Thanksgiving Recipes

Below I'm posting the two recipes I talked about I made on Thanksgiving. Both are very simple to make and very tasty! The first one is the pumpkin bar recipe I saw on my friend Ann's blog. The second one is for the sweet potato casserole. 

Pumpkin Squares 

Ingredients:

1 cup pumpkin 

1/2 cup oil 

2 eggs 

1 cup sugar 

1 cup flour 

1 tsp cinnamon 

1 tsp baking powder 

1/2 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt 

Directions: 

Add the dry ingredients in one bowl and the wet ingredients into another (I just put all the ingredients in one bowl). Slowly mix together and beat until smooth. Pour the batter into (1) 9 X 13 pan or (2) 8 X 8 pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. 

  

Frosting 

3 oz cream cheese 

1 1/2 cup powder sugar 

1/2 tsp vanilla 

1/4 stick of butter (4 tbsp) 

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together. Frost the cake after it has cooled and store in the refrigerator. *Note- I made a double batch of these and on one I frosted with the cream cheese frosting and the other I just put cool whip on top. They're both equally good I thought. If you want a little sweeter go with the frosting. If you want a little "lighter" or don't have time to make the frosting, go with the cool whip. Next up the sweet potato casserole. I really don't have a recipe for this as far as amounts of each item I put in, as I just throw the items in and mix it to taste. However for the purpose of posting this recipe I'll give you an estimate. You can always add more if it's not enough to your liking. 

Sweet Potato Casserole 

Ingredients:

5 Sweet Potatoes (Cooked) 

milk (about 1/4-1/2 cup) 

butter/margarine (about a 3-4 tbsp.) 

brown sugar (about 1/2 cup) 

cinnamon (probably about 1/2 tsp.) 

nutmeg (probably about 1/2 tsp.)  

mini marshmallows (top casserole with at very end) 

Directions: 

Boil the sweet potatoes until soft when poked with a fork. Approximately 20-25 minutes. Drain potatoes and let cool enough to peel skins off. Mash with potato masher and add the next five ingredients (NOT THE MARSHMALLOWS). Mix well and pour into a 9x12 (or whatever size casserole dish you have) baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and top with mini marshmallows (enough to cover top of casserole). Place under broiler long enough to get marshmallows toasty brown (I leave the oven door cracked a little and keep an eye on them because they brown very fast). Note- You can also add a small can of crushed pineapple (drained) if desired.