Yam Casserole recipe for holiday meals

by T.C. Savage

Well, readers, you can't have missed that a big holiday is on the horizon! Thanksgiving is upon us with all its wonderful feasting opportunities. I am sharing a favorite family recipe with you for the holidays and hope you will give it a try.

I use a mix of 3 baking apples and use both yams and sweet potatoes to equal 2 lbs. and then we have a nice blend of flavors. It is sweet enough that I never put marshmallows on the top, but you can do so if you want. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Living Culture Archive: Julekage

by Nate Rafn | Living Culture

Holiday breads are of great interest to me. They represent important cultural traditions that should not be overlooked. A few years ago I wrote an article about holiday baking for Salem Weekly.

Here's a snippet:

"Baking is part science, part art-form, and part tradition. Recipes and procedures are handed from one generation to the next- from expert baker to the young novice; from mother to daughter; from executive chef to the line cook; and so on. We make Grandpa’s julekage the same way he made it, not because his recipe is perfect or because Grandpa was a chemistry major, but because that’s how he taught us." [Read Full Article]

This video, from Living Culture's 3rd season, features holiday breads from Cascade Baking Company, plus a visit with Bruce & Louise Rafn- my Grandparents.

Vote in our online poll.

With Thanksgiving coming in just a few short weeks, we were curious how our readers and viewers felt about it. We came up with a few questions to get a feel for how people choose to celebrate the holiday.

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Backyard chickens in Salt Lake City, Utah.

My sister, Elaina, called me on the phone yesterday to announce the arrival of three chickens at her Salt Lake City home. She and her husband, Matt, have talked about raising chickens for a while now. They just moved to the chicken-friendly capital city of Utah, and decided to give it a try.

 Elaina and Matt also have three children, Ethan, Aurora, and Emmeline, who are excited about the opportunity to learn about chickens and keep them as pets.

I asked Elaina to send me some photographs of the chickens via email. Here is her amusing response as she describes this new dynamic, adding livestock to the family:

"I'll take more photos once the coop is in.  The white Brahma in the corner, behind the chain link, stays there much of the time. Matt's concerned that she is lethargic. She is Ethan's chicken. The Sussex (black/brown) is my favorite, though Aurora has claimed her. The all white Delaware is Emmy's. Now, I am a control freak. I don't like the names the children have chosen. We'll have to see what becomes of this. Emmy's is Vanilla; Aurora's is Cookies and Cream and Ethan hasn't named his. I don't like ice cream flavors for names!"

Ice-cream-flavored chickens in Salt Lake City, Utah.