Thanksgiving is about coming together with family and friends to share thanks and indulge in a traditional meal that never seems to vary. We live in a fast-paced, crazy world, so I can understand the comfort some may find in a little predictability. However, I have never really liked Thanksgiving food. Sure, there are some dishes I enjoy, but as a passionate recipe developer, I rarely want to make the same thing twice. Over the next few weeks, I will share some semi-traditional recipes with new twists for those who are interested in shaking things up.
I credit a lot of my cooking to my time in the Navy, as I learned so much about different ingredients and dishes. Meeting people from all over the world was also an inspiration, as the conversations often turned to food. One former sailor, named David, is originally from Memphis, TN. He and I deployed to Iraq together in 2008-2009, and reconnected on social media more than fifteen years later. We had a lot of fun catching up and sharing deployment stories, then, naturally, we talked about cooking.
Southern recipes are quite different from Northern recipes, and I find the differences fascinating.
David said he likes green beans cooked in bacon grease and sugar until caramelized.
I also made similar green beans, but I always made them with oil and Worcestershire sauce. However, I liked David’s idea and combined the two recipes. Worcestershire sauce is one of those words that everyone thinks they know how to say, but no two people seem to say it the same, so somebody must be wrong. Years ago, I began calling it Wo sauce because, well, I gave up after the first two letters. After I made these green beans, I said, “Whoa, these are good,” so green beans in whoa sauce were born.
When it comes to sweet potato casserole, I can take it or leave it. There is just so much to choose from at holiday meals that I usually don’t eat it. I had a big can of sweet potatoes in my pantry that I needed to use up, so one day I experimented a little. I love peanut butter and caramel with marshmallows, so I decided to add those to the mix. I also like to have a crunchy topping, and cornflakes sounded like a fun addition. I ended up really liking how the salty peanut butter contrasted with the sweet ingredients.
GREEN BEANS IN WHOA SAUCE AND PEANUT BUTTER CARAMALLOW SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
INGREDIENTS:
1 large can (40 ounces) sweet potatoes, drained 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup thick caramel sauce, divided 1 large egg 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 1/2 cups mini marshmallows, divided 2 cups cornflakes, slightly crushed 1/4 cup melted salted butter 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar 1/3 cup roasted salted Spanish peanuts, roughly chopped
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. In a large bowl, mash the sweet potatoes with a potato masher. Add the peanut butter, 1/4 cup caramel sauce, the egg, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Fold in 2 cups of mini marshmallows. Spoon the mixture into the casserole dish. In another bowl, mix together the cornflakes, butter, brown sugar, and peanuts. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of marshmallows on top. Bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the marshmallows are browned. Drizzle with the remaining caramel sauce.
Yield: 16 servings.
NOTES:
The liquid from the sweet potato can makes a fun cocktail when mixed with marshmallow-flavored vodka. You can dip the rims of martini glasses into caramel sauce, then into finely chopped pecans or Graham cracker crumbs. Add a cocktail pick with mini marshmallows for a festive garnish.
