Ok guys… it is officially my favorite time of year! It may not feel like it outside in this low-country humidity but I know the cooler weather is right around the corner and I cannot wait. Don’t get me wrong, I love summer especially since we live by the beach but there is just something about fall that does it for me. I enjoy running and it is near impossible to run in the summer months in the Charleston heat. I mean I do it anyway but not as often and when I do, I want to die. When fall rolls around, I can start running more and actually enjoy it. Lately I’ve been running around my neighborhood but that’s been getting pretty boring so I’ve been on the lookout for new spots. A couple weeks ago my husband and I discovered this trail that’s only 10 minutes from us. It’s called the Daniel Island Waterfront Park and the views are spectacular. I can only imagine how much prettier it will be when the leaves change colors. My favorite part of the trail is the long bridge that overlooks the Wando river.
My love for fall also probably has something to do with my minor obsession with pumpkin. Yes, I am one of those people that is a sucker for pumpkin spice things. Judge me all you want. So far this year I’ve had the pumpkin spice Cheerios, pumpkin spice coffee creamer and maybe even the pumpkin spice Hershey kisses… (I get them every year, I can’t help it). I also get in a serious fall baking mood. Almost always the first thing I bake is pumpkin bread. I try to make healthy, paleo, gluten-free versions but nothing beats the real thing. I did read an article recently that said the canned pumpkin you buy in the store is not actually pumpkin, it’s just squash.. and they can technically call it pumpkin puree because pumpkin is a form of squash. Seriously?? So all this time I’ve been making squash bread and squash pie?!? I mean I could’ve gone my whole life making squash pies and not knowing and everything would be fine.. but since I do know, I feel like it’s changed the game for me. I told myself from now on when I want to bake a pumpkin bread or pie I am buying a small pumpkin, roasting it and making the puree myself. I say that now but we’ll see how long I actually stick to doing that. Canned pumpkin (or squash I should say) is just so convenient.
Here’s the article I found, in case you’re interested-
http://www.shape.com/healthy-eating/canned-pumpkin-not-actually-pumpkin
I also should state my love for sweet potatoes, it’s almost up there with pumpkin but not quite. It’s crazy because I used to HATE sweet potatoes as a child but as I got older I started to branch out with my appetite and found out that I actually liked them. Honestly I probably vowed to hate them growing up but never actually tried them.. Now that I think of it I really can’t think of when I tried sweet potatoes as a child. I probably just assumed I wouldn’t like them so that’s what I told everyone. Man have the times changed. A few years ago I started making this sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving and I’ve been making it every single year ever since. My family basically expects it from me now and I am happy to make it! I love recipe traditions like that.. where you make something every year and everyone knows you’re going to make that one dish and they look forward to it. I mean the casserole is basically like dessert.. it’s loaded with sugar and butter and has a pecan and corn flake topping that’s to die for. But I have to say that these maple pecan sweet potatoes reminded me a lot of that casserole.. and it’s wayyyy better for you, obviously. I even considered making them this year instead of the casserole but I’m pretty sure there would be a lot of disappointed faces so I better stick to the tradition. So I hope these sweet potatoes give you as much satisfaction as they did for me. Enjoy!
- 2 pounds sweet potatoes
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel and slice the sweet potatoes into 1" thick slices and place on a pan. Be sure they are not touching.
- Melt the butter and drizzle on top of the potatoes. Sprinkle the salt.
- Roast for 20 minutes. Flip slices over and roast another 20 minutes.
- After the 40 minutes or when the potatoes are golden brown, pull them out of the oven.
- In a small saucepan, add the maple syrup and bring to a boil. Then add the pecans. Remove from heat.
- Pour the maple pecan sauce over the potatoes and serve.