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Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Kids on Food Book Review: The Gigantic Sweet Potato by Dianne de Las Casas & some Sweet Potato Pie

Happy Thanksgiving!  I hope you enjoy turkey day & that you have many blessings for which to be thankful... Salud!

photo credit
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Isn't it funny how in the midst of pie baking, bread rising, turkey brining, stock making, cranberries bubbling, apples smooshing, sweet potatoes baking, green beans casseroling...regular day to day life still wants to continue?  Sheesh.  I mean, people still expect to be fed and clothed and helped with their homework.  Sometimes they even want to sit down and read a book to you...or be read to.  So, take a deep breath and read a book with the kids.  Even better, read one in the spirit of the season!

The Gigantic Sweet Potato by Dianne de Las Casas is a fun little adventure into the garden.  Ma Farmer develops a craving for some Sweet Potato Pie that she just can't shake.  Unfortunately she doesn't have any sweet potatoes growing in her garden, and since she prefers  home grown food, she decides it's time to plant one.  With a lot of love and care, that sweet potato grows bigger than she ever imagined, and it took the help of many to pull it from the ground.  It demonstrates the fact that no matter how small you are, you can do anything you set your mind to!  The Gigantic Sweet Potato is a great story for younger kids...and it ends in the sweetest way possible...with a recipe, of course!  Ma Farmer finally satisfied that urge for some Sweet Potato Pie...and we added it to our Thanksgiving table.

A few thoughts from the kiddos themselves...
Sweet Thang:  If you try, you can do anything!  It was great.
Drama Queen:  That sweet potato was gigantic.  Oh look, there's a recipe!
Both: Can we make it!? (of the pie)
...pshaw.  Like they even needed to ask.  It was a bit different from my "usual" version of sweet potato pie...which includes Bourbon...but we liked it!  And it super easy to make.  Dump all of the ingredients into a bowl and let the kids mix away.  Pour into your unbaked pie shell, bake...that's it!  The kids had a blast making it and can't wait to share it with the extended family.
Ma Farmer's Sweet Potato Pie
“From THE GIGANTIC SWEET POTATO by Dianne de las Casas, illustrated by Marita Gentry © 2010. Used by permission of the publisher, Pelican Publishing Company, Inc. All rights reserved.”

1 lb. sweet potatoes, cooked and peeled
½ c. butter, softened
¾ c. sugar
¼ c. brown sugar
½ c. sweetened condensed milk
2 eggs
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 (9") pie crust, unbaked (my pie crust)

In a mixing bowl, mash the sweet potatoes.  Add butter.  Mix thoroughly.  Stir in sugar, brown sugar, condensed milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, and vanilla.  Mix until smooth.  Pour into an unbaked pie crust. Bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Serve warm with a large dollop of whipped cream.  Mmm, mmm, mmm.

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*Although I received this book free of charge to review from the publisher, the opinions in this post were all mine.  And Sweet Thang's.  And Drama Queen's.
KidsOnFoodGirlichef


Would you like to comment?

  1. Heather, I just took my sweet potato pie out of the oven! =) Great minds...

    Off to check on my apple.

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  2. that might be far away enough from baking for me to try myself.

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  3. Sweet potato pie...yum! It looks delicious. I hope you have a lovely Thanksgiving:)

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  4. Very sweet post and the pie looks simply grand. Of course you had to try the recipe. Happy Thanksgiving!

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  5. Sweet potato pie is one of my favorites! The book looks good too- this pie would be a fun classroom project. :)

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  6. Love sweet potato pie, it is different (creamier) than pumpkin and that is part of the charm. Nice post, thanks and Have a great Thanksgiving.

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  7. Happy Thanksgiving to you n your family Heather..
    Sweet potato pie looks beautiful!

    US Masala

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  8. I used to just love reading books like this one to my kids - and then making something from it - we did it a lot when I homeschooled, I need to do it with Sylvia now and again. Thanks for the reminder. I love anything with sweetened condensed milk in it - one of my all time favorite comfort foods (long story) I just want to wish you all a blessed and wonderful thanksgiving and to let you know I feel very blessed to have become one of your bloggy friends.

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  9. It looks like a fun book and a great cooking project to make the pie too. ;-)

    Happy Thanksgiving!

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  10. What a wonderful post to read first thing this Thanksgiving morning. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. Now let's go eat come turkey!

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  11. Heather, Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

    Come to think of it...I've never made sweet potato pie...need to get baking! :)

    Carmen

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  12. Wow a sweet potato pie...I ogle at the thought of it

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  13. Mmm a giant sweet potato...that sounds like my kind of book! Hope you have a great Thanksgiving heather!

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  14. delicious pie, especially for this time of year. happy thanksgiving heather!

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  15. What a gorgeous pie! I love your pie crust too.
    Happy Thanksgiving!
    Angie

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  16. i miss those days when my kids were little so i could read books to them... where did time go???
    i can no longer read to them but at least i could still bake this sweet potato pie for them..
    Happy thanksgiving!!!

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  17. I have a bunch of little ones in my life, and I'm always looking for new reading material. I would love to buy this for them and then make sweet potato pie! Thank you for sharing! I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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  18. Trevor gets excited about cooking like your kids. This book sounds like it is perfect for the little ones.

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  19. Don't ya love it when the kids get excited to cook something? Never had a sweet potato pie, but it does look terrific.

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  20. I am Dianne de Las Casas, the author of the book. Thank you so much for reviewing The Gigantic Sweet Potato. I love that you and the kids even made the pie! Now I want to bake some again too! Sweet reads and bon appetit!

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  21. Thanks Dianne for stopping by! Your book is an absolute delight for the little ones :D ...and me, too ;)

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  22. Sounds like a cute story and they pie looks dang good too :-)

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