Thanksgiving vegetable side dishes

Here is the promised Sweet Potato Bake that I promised someone coupla days ago. And yes, I'm preparing for Bruce's work TG dinner which is tomorrow...

Note: all the spices I use are Penzey's.

Bruce's Candied Yams
Preheat oven to 350 degrees

3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 2" thick
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon (Penzey's!)
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mace
scant 1/4 cup water
1 stick butter
1 tsp grated lemon peel
1 lemon, sliced (grate the peel and then slice the lemon)
1 orange, sliced
1 tbsp flour
1 bag miniature marshmallows

Spray oil on 9" x 16" baking dish. Arrange slices in one layer covering bottom of pan (cutting chunks into fairly similar sizes for even cooking.)
In a bowl, stir together the flour, sugars and spices. Sprinkle this over the potatoes. Slice thinly the stick of butter and place over sweet potato chunks. Sprinkle zest over top. Place orange and lemon slices over top. Add just enough water around the edge of the pan to barely cover bottom of dish, NO more than 1/4 cup. Cover with aluminum foil and bake one to two hours, until potatoes are done. [Edit: it really takes more like 2 hours for the them to bake through]

Remove fruit slices, re-heat oven to 450 degrees. Top casserole with marshmallows solidly. Place cookie sheet under pan for drips. Put casserole back in hot oven CAREFULLY and watch consistently until marshmallows are puffed and golden brown. Note: it's only a scant seconds' difference between 'golden brown' and 'burned.'

Note: this is a recipe my beloved hubby invented a couple years ago based on Paul Prudhome's classic yam recipe. It turned me into a yam lover; the citrus tang perfectly compliments the sweet potatoes and cuts into the sugary sweetness delightfully.


Decadent Au Gratin Potatoes

(This is a recipe I combined from a couple different cookbooks and then kept tweaking until I liked it. The proportions are, of course, up to change. I do NOT cook precisely by measuring.)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion
4 medium potatoes (Idaho gold preferred by me)
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup butter
1/2 - 1 tsp white pepper
2 tsp Kosher salt
3 tbsp flour
3 cups milk (or 1-1/2 milk, 1-1/2 half and half)
2 cups grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
Green seasoning to taste

Grease large glass cassarole dish. Thinly slice potatoes (love my Cuisinart!)
For sauce, saute onion and garlic in butter until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once and stir CONSTANTLY (yes, it's a blonde roux!) Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly; remove from heat.
Place half the potatoes evenly in baking dish, cover with 1/2 cheese, 1/2 the sauce. Repeat layers, ending with sauce.
Place baking dish on cookie sheet to catch drips. Bake covered in 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove cover, increase heat to 400 degrees for another 20 minutes. Once sauce is bubbly and starting to brown, add more grated cheese on top.

Ok, now I'm debating...should I post the "Artichoke Hearts Au Gratin" or my mother's down-home corn cassarole?

More veggies, as requested.

Corn Casserole
Ok, here are the other veggie dish recipes. First is the Corn Casserole that my mother used to make. Since, of course, she was a school music teacher, meals were often hurried and frankly, a balanced meal was "when each can fit inside one another." I've many memories of over-cooked vegetables *shudder* but gods love her, she tried her best and some recipes, like her cranberry ice and her lemon meringue pie, were to DIE for. But mostly she was not a great cook, bless he heart. This one she got from a friend at church; it was really popular both at church potlucks and at home!

And again, all my herbs and seasonings are Penzey's!

Corn Casserole
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2 eggs, beaten
1 - #2 can whole corn (I use frozen now or what I've put up from my garden)
1 - #2 can cream-style corn (approx 14 oz)
8 oz. sour cream
1 stick butter, melted
1 pkg. Juffy cornbread mix
2 tbsp minced onion
1 cup Swiss cheese
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs, finely ground
salt and white pepper, to taste

Grease 9" x 13" baking dish. Combine corns, sour cream butter, cornbread mix and onion, place in baking dish. Bake at 350 until lightly browned. Remove and top with combined cheese and bread crumbs, bake until cheese is melted.


Artichoke Hearts Au Gratin
...because as the Kidling says, "everything is better with cheese!"

Preheat oven to 425 degrees

16-20 oz frozen artichoke hearts
1/4 cup butter
3/4 tsp. salt, dash pepper
1 tsp toasted onion powder
1/4 tsp dry mustard
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
1 tbsp find dry seasoned bread crumbs
Smoked Spanish paprika, sprinkled

Cook artichokes (steam until crispy-tender); reserve 1/2 cup liquid. Melt butter in saucepan, stir in flour, and seasonings. When mixture is smooth and bubbly (again, a blonde roux), gradually stir in reserved liquid and milk. Cook over low heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until thickened. Remove from heat.
Combine beaten egg and 1/2 grated cheese. Gradually stir roux into egg/cheese mixture and blend well. Place artichoke hearts in a greased shallow baking dish in single layer. Pour sauce over the artichoke hearts and sprinkle with remaining cheese, bread crumbs and top with paprika.
Bake 18-22 minutes until sauce is bubbly.