Sweet Potato Stuffing

Last night we had company. Since they are moving to another country in November, we thought we would treat them to a Thanksgiving-inspired meal. We would have gone all out, but it was a normal week-day evening and with kids doing homework and uncleaning the house, I had to go with "easy". Instead of sweet potatoes AND stuffing, we put them together, made it the night before, and warmed it and served it. I speak from experience when I say this one freezes well. We made way too much last Thanksgiving, and we pulled from the freezer bag (all-the-way baked)  for quite awhile before we ran out.

This is one of those recipes I clipped from a magazine to try. We tried it and loved it, and now it is my Go-To recipe when I need a Thanksgiving stuffing. It is an easy way to get the stuffing done and have sweet potatoes with it.

Sweet Potato Stuffing with Bacon and Thyme

From Bon Appetit (Nov. 2009)

• 10 cups 3/4-inch cubes sourdough baguette with crust (from about 1 1/2 one-pound baguettes)
• 1 pound thick-cut bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 6 1/2 cups 3/4-inch cubes peeled red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 2 3/4 pounds)
• 4 cups 1/2-inch onion pieces (from about 2 large onions)
• 3 cups 1/2- to 3/4-inch celery pieces
• 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoons (or more) coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/3 cups fresh orange juice
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/3 cups low-salt chicken broth

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 350°F. Spread bread cubes in single layer on large baking sheet; bake until almost firm to touch, about 10 minutes. Cool. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

2. Place bread cubes in extra-large bowl. Cook bacon in heavy large pot over medium heat until crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towels to drain.

3. Pour off and discard all but 3 tablespoons bacon drippings from pot; place pot over medium-high heat. Add butter, then sweet potatoes, onions, celery, thyme, and coarse salt to pot. Sauté until onions are slightly soft but not brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add orange juice and bring to boil; cook until sweet potatoes are almost tender and juice is almost absorbed, about 5 minutes. Add bacon and sweet potato mixture to bowl with bread cubes. Season with more salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cool slightly. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover; chill.

4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Whisk eggs and 1 1/3 cups chicken broth in medium bowl to blend; add to stuffing and toss to combine. Transfer to prepared baking dish.

5. Bake stuffing uncovered until top is lightly browned and crisp around edges, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

Maddie's Fourth Birthday

Maddie is FOUR and I asked her what she liked. Here are some of her responses:

Her favorite colors - pink and purple

Her favorite book - princess books with Jasmine, Sleeping Bluety, Cinderella, and Belle
Her favorite TV show - anything with princesses
Her favorite toys - Cinderlla baby doll
Her best friend - Amelia (pronounced "Melia")
Her favorite thing to do - clean dishes
Her favorite song - ABCs
Her favorite movie - Princess and the Frog
Her other favorite activities - drawing (she can doodle for hours), play with Polly Pocket, Play with Wikisticks, pick flowers

Ben's Fourth Birthday

Now, Ben is FOUR and here are some of his favorites:

His favorite color - blue

His favorite book - dinosaur rex (he means a book with Tyrannosaurus Rex on the front)
His favorite TV show - Monster trucks
His favorite toys - Buzz Lightyear...to infinini and BEYOND! and the tree swing
His best friend - Daddy
His favorite thing to do - help Daddy and work with tools
His favorite song - Eensy Weensy Spider
His favorite movie - Toy Story
His other favorite activities  - Daddy throwing him in the air, running, and drawing (scribbling) oil spills

Jon's Fourth Birthday

Jon is FOUR and here are some of his favorites for now --

His favorite color - green

His favorite book - anything with cars or dinosaurs

His favorite TV show - Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

His favorite toys - Woody and cars

His best friend - Mama

His favorite thing to do - play at Daddy's office

His favorite song - Broccoli and beans.... carrots and peas.... thank you, Lord, for broccoli and beans

His favorite movie - Toy Story

His other favorite activities - playing in the sandbox, swinging (and he is really good at swinging high by himself), running, blowing bubbles, writing letters -- especially his name

The Three are Four

We celebrated Ben's, Maddie's, and Jon's fourth birthday at Nana and Papa's this year. Our family of six was there with Nana and Papa, Great Grandma Ann, Gramma and Granddad, Uncle Jason and Aunt Jenn, Beckham, and a family friend, Molly. We had pizza for lunch, the kids opened presents, then we all enjoyed cake and ice-cream. We had a wonderful time with our family, and the kids even had enough time to play with all their new toys before we got in the car for the drive home. They only got one gift they had to share (a game), and Allen and Will wrapped it in such a way that each of them knew which part to open.

Wow! What a day! What a weekend! What a life . . . or rather three! Celebrating their birthday is different for me than celebrating other birthdays. Not just because they are my babies, but because I still vividly remember how fragile they were when they entered this world. I remember spending months of my pregnancy and the first few days of their lives praying they would survive, and THEY HAVE!! I know I've joked that some days have been rough enough with three toddlers that I wasn't sure they would make it to their next birthday, but I know how blessed we are to have them in our lives and we will continue to do our best for them. Happy birthday Little Ones! . . . since I'm still not quite ready to start calling you Big Kids yet. :)

Life from the Pit!

When I was ten years old, I lived in Pittsburgh, PA. Halfway across the country, in the same town my grandparents lived, a toddler fell into a well. Our country watched the events unfold in Midland, Texas, as Baby Jessica was saved. Two and a half days after she fell in, she was saved. Though everyone was joyful, there were some negative outcomes -- a partial amputation, many surgeries, and a rescue-worker's suicide. For some reason, that is the baby I thought of as the Chilean rescues were reported on the news.

I'll admit, I haven't followed the latest stories of the Copiapo mining accident; but I heard enough about it that the miners and their families have crossed my mind many times over the last two months. Seventeen days after the mine shaft collapsed -- probably after many loved ones had lost hope that anyone had survived -- the miners surprised the world with an note: "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" -- The 33 of us in the shelter are well.

In case you haven't been following the story, here is a piece of the story as Wikipedia offers it:

Hours later, cameras sent down the bore hole made contact with the miners, taking the first images of the trapped workers. The miners had a 50 square meter shelter with two long benches, but ventilation problems had led them to move out to a tunnel. In addition to the shelter, they had some 2 km of galleries in which to move around. The miners used backhoes to dig for trapped water. Some water was obtained from the radiators of vehicles inside the mineshaft. Health officials are running tests on the water. Food supplies were limited, and the men may have lost 8 to 9 kg (17–20 pounds) each. Although the emergency supplies were intended for only two or three days, the miners rationed them to last for 17 days until contact with the surface. They consumed "two little spoonfuls of tuna, a sip of milk and a biscuit every 48 hours" and a morsel of peach.  They used the batteries of a truck to power their helmet lamps.

This morning, I read that eleven of the 33 miners have reached the surface after being trapped 2000 feet underground for the last ten weeks. Though the accident happened in Chile, the story and prayers have spread around the world, and the world is watching each of the men as they ascend the rock to the surface. The story is tragic -- these men have been stuck in a living tomb for two and a half months. But there may be a happy ending, and so far it looks hopeful. As I sat down to work on my Bible study this morning, I got sidetracked reading about these heros -- the ones doing the rescuing, the ones being rescued, the One they are thanking as they hold their families tight. 

I have never fallen into a well like Jessica McClure. I have not been trapped underground like the miners. But I have been through life-stages when it would be easier to give up. When I've been hurting so much, feeling so broken, or been numbingly exhausted that I wondered if I would ever be rescued. David called out to God, "Incline Your ear to me, rescue me quickly ; Be to me a rock of strength, A stronghold to save me." (Psalms 31:2). My inspirational hope is in God's words, "Call upon Me in the day of trouble ; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me." (Psalms 50:15) Those moments or days that I feel overwhelmed, I will cling to these passages, and I can't help but suspect that those men had to have had this kind of hope to hang on as long as they did.

Now, I continue to pray for the Chilean rescue mission. I pray that each of the men is returned safely to his family, and that their bodies, minds, and spirits are healed quickly. Furthermore, I hope and pray that this inspirational story, when it hits the shelves and theaters (and you know it will) brings glory to the One who saves.  "I descended to the roots of the mountains. The earth with its bars was around me forever, But You have brought up my life from the pit, O LORD my God." (Jonah 2:6)

... and as I wrote this, the twelfth has emerged and my eyes are misting again.

Lunchtime update -- 17!! as of 12:00pm CST

A Brighter Smile?

Crest and Colgate don't always make for brighter smiles. At least not when they are used as paint and hair gel.

While I was catching up on my blogging, Maddie, Ben, and Jon decided the bathroom needed some decorative touches. Now it smells like bubble gum. There was toothpaste all over the sink, all over the wall, all over the floor, all over their clothes, all over Jon's head?? What were they thinking? . . . oh, yeah. They weren't.

As for other bathroom issues, I've decided that Jon has decided not to use the potty because if he is in diapers, he has more padding for the consequences that follow days like this.