Friday Five – The Thanksgiving Edition

Happy Friday, y’all!  Can you even believe Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK!?!  I still have not wrapped my head around it…and we are hosting Thanksgiving at our house for 16 people!!  Yikes!  Say a prayer for me!

The next few days are probably going to be a bit crazy, so in case I am not able to get another blog post up before next Thursday, I want to wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!  This year I am especially thankful for you all!  You have been so supportive of my blogging venture, and your sweet words of encouragement mean more to me than you know.  I hope your Thanksgiving is spent with those you love, cherishing what is important in life – family, friends and good health!

So without further ado…let’s jump into this week’s Friday Five, which includes my holy grail Sweet Potato Casserole recipe just in time for Thanksgiving!

#1 – Woman in the Window

I go through phases where I read one book after another.  I’ve read three books in the past couple of weeks, and of the three, this is the one I would recommend the most (if you like mystery).  This one is definitely a page turner…several people messaged me on Instagram and said they had read it in one day!  I will say that the main character’s storyline bothered me – it was sad and depressing…not to give too much away, but she has severe anxiety/panic disorder and suffers from agoraphobia (fear of leaving the house).  There is definitely a big twist at the end that I did not see coming.  Highly recommend if you are looking for a new book to read!

#2 – Book Light

Okay, I may be a total nerd, but this is one of the best purchases I’ve made in a while.  I like reading in bed at night, but reading with the lamp on usually bothered my husband.  This little light clips right onto the book and has three different settings (it can be very bright – I actually only use it on the dimmest setting and it still works perfectly!).  This would be a great stocking stuffer for the reader in your life!

#3 – Sweet Home

Y’all – I am so obsessed with this new show on Bravo and I’ve only seen the first two episodes!  I love all things interior design and all things reality TV, and this is the perfect mix of both…plus Jennifer and Pumps are hilarious!  It comes on Fridays at 10pm – do yourself a favor and watch this one!

#4 – Carla Harris

Are y’all familiar with Carla Harris?  I was not until one of my sweet friends, Latonya, sent me one of her videos as a little inspirational nugget.  I set aside 18 minutes and started watching this video, and WOW!  WHAT A PRESENCE!  I could sit and watch her talk for days…and man, is she inspiring!  Everything she says is spot on.  Set aside some time to watch this video…you won’t be disappointed!

#5 – Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

(image c/o Pinterest)

In honor of Thanksgiving next week, I thought I would share a family favorite – my Aunt Shirley’s sweet potato casserole.  Now, there aren’t any special “secret” ingredients, and this could very well be the same recipe you might find on Pinterest, but I’ll always know it as “my Aunt Shirley’s recipe” :).  She made this every Thanksgiving when I was growing up, and I have been making it for Thanksgiving and Christmas every year since I’ve been married!  There is far too much butter and sugar in this, hence the reason I only make it at the holidays…and hey, that’s what the holidays are all about, right!?

Ingredients:

• 1 large can of yams/sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
• 1 cup of sugar
• 1/3 stick of butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla
• 2 eggs

For the topping:

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 stick of butter
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Instructions:

• Pre-heat oven to 300 degrees
• Mix together the mashed yams, sugar, melted butter, vanilla and eggs in a pot and warm on the stovetop until bubbly, then transfer to a 9×13 pan/dish
• For the topping, mix together the flour, melted butter, and brown sugar in a bowl until blended well, then sprinkle across the entire top of the casserole and then layer the top with the chopped pecans
• Bake uncovered for 35 minutes
• Enjoy!

That’s it for this week’s Friday Five!  Thank you for reading – have a great day and weekend!  XOXO!