preparations

i know that everyone is getting prepared for the big day on thursday!  i'm excited to lay low with the family, enjoy some good food, watch some football, and shop.  :)  i'm not exactly sure what kind of shopping i will get into.  will i drive to a mall?  will i stay in my sweats and shop online?  who knows.  but either way, here is a little trick that i discovered, and thought i would share...

it's the easiest way for me to keep up with all of the adds.  (not to mention the only way this year, since i forgot to buy a newspaper on sunday.)  i'm on a mission to find the best price for santa clause.  you know, santa likes to save money too!  :)

i also thought i would share one of my favorite thanksgiving side dishes.  i got this recipe from my stepmom.

sweet potato casserole

4 cups cooked & mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 - 1/2 cup (depends on thickness of mixture) milk

beat all ingredients together, and spread in casserole dish.

topping:
1 cup pecans (i chop mine)
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons flour (you can leave this out if your dish needs to be gluten-free)
1/3 cup soft butter

mix ingredients together and sprinkle over the top of potato mixture.  bake at 350 until brown (about 30 minutes).

you can also skip the topping, and cover the top with mini marshmallows.  in that case, you need to cover with foil to bake, and then uncover the last 5-10 minutes until marshmallows are brown.