A Sublime November Morning!

Welcome!  Do come in, won't you?  I am so happy to see you here again! 

I don't usually do a blog post on two consecutive days, but I felt an incredible urge to share these photos I took this morning.  I couldn't wait till tomorrow.  I wanted you to see them now!

Last night, while I was in bed, I could hear the freezing rain bashing against the window panes in my room.  The forecast called for freezing rain and strong winds for most of the night.  When I woke up, I peeked outside the front door and it looked as if our car had been dipped in ice!  I had to warm it up for a good, long while before I could drive the girls to school. 

BUT now the rain had stopped, the sky was blue, and the sun was shining!

Can you see the tiny icicles that formed underneath the window? 

And the deep blue sky peeking from above?

The icicles are gone now; the sun has melted them away.

This is our crab apple tree in the backyard.  I love how the crab apples look with the ice melting in the sun's warmth.  Drip-drip-drip

One of our backyard bird houses

Lastly, I'd like to share with you a photo of our dinner table last evening...

On the table, you can see the crispy chicken I made last night.  I roasted it the same way I did in my previous post.  You can also see a dish of mashed sweet potatoes.  They turned out so delicious, that I just had to share my recipe with you.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

4  medium sweet potatoes (washed, and ends removed)

2 tablespoons of butter

2 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

pinch of salt

sprinkle of cinnamon

Wash and pat dry sweet potatoes.  Cut off ends, instead of piercing with a fork.  It's just easier that way.  Wrap each sweet potato in aluminum foil and place on a cookie sheet.  I roasted mine in a preheated 350 degree F oven (while roasting the chicken) for 1 hour.  Remove the potatoes when you can easily pierce them with a fork and they are nice and soft. 

Unwrap the foil and carefully peel the skins off.  Put the potatoes in a large bowl and mash them with a potato masher.  Add butter and maple syrup.  Stir to incorporate.  Add a pinch of salt and a sprinkle of cinnamon (to taste).  I like mine with just a touch of cinnamon.  Stir with a large wooden spoon.  Place the mashed potatoes in an oven safe dish.  Cover with aluminum foil and keep warm until you are ready to serve them.  

I hope you enjoyed reading this post.  I wish you all a wonderful Wednesday!   And to my American friends celebrating tomorrow - Happy Thanksgiving!!  Love you all! xoxo