Yam Souffle

A while back, MDS's Mom made this dish at a family get-together at her house. It was delicious. My Mom never really liked sweet potatoes, so she avoided making them. But this dish is so delicious, I will have to add it into my rotation.

This recipe is a classic Thanksgiving recipe, but can be enjoyed anytime of the year. Like other casseroles, it is quite easy to make. You might find similar recipes that use marshmallows instead of the pecan topping. While I like marshmallows, the pecan topping is so much better for this dish. Although this recipe has yam in the title, it is more likely in the U.S. to be made with sweet potatoes. When I made this recipe, I use a can of sweet potatoes, not yams. Whatever you call it, it is delicious.

Yam Souffle 

• 40 oz. can yams, drained
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Beat together all ingredients until smooth, Pour into a greased casserole dish. Make the topping.

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1 cup chopped pecans.

Combine topping ingredients, except the pecans. Pour over the casserole. Sprinkle the pecans on top. Bake for one hour at 350 uncovered. Allow to cool for ten minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Pistachio Marble Cake

This recipe takes the classic Pistachio Pudding Cake and adds a chocolate twist. Mom mostly made the classic version, but I wanted to try this version. I might like this version better than the original. I recently made this cake to take to Mom's on a Saturday. Instead of the bundt pan that the recipe calls for, I used a 9x13 pan because it is easier to take the cake to go. When changing the pan used to bake the cake, just adjust the baking time to account for the different pan shape.

When I made this cake, I did not have any chocolate syrup on hand, so I made it from scratch. I used one-half cup water, one-half cup sugar, and one-third cup cocoa powder cooked on the stovetop over low for a few minutes until it starts to thicken. For the frosting, I made a pistachio buttercream frosting instead of pistachio whipped cream. Or, you can skip the frosting and just sprinkle the cake with powdered sugar.

Pistachio Marble Cake 

• 1 package yellow cake mix
• 1 package Pistachio instant pudding
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1/2 tsp. almond extract
• 1/4 cup chocolate syrup

Combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, water, oil, and almond extract in a bowl. Blend well. Measure out 1 1/2 cup of the batter and add chocolate syrup. Spoon batters alternately into greased and floured Bundt pan. Zigzag a spatula through the batter to marble. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.

Pistachio Buttercream Frosting 

• 1 package Pistachio instant pudding
• 1 cup milk
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Combine the instant pudding with the milk and whisk to eliminate any lumps. In a large bowl, combine the pudding mix, butter, and powdered sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Spread over the cake. Enjoy!

Brussels Sprouts Salad

This recipe is not from childhood, but a recent find. A few years back, Mom, Chris, MDS, and I had a great lunch at Eataly. Every visit to Eataly results in a discovery of new and amazing Italian food. Since discovering this salad, I have made it several times for Easter. It is a delicious and light salad that can accompany just about anything or be enjoyed on its own and makes it easy to eat more healthy greens.

The recipe is simple to make for a small side serving or a large number of people. Because it is so easy to make and can last a few days in the refrigerator, this recipe is a great make-ahead treat. The proportions can also be adjusted to suit your taste. I especially like the ground pepper and parmesan cheese, so I tend to add a bit more of those ingredients.

Brussels Sprout Salad 

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
• 1/4 shaved or grated parmesan cheese
• ground black pepper

Wash and dry the Brussels sprouts. Slice off the stem bottom and discard. Finely chop the Brussels sprouts, or use a mandoline slicer. In a bowl, toss the chopped Brussels sprouts with the lemon juice. Add the olive oil, parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Toss to evenly coat. Top with additional parmesan cheese, if desired. The salad can be refrigerated for several days. Enjoy!

Veal

Every now and then when we were young, Mom would make breaded veal. It was a delicious treat. Veal is the meat from bovines under one year old. Although there have been some issues with how veal was produced, currently you can find veal produced under humane conditions.

Breaded veal is simple to make. The recipe below is a basic breaded and pan-fry recipe. It can be dressed up by serving the veal with sauces, sides, or even as a sandwich. For example, this recipe can be quickly turned into veal parmesan with some tomato sauce and sliced parmesan cheese on top and them melted under a broiler. But I prefer to keep the veal simple and without topping or sauce to really savor the taste.

Veal 

• Veal cutlet
• 1 egg, beated
• 1 cup bread crumbs
• ground black pepper

Coat a skillet with oil and preheat to medium heat. In a shallow dish, beat the egg. In another shallow dish, mix the bread crumbs and pepper. Coat the veal cutlets in the egg. Dredge the veal through the bread crumbs to fully coat. Place the veal on the skillet and cook for about 8 minutes per side, or until browned. Enjoy!

Barbecue Meatballs

I don't remember Mom making meatballs when I was a kid, but I gave this recipe that I found in her recipe box a try. These meatballs are delicious. They remind me of Mom's meatloaf recipe. And we had meatloaf often when I was a kid. I would guess that Mom would rather not spend the time forming the meatballs, so she stuck to the easier recipe.

These meatballs are not too difficult to make, but do require more attention than a basic meatloaf. They are baked in the oven, but need to have the sauce basted while they cook. You can serve them as an appetizer or a main dish. They are delicious on their own or on pasta or as a sandwich.

Barbecue Meat Balls 

• 1 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 cup oil or butter
• 2 cups tomato juice
• 2 Tbsp. flour
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup water

Combine meat, bread crumbs, milt, egg, salt, and pepper; mix well. Form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place in shallow pan with oil or butter. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until browned. Blend tomato juice and flour; add barbecue sauce and water. Drain excess fat from meat; then pour sauce over meat. Bake for 45 minutes longer, basting twice with the sauce. Enjoy!

Turkey Burgers

Are turkey burgers healthier than beef burgers? Maybe. But even if they are not, this recipe is a good way to mix up burger night. In addition to using turkey instead of beef, this recipe interestingly adds celery, onion and almonds into the mix. And, by coating the burgers in bread crumbs before pan frying, the burgers had a nice crunchy exterior. These turkey burgers are a little bit different but oh so good.

Mom's recipe calls for chopped cooked turkey. This recipe would be great for Thanksgiving leftovers. But, I did not have cooked turkey on hand, so I just used ground turkey and cooked them a little longer. Any type of bun or no bun at all would be great. When we were kids, we often used English muffins instead of burger buns, so I used English muffins for these burgers.

Turkey Burgers 

• 2 cups chopped cooked turkey
• 1 egg slightly beaten
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1/4 bread crumbs
• 2 Tbsp. finely chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. chopped almonds
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• bread crumbs for coating
• butter or oil for the pan

Mix together the first nine ingredients. Chill. Shape into 6 patties. Roll in bread crumbs. Melt butter or oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or until browned on each side. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cake

There is something about pumpkin desserts that I just love. I recently found this recipe in Mom's recipe box and knew that I had to try it. This recipe is quite basic, but don't let its simplicity fool you. The cake tastes delicious. Sometimes pumpkin desserts use other spices such as nutmeg or ginger, but this recipe just uses cinnamon. By using only cinnamon, the pumpkin and cinnamon flavors dominate.

The recipe card called for using a tube pan, but any pan can be used by adjusting the baking time. The recipe does not list a suggested frosting. A cream cheese frosting would be excellent. I just dusted the cake with powdered sugar, and the cake was delicious on its own.

Pumpkin Cake 

• 1 1/2 cup oil
• 2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 cups flour
• 2 Tbsps. baking powder
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 3 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Blend all the dry ingredients together. Then add pumpkin, eggs, and oil. Beat until blended. Pour into a greased cake pan. Bake at 325 for i hour and 15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cake from the pan. Enjoy!