Sweet Potato

     OK faithful readers, this was another stunner to me. I come from the Northeast where candied yams or candied sweet potatoes (I really never could tell the difference) were extremely common holiday sides regardless of ethnicity - every family had their own twist - some would add in pecans or marshmallows; others just plain maple syrup as was the case in my family. We often had just baked sweet potatoes as well, just throw on a little butter or syrup or cinnamon sugar or even plain and voila! A great, healthy side to almost any meal!

     When I moved to the South, I saw other variations of the sweet potato - sweet potato pie, sweet potato casserole; I even had a roommate for a while who would occasionally have only a baked sweet potato for dinner and I would occasionally join in (though I doubt I ever just had a sweet potato). In recent years, sweet potato fries have become common culture in everything from fancy establishments to some fast food chains. The possibilities seemed endless and I loved them all, but noticed Mandi never took part in those delightful dishes. Of course, when questioned, Mandi confessed she has never had a sweet potato. Eventually, she told me she tried mashed sweet potatoes once and didn't like them. So, I made her a baked potato one night and kept it simple: a little butter and a little cinnamon sugar on one half and the other I left plain to see if she'd like either.

     The results? Disastrous:

Also, don't hate on the Canada shirt. We had fun on our honeymoon there. Oh and the cheap wine? That was for cooking Coq a Vin, which was something new for the both of us and might be featured later.