God!

So I got a new phone (feeling that my old one had been violated, haha) and spent a great Thanksgiving holiday with family and friends stress free.

I'm going to share a recipe I made for Thanksgiving.  It's a favorite of both my mom and I, and we like it at Christmas too... Sweet Potato Casserole.

 (By the way, if you aren't sure about sweet potatoes, just give this a try, it's almost like a dessert it's so delicious!)

But really, how can you not like sweet potatoes? mmm!

And no, unfortunately I did not take these photos.. I borrowed them from Cooking Light.

What's a post without a couple of pictures?

Anyway, here is the yummy recipe:

Enjoy and I will be back soon!

Sweet Potato Casserole

FOR THE SWEET POTATOES

2 pounds sweet potatoes
Salt to taste
Vegetable oil spray, for the baking dish
1 cup granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup milk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

FOR THE PECAN CRUNCH TOPPING

¾ to 1 cup chopped pecans
¾ packed cup light brown sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Prepare the sweet potatoes: Peel and quarter the sweet potatoes. Place them in a saucepan, add cold water to cover and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat, cover the pan, and let simmer until the potatoes are tender, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain the potatoes, then mash them with a potato masher.

2. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly mist a 13 by 9-inch glass or ceramic baking dish with vegetable oil spray and set the dish aside.

3. Place the mashed sweet potatoes, granulated sugar, 8 tablespoons of melted butter, milk, eggs, vanilla, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on medium-low speed until just combined, about 2 minutes. Spoon the sweet potato mixture into the prepared baking dish and smooth the top with a spoon or spatula.

4. Make the pecan crunch topping: Place the pecans, brown sugar, flour, and 3 tablespoons of melted butter in a small bowl and stir with a fork to combine. Scatter the pecan mixture evenly over the top of the sweet potatoes.

5. Bake the sweet potatoes until the pecan topping begins to brown and the potatoes are bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes.