Sweet Potato Pie

Today we're bringing you a holiday favorite just in time for Thanksgiving. This dairy-free version of sweet potato pie is rich, comforting, and perfectly spiced. It's sweet enough to satisfy your holiday cravings but balanced with just the right touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla. Whether you’re serving it to family, friends, or a table full of guests, this classic Southern dessert is sure to become a cherished part of your Thanksgiving traditions.

Sweet Potato Pie

1 pound sweet potatoes

1/2 cup butter (dairy free)

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup canned coconut milk

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

pinch salt

1, 9-inch unbaked pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.
2. Prick the sweet potatoes several times and place them on your prepared baking sheet.
3. Bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are very tender.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F.
5. When the sweet potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut them open and scoop all of the flesh into a mixing bowl.
6. Add the butter and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, coconut milk, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Beat with the hand mixer on medium speed until the mixture is smooth.
7. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie crust.
8. Bake for 55-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean. The pie will puff up a bit like a souffle and sink a bit as it cools.
9. Let the pie cool completely at room temperature (about 2 hours). Then refrigerate until set, at least 2 hours or overnight.

Notes:

If you prefer more spice, you can add 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger and 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves when adding the spices in step 6.

I use the No Roll Press in the Pan Pie Crust paired with this pie filling.

Try to get a cutie-patootie like my youngest son Jaxon to help you make your Thanksgiving pies! Shown here are other Harris Sisters' favorites left to right: Grandma Elizabeth's Coconut Custard Pie, Sweet Potato Pie (this recipe), and Tarheel Pie.

Once your sweet potato pie is out of the oven, you’ll know why this dessert has been a Thanksgiving favorite for generations. This dairy-free version is just as creamy and flavorful as the classic, so everyone at the table can enjoy a slice without missing a thing. Serve it warm or chilled, either way, it’s pure comfort in every bite. As you gather around the table this holiday season, let this pie be a reminder of the simple joys of baking, sharing, and making memories with the people you love most.

Are you a sweet potato super-fan? Give these other Harris Sisters' favorites a try for Thanksgiving:

• Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
• Sweet Potato Casserole

Grandma's Bread Stuffing (Dressing)

Growing up in the South, we have ALWAYS called our Thanksgiving side dish dressing. We have also always made it in a casserole dish never actually stuffed in the turkey itself. That's why we called it dressing instead of stuffing (because there was no stuffing involved). 

This is the recipe that we used growing up. It's a little different from most Southern recipes in that it doesn't use cornbread as the base, but bread crumbs.

Grandma's Bread Dressing (Stuffing)

4 stalks celery, diced

1 large onion, diced

10 cups crumbled, dried bread (or 2 (12 oz) packages herb seasoned stuffing mix like Pepperidge Farm)*

4 eggs, beaten

2 sticks of butter, divided and melted

4-6 cups broth*

1/4 teaspoon pepper, or to taste

2 teaspoons poultry seasoning, or to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 9 x 13 baking dish. Set aside.
2. Saute the onions and celery in a small amount of butter in a pan for a few minutes until onions become transparent. Stir in the pepper and poultry seasoning. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Place the crumbled bread or stuffing mix in a large bowl, add the onion and celery mixture and remaining melted butter. Stir and pour two cups of the broth over top. Mix well. Taste and adjust the seasonings. (It should taste like what you want your finished dressing to taste like at this point.)
4. Add the beaten eggs and mix well. Now you can change the consistency to your preference. If you prefer a wetter dressing, add more broth as needed to reach desired consistency. If you want a fluffy dressing you won’t add as much broth. 
5. Lightly spoon mixture into the prepared casserole dish, but do not pack.
6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35 to 45 minutes. 

• For a moister stuffing, baked your dish covered with aluminum foil. 
• For a drier stuffing with a crunchy top, bake uncovered.

Notes:

We use veggie broth to make this a vegetarian recipe, but Grandma's original recipe called for chicken broth. The amounts for the broth are approximate based on the desired moisture level of the final product.

Remember that broth includes salt, which is why the recipe does not include additional salt. Also, poultry seasoning includes pepper (among other herbs), which is why there is noticeably less pepper in the recipe. Make sure to take this into consideration when adjusting your seasonings in step 3.

I usually use actual bread, dried and crumbled for this recipe. I tear dried pieces of bread into small pieces and fill up a gallon-sized Ziploc bag that I store in the freezer. Once the bag is full, I have enough for the recipe. It depends on how small you tear your bread pieces as to how many cups you will end up with in a full gallon-sized Ziploc bag, but you will usually end up with around 10.

If you would like to season your bread crumbs as you go along, you can add your own mix of spices, such as garlic, onion powder, parsley, etc., to the bread crumbs in the Ziploc bag. Make sure to shake the bag to incorporate the spices into the bread crumbs.

If you opt to use 2 (12 oz.) packages of Pepperidge Farm herb seasoned stuffing mix, keep in mind that these are measured by weight (ounces) not volume (cups). Each package will contain between 5-6 cups.

Make Ahead: 

Save time on Thanksgiving day! You can assemble the dressing in the baking dish, then wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate it for up to 24 hours before baking. To bake, let the dressing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and proceed with step 6.

Here's a look at the old-fashioned Southern dressing served up alongside some other Harris Sisters Thanksgiving side dish favorites:

• Sweet Potato Casserole
• Cranberry Cherry Sauce

Vintage Thanksgiving Decorating Ideas

As the holidays approach, you might be looking for some simple ways to decorate for Thanksgiving. In our family, we always decorate BIG for Halloween and Christmas. And with only 3 weeks to take down all of the Halloween decorations and put up Thanksgiving decorations (before Christmas decorations go up), we want to make sure that we keep those decorations simple, since these decorations are short-lived. But of course we wouldn't want to overlook this important holiday!

However, since we only gather together to celebrate Thanksgiving for one day (rather than an entire season with multiple celebrations), any decorations that we plan for Thanksgiving need to be:

1. Easy to put up
2. Easy to take down 
3. Easy to store

Using this criteria, I mainly only decorate my dining room, since that's the room that sees most of the Thanksgiving day "action." 

Vintage Honeycomb Turkeys and Vintage Thanksgiving Die Cuts

These just might be the easiest Thanksgiving decorations ever! You can often find them at thrift stores starting around the end of September (usually around the same time you're scouring the aisles for vintage Halloween items). Or if you'd like to buy several at a time, you can purchase them in lots on eBay or Etsy. Look for brand names like Beistle, Eureka, and Hallmark.

And the best part about these decorations is that the honeycomb pieces fold flat for storage, but they make a big impact when grouped together for a display. I've displayed them here with some hodgepodge Pyrex bowls (that will be filled on Thanksgiving day with side dishes).

Here are some close-ups of these vintage Thanksgiving decorations. The adults in your group will surely appreciate the nostalgia of these decorations, and the kiddos will love the bright colors.

Vintage Linens

The other items I always use for Thanksgiving decorations are vintage linens. 

The majority of these heirloom aprons were handmade by The Harris Sisters' Grandma Elizabeth, and a few of them were handmade by our Mama. They, too, provide a splash of color that mimic the turkeys. They are the perfect thing to display for a holiday that involves a lot of cooking. I usually keep these on display right through Christmas.

And the other vintage linen item that I add to my Thanksgiving display is a vintage tea towel that was a gift from Harris Sister Misty. While it probably didn't start out life as a Thanksgiving decoration, it certainly fits the bill with its prayer and harvest of fruits and vegetables.

The aprons adorn the upper left corner of our dining room Hoosier cabinet, and the tea towel is displayed on the countertop.

Because all of these pieces are vintage, you can find them at yard sales, thrift stores, antique stores, flea markets, estate sales, or maybe even your own attic. 

I hope this post gives you a few ideas for how to display vintage pieces in a new and different way for Thanksgiving decor. 

Sweet Potato Casserole (Without Marshmallows)

I have had and loved this recipe for YEARS!  It's a tasty sweet potato casserole that is perfect for this time of year.  And what's more, it's made without marshmallows, which sets it apart from many of its counterparts.   It's warm and sweet and special.  And it turns any meal into something special too.  

Sweet Potato Casserole

3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white granulated sugar
1 stick melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup milk
Dash of salt


Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup pecans, crushed
1/3 cup flour
1/4 stick melted butter

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease bottom of 9 X 13 casserole dish. Set aside.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine first eight ingredients, then pour it into your prepared dish.
3. Combine topping ingredients and sprinkle over the top.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. 

Note: 

The Harris Sisters have been known to double the topping for this casserole to make it extra sweet, just like us!  Either way, you will love this recipe!

A 1950s Thanksgiving Poem

As we prepare to celebrate Thanksgiving with our friends and family, today I bring to you a special piece of Harris family history. This poem was written by our Grandma Harris in 1958. This is a picture of Grandma Thelma and Grandpa Paul.

Daddy tells the tale of this poem once a year in our household - always around Thanksgiving because of the topic of the poem.

As the story goes, Daddy's sister (affectionately known as "Hootsie" or "Hoop" to inner circle family members) needed to write a poem for a school project. As parents are often known to do (usually when deadlines are looming as are bedtimes), Grandma Harris wrote this poem for her. The poem was submitted for the school project and won an award.

What I love so much about this poem is that it is a true step back into the past. What's truly remarkable, though, is that a poem that mentions God, a "country that I love," and the Golden Rule was the prize-winning poem in a small North Carolina school in 1958. 

Happy to share this piece of nostalgia with you today.

What to Wear Over Your Thanksgiving Holiday

With the big day just a week away, it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving.  We all know we have many plans to make.  We have to plan the menu, the shopping list, perhaps even the decor.  We meticulously plan how long each dish will take to prepare, what can be made in advance, who will be helping in the kitchen,  and who will sit next to who.  We plan what big Thanksgiving Day games we will watch on tv and when they all start.  So why wouldn't we start thinking about what we should be wearing on Thanksgiving? 

 

 

There may be more to this outfit than you think, depending on what your big Thanksgiving Day looks like.  For example, will you be helping in the kitchen? (or spending the entire day in the kitchen?) Or will you be showing up to Grandma's just in time for the turkey carving?  Will you be traveling?  Or at home? Is your family Thanksgiving more formal or more casual?

 

Once you boil things down to your basic requirements, you can start to build your outfit from there. Regardless of how your day shapes up, there are a few things that we should all agree on.   And regardless of what you plans may include, Thanksgiving is in fact usually a time when family gets together.  In many cases, you are seeing family you don't see all that often.  And at some point, someone usually pulls out a camera to document the festivities.  You will want to look nice  for photos and of course for your family too.  

 

  

1. Comfort is key.  And while comfort is always important, I rarely say that comfort should come first when it comes to fashion.  However, the Thanksgiving holiday is in fact, an exception.  I mean the day basically revolves around cooking and eating, and then cooking and eating some more, which doesn't exactly lend itself to restrictive uncomfortable clothing choices.  However one should never confuse comfortable clothing choices for sloppy ones.  It is still very easy to create a cute and cozy ensemble that will have you looking well put together without sacrificing comfort.

 

 

2.  Jewel tones are a perfect choice.  These are the deep rich autumnal tones that line up so perfectly with the season, and are almost always universally flattering.   And let's face it, with a day dedicated to eating, you don't want to risk spots and stains on your lighter colored frocks.  Skip the bright reds, greens, and sparkle for now.  The holiday season is just beginning and there will be plenty of time for those closer to December.

 

 

3.  When in doubt, start by keeping it simple.  But remember, simple doesn't have to be boring.  Add interest to your outfit with some great accessories.  Gold toned jewelry will complement your jeweled toned pieces nicely.  Add a beautiful scarf or a vest.  

 

 

4.  Remember, there's more to dress for than just Thanksgiving Day itself.  There's also perhaps a travel day (or two), Black Friday, maybe a weekend get-together with friends...  Apply similar rules, keeping in mind what your activities will entail.

  

 

I hope this gives you a few good ideas for your upcoming Thanksgiving.

Whatever you choose, make it fun and festive, just like the holiday itself!  Cheers to a wonderful Thanksgiving to you all! 

Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup

Thanksgiving is less than 2 weeks away. Have you made plans for the holiday yet? If you're like many of us, you might even be celebrating more than once. And as lucky and thankful as we are to have such an abundance of opportunities to celebrate, sometimes you just need some help getting it all together.

Now, I know I have my favorite recipes that are tried and true, and they are family favorites that we will make every year. But! What about those events that you're attending and you're just asked to bring a side or a dessert? Would you like to try something new? 

Well this list is for you! It's a roundup of The Harris Sisters' taste-tested and kid- and husband-approved, never-fail recipes that you can try too. They are simple to make and you'll just leave your family and friends amazed at your cooking or baking prowess! ;-)

Appetizers

These recipes are sure to keep your family and friends from staring blankly at you (stomachs growling) while you finish preparing the day's main meal. ;-)

• Tomato Basil Bruschetta
• Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms
• Pineapple Marmalade Brie

Breads

Man cannot live by bread alone, but these particular recipes might have a few guests trying to prove that old saying wrong.

• Sweet Honey Cornbread
• Old-Fashioned Cornbread
• Sweet Potato Pecan Bread
• Super Moist Pumpkin Bread

Sides

These sides are sure to impress. They'll fit right in among the sweet potatoes and corn, but they'll offer you're guests something new to try.

• Cranberry Cherry Sauce
• Garlic Roasted Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
• Black Bean and Corn Succotash
• Roasted Asparagus Risotto
• Garlic Roasted Green Beans
• Garlic Roasted Asparagus
• Rustic Au Gratin Potatoes

Desserts

You REALLY can't go wrong with Grandma's recipes. These three in particular were favorites in the Harris household and made appearances at quite a few holiday dinners. Hope you enjoy these!

• Grandma Elizabeth's Applesauce Cake
• Grandma Elizabeth's Coconut Custard Pie
• Grandma Elizabeth's Cobbler

Drinks

Toast all that you're thankful for with these seasonal beverages.

• Champagne Punch
• Crockpot Spiced Apple Cider
• Cranberry Pomegranate Sangria

Holiday Helpers and How-To's

Make this Thanksgiving the best yet with these essential holiday how-to's.

• How to Make Homemade Butter in 10 Minutes
• How to Make Dried Breadcrumbs
• How to Make Pumpkin Puree
• How to Dry Your Own Herbs
• How to Prepare Your Home for Holiday Guests

Decorating for Autumn: Thanksgiving Tablescape

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I felt like it was high time to share another tablescape with you.  And you got it- just in time for Turkey Day, it's my Thanksgiving tablescape for 2015.   Actually, the whole dining room transforms this time of year.  I'm talking pumpkins, leaves, and turkeys galore.  Here's the high level overview pic for you.  

And here's more of a bird's eye view down on the table itself.  

But as always, let's take a closer look at the details.  Each place setting has four plates at it.  I layer them because I like the look.  Too much of the turkey plates is overkill, but layered with my light aqua plates, now that breaks it up nicely and pulls it all together.  I also add our Irish linen placemats at each setting, along with a covered turkey soup bowl. 

Here's another look at the place setting in action.

And here's the centerpiece.  It takes up a good chunk of the table!  But I do love it.  Large varying sized candles, flanked with two huge hurricane globes at each end.  Add in some fall floral and a gigantic turkey, and there you have it.  :)

Here's a straight on photo of the centerpiece.  No room for food on this table.  No worries, we usually serve from the kitchen anyway.  It's a good thing!

 And just for my favorite father-in-law, who always (jokingly) complains of the lack of spoons around our house...  This is a vintage spoon holder.  I always point it out to him.  But seriously, I swoon every time I see it.  It's just so lovely.

Here's a look at our hutch all decked out for the season.  It sits in our dining room, and graciously holds my collection of vintage table linens and silver pieces, collected over the years.  It once belonged to my husband's grandmother.  Lots of love and history here. 

Here's another look.  Such a pretty piece.

And here's a close up of some of the items adorning it.  This cow creamer is new this year.  It's part of the Pioneer Woman collection that was recently launched this year.  I promise, promise, promise to tell you more about that soon, in case you still need details.  This particular pattern on the creamer is part of her "Flea Market" collection.  I loved the pattern so much to start with but when I discovered the name of the collection, I loved it EVEN more!

Since the table isn't fully set yet, I am "storing" my turkey shaped napkin rings in my vintage gravy boat.  Non-traditional, but I like the look.

Now for a vintage creamer.  This turkey shaped cream and sugar set once belonged to my mother-in-law.  She paired down her collection years ago, and these beauties now reside with us.

 More from our hutch...  Lots of floral, oversized acorns, and such...

This is the very first turkey I ever purchased.  Bought six years ago when we hosted our first Thanksgiving dinner at our house.  The décor was a little more minimal, shall we say, back then.  The butter dish in the foreground is vintage.  Add some seasonal gourds and this shelf is all set.

One more corner to share this go round.  I bought this ceramic pumpkin years ago, initially at Halloween time, but I've always used it as part of my fall/ Thanksgiving decorations instead.  The turkey platter is old.  We found it in an antique shop years ago.  The cow-shaped soup tureen is new to me as of this year.   I purchased her at an estate sale over the summer.  Now cows don't typically scream Thanksgiving, but the colors are perfect.  And I love her so much.  I was just waiting patiently to take her for a spin.  That's the fun part of decorating.  There are no rules.  It's what you like and what works for you.  And this works for me. 

2017 Facebook Live Thanksgiving Tablescape Dining Room Tour

For those of you who missed it when it originally aired, I've included the full Thanksgiving Dining Room Tour video.

Make sure to take a peek to catch the bonus Thanksgiving decor that we feature in the video. And you don't want to miss the tips and tricks for:

• layering new and vintage pieces to create a unique look in your home
• where to find vintage and retro looking Thanksgiving pieces
• displaying and grouping your Thanksgiving pieces
• how to fit roosters into your Thanksgiving decor
• and more!

And of course, we also have tips for Preparing Your Home for Holiday Guests or if you've been assigned a dish to bring to a Thanksgiving get together and you need a new recipe, check out our Thanksgiving Recipe Roundup. Make sure to pop over to check out those tips!

As I sit here typing this very minute, my little 18 month old babe is gobbling at me. "Gobble, gobble!"  There is so, So, SO much to be thankful for.  It's the little things.  Let's all celebrate this wonderful season with a heart filled with thanksgiving.  Here's to the happiest of happy holidays to you and your family!

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