Ruth's Chris Sweet Potato Casserole

 My kitchen manager, Paula, told me that this was her go to recipe for sweet potato casserole. Now, I am not a huge sweet potato girl but want to make them for the two people in the house who are, Aaron and Abby. This was super yummy. It was one of the things that I hit up for seconds on Thanksgiving dinner today. Bonus, I was able to use some of the leftover roasted sweet potatoes from Roadhouse, so I didn't have to cook them! 

Makes 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS

Crust Mixture:

• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup chopped nuts (pecans preferred)
• 1/4 cup melted butter

Sweet Potato Mixture:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
• 1 egg, well beaten
• 1/4 cup butter

PROCESS

1. Combine Crust Mixture in mixing bowl and put to one side.
2. Combine Sweet Potato Mixture ingredients in a mixing bowl in the order listed. Combine thoroughly.
3. Pour Sweet Potato Mixture into buttered baking dish.
4. Sprinkle Crust Mixture evenly onto surface of Sweet Potato Mixture.
5. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes before serving.

Creamy Italian Sausage Soup

This came from the land of Facebook and was soooo good. Notes from it when I made it: I tripled it so that we would have extra for us and extra to share. It did fine. I only did a rough chop on the spinach. I like bigger pieces of spinach, and I thought it did well. That mirepoix (carrots, onions and celery) needs a lot more than five minutes. Just cook until your onions start to get translucent. I put the Ditalini in like the recipe says though I saw that some people kept it separate and stirred it in as they served it so it wouldn't suck up all the juice in the fridge. Which it totally did but was still amazing. I don't want it not to take on any of the yummy broth flavor. So, not a big deal to me. 

Ingredients:

1 lb Italian sausage (turkey or chicken sausage as a pork alternative)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium carrots, sliced

2 celery stalks, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 cup Ditalini pasta

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups fresh spinach, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions:

Cook the Sausage:

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the Italian sausage, breaking it into small crumbles, and cook until browned. Remove the sausage from the pot and set aside.

Sauté the Vegetables:

In the same pot, add diced onion, minced garlic, sliced carrots, and chopped celery. Sauté until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

Add Broth and Herbs:

Pour in the chicken broth, then stir in the oregano and basil. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Cook the Pasta:

Add the Ditalini pasta to the boiling broth. Cook for about 8 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but still firm.

Make it Creamy:

Lower the heat to medium. Stir in the cooked sausage, heavy cream, and grated Parmesan cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, allowing the soup to thicken slightly.

Add Spinach:

Stir in the fresh spinach until it wilts into the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve and Garnish with parsley if desired and parmesan.

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction. Very simple and very creamy vanilla buttercream recipe. 

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 4 – 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• salt, to taste

1. With a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add 4 and 1/2 cups powdered sugar, the heavy cream, and vanilla extract. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to medium-high speed and beat for 2 full minutes. Taste. Add a pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet. I always add 1/8 teaspoon.
2. Adjust if needed: You can control the consistency at this point—add up to 1/2 cup more confectioners’ sugar if frosting is too thin or more heavy cream if frosting is too thick (add only 1 Tablespoon at a time, beat together, then taste and add more if desired).
3. Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so it’s creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed.