My New Favorite Recipe!

Hello blog-world!  I've discovered a new recipe that I love so much that I felt the need to post about it.  This side dish sweet, crunchy and most of all deeelicious!  Before I go into detail though, I have two very important questions that I need answered immediately... What does a sweet potato look like?  And what is the difference between a sweet potato and a yam?

To the best of my knowledge, sweet potatoes are the ones that look reddish/orange on the outside and orange in the middle.  I intended to make this recipe last week but when I went to cut what I thought was a sweet potato, I was shocked to find that it was beige on the inside.  "What the heck is this?," I thought to myself.  When I had gone to the grocery store, this thing was marked "Sweet Potato" and the things that I really thought were sweet potatoes were marked, "Yams."  I figured the grocery store knew better than I did, so I bought the beige thing.  After I cut the beige thing, I called my mom and dad (since they had made this recipe for Christmas) to find out what a sweet potato was.  They agreed with me that the reddish/orange one was the sweet potato and that I had bought the wrong one. 

When I went grocery shopping this week, I thought that I'd give it another try and even went to a different grocery store.  Sure enough the labeling was the same and I was confused.  "Oh well, " I thought, "I'm buying the reddish/orange thing."  As I was checking out from the store, I asked the cashier, "Those are sweet potatoes, right?"  She said, "No, they are yams."  "Really!?  Are you sure?"  "Yes."  Not believing her for one minute I said, "Oh well, that's what I'm buying!"  When I got home, I even Googled it.  According to Google, the reddish/orange ones are sweet potatoes and the beige one is a yam.  Am I missing something?  Or are the grocery stores here just stupid (which wouldn't surprise me one bit)?

Wow, that was long rambling about sweet potatoes.  This has been bothering me for two weeks, so if someone has the correct answer, I know that my parents  and I would appreciate it.

Anyway, this is a really easy and great recipe.  My mom found it through a local radio station in Phoenix, KEZ 999.  She made it for Christmas dinner and I was amazed at how tasty it was.  It's got soft sweet potatoes, tangy apples, craisins, and a crunchy topping.  Yum!  I cut the recipe in half, since it was only for Jerm, my father-in-law and me.  Also, I cut down on the sugar a bit because as a matter of fact, sweet potatoes are just that...sweet!  When I make it again, I think I'll cut back on the sugar even more and cut down the butter a bit.  Stop reading and go make this recipe right now.  That's how good it is. :)

 

Ingredients.

 

Sweet potatoes, apples, craisins & cinnamon.

 

Topping mixture.

 

Hot out of the oven!

HARVEST CASSEROLE

by Mama Joe's Meals, KEZ 99.9

5 cups (1/4 inch) diced sweet potatoes (about 2 large)
5 cups chopped Granny Smith apples (about 3 medium)
1 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, divided
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 stick butter, cut into teaspoon size pats
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick butter melted

1. In a large bowl combine sweet potatoes, apples, and dried cranberries.
2. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt.  Add to sweet potato mixture, tossing to combine.
3. Spoon mixture into a 13x9x2 inch baking dish. Dot with butter pats.
4. In a small bowl, combine oatmeal, 1 cup brown sugar, flour, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Stir in melted butter and spoon evenly over top of casserole.
5. Bake, covered at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 15 to 30 additional minutes. Serves 10-12