STRING BEANS AND POTATOES

Ingredients
2 pounds green beans, cleaned and *snapped or 2 (14.5 ounce) cans cut green beans, drained)
1/4-1/2 pound thinly sliced ham
10 small **red potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
water
salt and pepper to taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter

Preparation:
Place the ham slices in a large pot. Add about 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until ham is tender.Remove ham from pot and cut into small pieces.
Return to the pot and add the beans, potatoes and onions. Season with pepper. Add a bit more water if needed, but not too much. Bring back to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until beans are very tender, about 1 hour. (Cooking time will depend on the age of the beans.)
Taste the beans and add salt if needed but, since country ham is very salty, additional salt will probably not be necessary.
If there appears to be too much broth, cook on high without the cover until some of the moisture evaporates. Add butter to beans and stir until melted; replace lid and cook an additional 10 minutes. This will keep, covered, over low heat until serving.

Notes: If you use country ham it is a little salty.

* any boiling potatoes will work, Yukon Gold are great also.
**snap off the ends and discard them, an any diseased or browny parts.
snap them in half and wash

Green Bean Casserole

1 (10 3/4-ounce) can Campbell's Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon soy sauce
Dash ground black pepper
4 cups cooked cut green beans
1 1/3 cups French's French Fried Onions

1. Mix soup, milk, soy, black pepper, beans and 2/3 cup onions in 1 1/2-quart casserole.
2. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 25 minutes or until hot.
3. Stir. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake 5 minutes.

Makes 6 servings

TIP: Use 1 (16 to 20-ounce) bag frozen green beans, 2 (9-ounce) packages frozen green beans, 2 (about 16-ounce) cans green beans or about 1 1/2 pounds fresh green beans for this recipe.

WHATS COOKIN'

Today I am featuring my family traditional Thanksgiving Dinner recipe for our vegetable side dishes featuring fresh greens and string beans and a traditional Green Bean casserole for my daughter it her favorite.

CANDIED YAMS

Ingredients:
5 pounds yams (or sweet potatoes), peeled and cut to large bite-sized pieces
3 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter
1 teaspoon lemon juice
DO NOT ADD WATER

Directions
In a large pot over medium heat, place potatoes. Top with butter, cinnamon, vanilla,lemon juice and sugar, cover and simmer, for 35 to 45 minutes until tender. Gentle stir throughout cooking, until mixture is thick and syrupy. Mixture will thicken slightly as it cools. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Tip:
If sauce looks very liquid, removed the potatoes, as they are fully cooked, and simmered the remaining liquid with the cover removed until it caramelized and then poured it back over the potatoes.
DO NOT ADD WATER

Let's get COOKIN'

The side dish for your Thanksgiving Dinner. I hope you will try and enjoy some of my family favorite recipes.

This year the candied yams recipe is predicted to be the top side dish this holiday season, according to a Black Homeowner News poll. Yams are slowly becoming more common in US markets, the yam is a popular vegetable in Latin American and Caribbean markets, with over 150 varieties available worldwide. Yam are excellent source of vitamin A and a good source of potassium and vitamin C, B6, riboflavin, copper, pantothetic acid and folic acid. My first side for Thanksgiving Dinner will be my grandmothers famous candied yams

Sweet Potatoes or Yams is the question????????????

The true yam is a tropical vine (Dioscorea batatas) and is not even distantly related to the sweet potato.

Yams contain more natural sugar than sweet potatoes and have a higher moisture content and are generally sweeter than the sweet potato. The yam tuber has a brown or black skin which resembles the bark of a tree. The yams are darker-skinned and has a thicker, dark orange to reddish skin with a purple or red flesh, depending on the variety.

Sweet Potatoes are yellow or orange tubers are elongated with ends that taper to a point and are of two dominant types. The paler-skinned sweet potato has a thin, light yellow skin with pale yellow flesh which is not sweet and has a dry, crumbly texture similar to a white baking potato.

When buying yams or sweet potatoes, choose firm ones with no cracks or bruises. The flavor of raw potatoes might be altered if they're kept in a refrigerator. They should last for two weeks or more if stored in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place and handled with care. If the temperature is too warm -- above 60° F. -- they'll sprout sooner or become woody. Once cooked, sweet potatoes can be stored for up to 1 week in the refrigerator. Like potatoes.