•BC-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, October 31. 1998 Discover Sweet Potatoes’ Goodness When Columbus discovered America in 1492, he also discov ered a yellow-brown vegetable, the sweet potato. When he returned home, his cargo included a load of the delicious, edible roots. By 1648, sweet potatoes were a leading crop in the Virginia col ony, and by 1900, more than 200 varieties were grown in the South. Today, the sweet potato ranks number one in nutrition according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), a non profit, independent organization seeking to improve the public’s health by offering reliable nutri tion information and by working to reform the nation’s food and health polices. CSPI gave foods points for con tent of dietary fiber, naturally occurring sugars and complex car bohydrates, protein, vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. Points are deducted for fat content (espe cially saturated fat), sodium, cholesterol, added refined sugars, and caffeine. The higher the score, the more delicious the food. ALL AMERICAN SWEET POTATO PIE 8-ounces cream cheese, softened 2 eggs, beaten V* cup sugar 2 prepared 9-inch graham crack er pie crusts 2 small packages instant vanilla pudding mix 3 /« cup milk 2 cups peeled, cooked mashed sweet potatoes Dash ground cinnamon I'/i cups whipping cream ‘A cup chopped nuts (optional) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, mix together well the cream cheese and eggs. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy. Spread the mixture into the pic crusts and bake 20 minutes; let cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together pudding mix and milk until smooth and thick. Add the sweet potato and cinnamon and mix well; fold in one cup whipped cream. Spread sweet potato mix ture on cooled pies. Garnish with remaining half cup whipped cream and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Store in refrigerator. Always remember to use real dairy products. Billie Jo Bird Centre Co. Dairy Princess Recipe Topics If you have recipes for the topics listed below, please share them with us. We welcome your recipes, but ask that you include accurate measurements, a complete list of ingredients and clear instructions with each recipe you submit. Send your recipes to Lou Ann Good, Lancaster Farming, P.O. Box 609, Ephrata, PA 17522. Recipes should reach our office one week before publishing date listed below. November 18-ounce can sweet potatoes, mashed 'A cup sugar 2 eggs 'A cup milk 'A teaspoon salt 'A cup butter, melted 1 teaspoon vanilla Combine all ingredients. Mix well. Pour into buttered 2-quart casserole dish. Topping: '/i cup flour 'h cup brown sugar 'A cup butter, melted 'h cup chopped pecans (optional) Mix together topping ingre dients. Spread on top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until browned. Donna Morrison Dalmatia SOUTHERN SWEET POTATO BREAD '/* cup butter, softened '/i cup brown sugar 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup mashed sweet potatoes 3 tablespoons milk 1 teaspoon grated orange peel 2 cups self-rising flour '/« teaspoon ground allspice '/• teaspoon ground nutmeg '/«cup chopped pecans Orange cream spread: 3-ounces cream cheese. softened 1 teaspoon orange juice 1 teaspoon grated orange peel In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, mix well. Add sweet potatoes, milk, and orange peel; mix well. Combine flour, allspice, and nutmeg; add in creamed mixture. Mix just until combined. Fold in nuts. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 minutes or until bread tests done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. In a mixing bowl, combine spread ingredients; beat until smooth. Serve with bread. Yield: 1 loaf. Editor’s Note: 2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tables poon baking powder, and 1 teas poon salt may be substituted for self-rising flour. 7 - Mushroom Recipes 14- Muffins, Buns 21 - Thanksgiving Favorites 28 - Food Gifts AUNT CORA’S SWEET POTATOES Ivamae Law East Waterford Baked sweet potatoes are easy to prepare, nutrient-packed, and delicious. BAKED SWEET POTATO WITH CRUMBLED BLUE CHEESE 1 sweet potato 1 tablespoon butter '/*- to ‘A -cup crumbled blue cheese Vi teaspoon chopped fresh herbs or a pinch of dried herbs Parsley, fennel, marjoram, dill Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Thoroughly scrub sweet potatoes and dry. Lightly prick potato skin with fork and bake until tender, 40-60 minutes. Cut slit in top of potato approximately three quar ters the length of potato. Push in ends of potato gently and fluff with fork. After sweet potato is cooked, split open and top with butter, crumbled blue cheese, and fresh herbs. Serve immediately. Am. Dairy SWEET POTATO CAKES 3 cups baked, mashed sweet potatoes l /i cups brown sugar '/* cup all-purpose flour 1 extra-large egg % cup chopped pecans 'A cup butter for fiying Bake and mash sweet potatoes and place in small mixing bowl. Beat in sugar, flour, and egg. Stir in chopped pecans. Melt butter in large frying pan. Make cakes by using a tablespoon heaping full and drop into melted butter and fiy until brown over medium heat. May be served with syrup. Makes 8 cakes. Spicy Substitutions As you might suspect, pumpkin pie spice is really just a combi nation of other spices, mixed together for your convenience. To make your own, just mix 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 tea spoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice and 1/8 tea spoon ground nutmeg. There are all sorts of spices, seasonings and other foods that you can make yourself if you don’t have them in your cupboard. If you can’t make exactly what you’re looking for, you can find acceptable alternative in many cases. Many cookbooks and cook ing guides have lists of substitutions. Here are a few: • Poultry seasoning. Mix 3/4 teaspoon crushed dried sage, plus 1/4 teaspoon crushed dried thyme or dried marjoram. • Apple pie spice. Mix 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/4 tea spoon ground nutmeg, 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice, and a dash ground cloves or ginger. • Chili powder. Try using a dash of hot pepper sauce plus oregano and cumin. You can also add coriander, cloves and/or all spice there’s not “one” chili powder recipe out there. • Five spice powder. Use equal parts cinnamon, cloves, fen nel seed, star anise and black pepper. • Allspice. Ironically, allspice is not a combination of different spices. It comes from allspice berries, which grow on the West Indian allspice trees. However, in a pinch, you can combine 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, and you’ll have an acceptable substitute * Shallots. Use minced onions, flavored with half of a small clove or minced garlic. • Cumin. Once source says acceptable substitutes for a tea spoon of cumin are 1/3 teaspoon of ground anise and 2/3 teaspoon of ground caraway seeds, or 1 teaspoon ground fennel. (These might very well do the trick, but if you have anise, ground car away seeds and fennel, why in the world don’t you have cumin?) • Dried ginger. Combine 1/3 teaspoon mace and 2/3 teaspoon fine-chopped lemon peel. (Again, you’re probably more likely to have ginger than mace and lemon peel.) To keep your spices fresher and more flavorful, store them m the freezer. Both the cold and the lack of light will keep them fresh. Chow line is a service of the Ohio State University. Send ques* tions to Chow Line, do Martha Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road,* Columbus, OH 43210-1044, or filipic.3@osu.edu.
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