Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Lettuce, Potatoes, Muffins & Pie

We couldn't stand it any longer.  Even though we are {still} waiting to plan our garden so we can base it on what the next year will bring, we have such a hankering for fresh vegetables- particularly lettuces.  So, a couple weeks back, Jamey planted some baby beds of lettuce in our office under lights.  They are coming up nicely and need thinning.


We're not sure if they'll make it until he can build a larger cold frame to house them outside.  They might just end up in our tummies even though they would make some of the world's smallest salads.


Our potatoes which are stored (wrapped in newspaper) in our outer (non-heated) mud room are fairing pretty well.  They are beginning to sprout and are the slightest bit soft, but are still lovely inside.  I used a big bowl full to make Jamey mashed potatoes for Valentine's Day.  It just goes to show how much I love him (if you haven't caught on, I dislike mashed potatoes- what is it all you people see in them?).

Our sweet potatoes are still hanging out wrapped in newspaper untder the table in the office that holds the lettuce beds.  Stored beside them is our tub of oats.  At the rate we eat baked oatmeal, we buy 25 pound bags of oats and divide them into the proper amounts for each large batch.  The sweet potatoes are holding up pretty well.  But, because they're upstairs, I tend to forget about them.  Every once in awhile Jamey points out we haven't eaten any in awhile and that jump starts me into sweet potato action.  Just in case you need a couple ideas for your sweet potatoes, here's what I've been doing with them...

The other week, I cooked up a couple large pots of sweet potatoes and hand-blender-ed them...

Okay.  I just have to interrupt myself to tell you that Sadie (5) just came into the dining room and asked, "Mom, can I clean up the whole house?"  Either A) my house is so messy that my 5-year-old can't stand it anymore or B) she's the child of my dreams.


...into puree for sweet potato pie and muffins.  The pie recipe is fairly standard, but a good one, so I'll include the recipe below.  I often serve it with dinner, as a vegetable, and it makes the kids think I'm the coolest (albeit a temporary thought).  The muffins, I love.  They are not your standard, crumbly, on the dry-side muffins that require butter or jam.  These muffins are actually creamy.  And, not under-baked creamy, either.  Just perfectly spiced and moist and creamy.  You can find the recipe for Creamy Sweet Potato Muffins here.


Sweet Potato Pie (adapted from allrecipes.com)

2 cups mashed sweet potatoes
1/4 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
3/4-1 cup packed brown sugar, depending on your love of sweet
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and blend well.  Pour into pie shell and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then for 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until the center of the pie is set and no longer giggly.  Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. Pin It

10 comments:

  1. I go with child of your dreams!!!! I have not been buying potatoe this winter, because of storage issues; I've usually stored them in our garage. It's uninsulated. In the summer they get squishy very quickly, in the winter, sometimes they'll sort of freeze and then get soft. What does wrapping in newspaper due for the potato, and are they layered or individually wrapped?

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  2. Okay. Now I'm doing some serious hungering for sweet potato pie.

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  3. Kimberly,
    We wrap the sweet potatoes mostly individually. The regular potatoes are wrapped in threes and fours since they are smaller. I'm thinking it helps with moisture, but I'm not exactly sure how it works. What I DO know is that it works for us:-).

    If anyone knows why it works well, chime in!

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  4. Oh, that Sadie! Got to love that little gal! I'm sure it's B.

    Thank you for sharing how you store your potatoes and such. I do the same thing with oat, but I have not yet grasped the ability to store vegetables in a cool location. HOWEVER, this year I realized that I could leave my potatoes in the ground and they have done wonderfully! I just dug up some more french fingerlings and they were perfect - no sprouting, no softness, just a few little spots on about 3 that I had to cut out. I don't think I want to do this will ALL my veggies, so I'll have my husband make some nifty boxes like yours!

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  5. Never had sweet potato pie. I don't think it's a big thing up here in Canada-- or is it, and I'm just clued out?
    But it looks (and the spices seem) just like pumpkin pie. Is it the same sort of taste?

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  6. RootAndTwig,
    Sweet potato pie is very similar to pumpkin pie. Some people have a hard time noticing the difference:-). I highly recommend you give it a try!

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  7. If you could have Damian's grandma's mashed potatoes you might change your mind. They are loaded with butter and cream and whipped so fine they melt in your mouth. To combine thoughts, mashed sweet potatoes with a little cream and salt and pepper are fabulous!

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  8. ha- my 5 year old daughter tells me she's going to clean up the house and I have THE SAME thoughts you do!

    I'm totally going to serve sw potato pie for supper sometime! I have a great recipe for sweet potatoes that I make over and over - blogged here http://thriftathome.blogspot.com/2010/10/cocoons-for-supper.html

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  9. It's good to know that sweet potatoes will store for such an extended period of time...now if I could just perfect growing them. Our potatoes usually start to sprout around the end of March at which time I remove the sprouts every couple weeks until June...they still taste good. I like my potatoes baked.:) Your pie and muffins sound delicious.

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  10. Thanks for the answer, about the potatoes, we'll give this a try.

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