Welcome to my little space in the virtual world that consists of all things that make me happy.

Monday, December 19, 2011

Winter Festivities

The temperatures have finally dropped and winter is finally here! Christmas is next week and the year is coming to an end....so is deer season. Ben and I both got lucky this week. Now we have a freezer full!



This week I also got to see my best friend Miranda graduate from Appalachian State University...something she never believed she could do (but I did!) It just proves you can do anything you put your mind to. I went to Boone this past weekend for the commencement and I froze my tail off but I couldn't have been more proud. I am so glad I could be there on her special day. She will go so far!




This time of year is so busy, sometimes it's hard to find the time to stop and think about all the wonderful things we have in life. I've really counted my blessings hard this week, life is good!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Mini Sweet Potato Pies with Brown Sugar Pecan Topping


Tis the season for holiday parties! I was asked to make some mini sweet potato pies for our annual training conference dinner at work. Mini pies??? Just like regular pies....only cuter. I got the mini pie shells in the frozen foods section at Harris Teeter, the only place I know of that has them. Our department head comes from a sweet potato family farm, so home grown Johnston County sweet potatoes made these sweet treats. The pecans are optional, but make it so much better!


Sweet Potato Pies with Brown Sugar Pecan Topping
Ingredients for pie:
1 frozen pie crust or about 12 mini pie crusts
1 big or 2 medium sized sweet potatoes
2 eggs
1/3 c brown sugar
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tbsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
3/4 c heavy cream
For pecan topping:
1 to 1 1/2 c chopped pecans
1/2 c brown sugar
3 tbsp butter

Boil sweet potatoes until tender then peel and cream with a mixer. Add remaining ingredients for pie and pour into crusts. For the mini pies bake on 375 degrees about 20 minutes, for regular pie crusts bake about 45 to 50 minutes. Once the pies are baked, let cool for at least one hour or put in the fridge.
For the topping, melt butter over stove then add brown sugar. Cook about 3 minutes or until caramelized. Mix in pecans and let sit for 1 minute, then spread over the top of the cooled pies.



Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Apple Bundt Cake with Cream Cheese Filling and Praline Drizzle


Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! I definately did. I ate WAY too much, but at my Nannie's house, thats a given. I took this cake on Thanksgiving to add to her multiple desserts (the best part!) I got the recipe from the Southern Living September 2011 issue. This cake was on the cover! I used gala apples which made it wonderful, although I think I put too much because it turned out a lot denser than I had hoped. The praline drizzle was by far the best and can't wait to use it on other cakes.



Happy Holidays :D