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Mary

Sweet Potato Puree

The Challenge

This week’s challenge included 2 recipes: Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes and this one, Sweet Potato Puree, which you can find here or on page 178 of Foolproof.

Mary’s Take:

What a gorgeous fall weekend we had! [Lea: Word.] Temps were in the 70s and the trees are heading toward peak color. I was scheduled to take a trip to Cancún with our Texas friends for a (socially responsible) long weekend, but, alas, Hurricane Delta foiled those plans. Good news, though, one of the couples decided to replace Cancún with Cleveland (which, duh, is like the same thing) [Lea:Yeah, no, it's not.] and flew up for a visit. We did all the Autumn-in-Ohio things: apple picking, corn maze (wine included!), and football. It was a super-nice(ish) alternative to sun, sand, and beach. [Lea: Again, disagree, but I agree it was a fun fall weekend.]

Honestly, there’s no comparison, but we made the best of it anyway.

And since I was not expecting to be around this weekend, I made the Sweet Potato Puree early in the week to go with leftover turkey (thanks, Dean and Meaghan!).

Has anyone tried the Imperfect Foods delivery subscription? They offer foods and produce that don’t typically meet grocery store standards for size and shape. [Lea: Good grief, who thought that was a good business plan? Hey, let's sell the crap no one wants!] I was really hoping to get a carrot that looked like this:

(A photo of "twisted carrot love" from the Ugly Fruit and Veg Instagram.)


But, instead, I received crabapple-sized apples and teeny sweet potatoes. While cute, small potatoes are dangerous. Too easy to peel my knuckles instead. I canceled my subscription after 2 deliveries. I’ll keep enjoying my grocery store standard-sized and -shaped fruits, thankyouverymuch..

I did something for the first time with this recipe: steamed the sweet potatoes. They cooked surprisingly quickly and made this a super simple side dish. [Lea: WHAT?! No way this recipe was quick and easy. Oh, am I getting ahead of myself? Carry on.]

I’ve told you about my love for my food processor…now it’s time to hear about my KitchenAid standing mixer. It’s a bright and cheery yellow and I’ve decorated it with vinyl in a pretty trellis pattern.

It makes me happy to look at. I don’t bake a lot (sweets aren’t my favorite), but I use it a ton: for bread kneading, for mashed potatoes, or for whipping cream. I’ve had it since our wedding, almost 20 years. I hear of people having one and never using it. [Lea: Surprisingly, she can't be talking about me. We use ours once a year when we bake cookies.] They’re crazy. A hand mixer just isn’t the same.

Look how nicely that butter incorporates!


Lea's Take:

Well, this recipe was a big fat fail for me.


The end.


Juuuuuuust kidding! (Not about the fail, about the end of my story.)


So, it was another busy week at my house. The new fridge (which, by the way, is supposed to be fingerprint-less, but guess what? My family finds ways to put fingerprints on anything.) was delivered on Tuesday. Josh went to the grocery store for the week on Tuesday night [Mary: She doesn't learn.] and I didn't want to ask him to buy the groceries for this week's recipes. He had already done enough for us that day. Plus, I figured I had plenty of time to go later in the week. But guess what (again)? I didn't.


I am proud of myself for, yet again, not giving in to temptation and quitting. Although it's technically a new week, I made BOTH recipes on Monday.


(Thank you, thank you!)


I made the cupcakes first because I wanted them for dessert (obvs). I should've quit while I was ahead. I had already used (and washed) every bowl and utensil in my kitchen to make the cupcakes, I had to use (and wash) again for the sweet potatoes. I was exhausted.


To add to that, this recipe called for a steamer insert for their pot. Guess who doesn't have a steamer insert for their pot? If you said me, you're right! And guess what Josh is getting for his birthday/Christmas? Right again! [Mary: Thanks for the idea! I'm on it!]


Our friend was over for a quick visit and although he did a Google search to find a kitchen hack for a steamer insert, we were out of luck. So, I threw my cut-up sweet potatoes into a hand-held colander, which fit on top of our pot. While I thought they would steam just fine... they. did. not. [Mary: Hunh. You did you put a lid on top, right?] [Lea: I did!]

The Results:


Mary: The problem, for me, with a lot of holiday sweet potatoes is that they’re made even sweeter with marshmallows or brown sugar. This recipe calls for a bit of orange juice and zest, which is an interesting and surprisingly fresh flavor. I’ll choose them this Thanksgiving (are we even having Thanksgiving this year??) over a more traditional sweet potato casserole.

The recipe says it serves 6, but I’d say it easily serves 8. [Lea: Mine made 4.] The next time I make it, I may add just a dash more cayenne, as a bit more heat would pair nicely with the orange.

Easy, quick, and few ingredients. It’s a winner. And bonus: John happily remarked, “When I’m old and have no teeth, good to know I won’t starve.” Sounds like two enthusiastic thumbs up to me.

Lea: A winner? She must be crazy. Mine were hard. And chunky. No matter how long I tried to puree, they were hard. And chunky. [Mary: Maybe you should have tried the microwave.] We even switched from the standing mixer to the hand-held mixer to beat those suckers into submission. Nothin' doin'. I mean, obviously, the colander on top of the pot is NOT the way to cook these. Lesson learned.


Had good flavor, though. I would agree with Mary that the citrus gave it something different.

Does that look pureed? You'd be right: they do not. Eh. They can't all be winners.


Josh (who, by the way, does not like sweet potatoes at all, but is a good sport): They are good. I liked them with a little heat at the end.

Mr. Good Eater: (no comment that I got, but he did have more than one bite)

Mr. Picky Pants: (would not eat)


Mary: And just for fun, here are some pics of our Autumn-in-Ohio tour. Thanks, Sandi and Chuck for the visit! See you in Cancún in December!


Weird shadow from the lady who took our picture.

Good times!






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