Cornish Hens

Today for dinner I fixed stuffed Cornish hens, baked yams and roasted Brussels Sprouts. Ornery calls them green eggs, and launches into a monologue of Green Eggs and Ham (I do not LIKE green eggs and ham; I do not LIKE them, Sam I am!) He ate them, and I actually thought that cooked to death they were a little less distasteful.

I got a recipe from AllRecipes.com, and altered it just a bit. Mostly, I used more celery, added Blackstrap Molasses, (1/2 tsp) and cut the butter in half and added a T of olive oil instead. I used olive oil on the outside as well.  I cooked them in my Pampered Chef covered stoneware baker for about 2 hours at 350 degrees F and they came out great.  I cooked the yams wrapped in aluminum foil for the same length of time. They were tasty, but I couldn't finish all the food!

Sweet Potato (natural sweeteners)

The old family favorite (here) needed to be healthier to align with our commitment to eating better, although I am not certain this is a huge improvement with all the butter... We went with fresh instead of canned sweet potatoes, (big health savings) and did away with the brown sugar and marshmallows (another giant improvement), replacing it with a little stevia and agave nectar. I increased the spices to give it more zip and hopefully disguise the fact they aren't as sweet. It is a holiday food, though and no one seems to mind venturing out from the healthy fare a few times a year. Here is the new version:

• Three large whole sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4-1/2 inch thick. (consistency is the important thing, as they will need to cook evenly)
• 3 apples (wash and core, do not peel) sliced 1/4" thick
• 1 T cinnamon
• 1/4 t.allspice
• 1/8 t. cloves
• 1/4-1/2 cup unsalted butter
• agave nectar or maple syrup (to taste)

Melt about 2 T butter in the bottom of a large casserole dish. Mix together nuts and spices (I added 1/4 tsp. stevia powder as well, since the family is used to these being really sweet).

In the bottom of the buttered casserole dish, layer slices of sweet potatoes, apples, nut mixture, agave nectar (drizzle over) and slices of butter. Make several layers of this, finishing with the butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees about an hour, until sweet potatoes are tender. This will make about 12 servings.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Sweet Potato Casserole

2 apples, sliced
1/3 cup pecans, chopped
1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 (17 oz) cans yams, drained
1/4 cup butter
2 cups mini-marshmallows

Toss apples and nuts with sugar and cinnamon. Alternate layers of apples and yams in 1-1/2 quart casserole dish (or 8X8" square) Dot with butter. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Sprinkle marshmallows over top. Place under broiler or in very hot oven until lightly browned. (watch carefully, this doesn't take long!)