My New Favorite Vegetable

I never in the world thought I would be saying this, but these things are awesome. Sweet Potato Fries! Truthfully, I never really liked sweet potatoes, or at least not those mushy concoctions usually served in the Fall, around the holidays. But this year at our Thanksgiving Dinner at my SIL Donna's house, she made these yummy fries, and gave me the recipe. Now I usually make my own regular fries in the oven, so this wasn't too much of a stretch, and they're so easy, and you can do it a little differently every time. I would think that even kids would eat these - not MY kids, but you know, normal children... ;-)

Anyway, oven to 450, then take a sweet potato or two if they're small. Scrub them down, cut out the yuckies, and use a nice sharp knife to cut them into fry-sized strips. Then, toss them with a tablespoon or so of olive oil, and at this point, you can add whatever seasonings you want. I used a little garlic pepper salt, some cumin, and some celery salt. I think my sister-in-law used cumin and fresh thyme, which I was out of. You could also use just coarse salt and pepper. Turn them out in one layer on a greased shallow pan, or I just used my seasoned stoneware (love that thing!). Roast in the oven for about 20 minutes - check with a fork. No need to even flip them over. When you're ready to serve, you can adjust seasonings again, if necessary. Easy, easy and easy - and really tasty, AND, heaven forbid: HEALTHY!

On another note, I have to comment on the kids and all their toys. By the end of the day around here, it looks like this place has been ransacked. I'm not sure how it gets that way, but somehow, our main living area, the living room, is becoming a repository for every toy in the house. I try to designate "toy" areas, and have even started storing a lot of their toys either downstairs in our playroom, or in their bedrooms. If they want to bring them out during the day, fine, but they go back before bedtime. It seems now that as soon as the kids hit their beds at night, Mark and I are obssessed with picking up the toys, and removing all evidence of the short little people that live with us, so we can relax for the rest of the evening, and, more logistically, not have to worry about falling over something in the middle of the night and breaking our necks. And so it is with just a small feeling of guilt, that I say - why is it that my first glance at a completely "picked up" living room makes me feel so GREAT? Makes me want to snuggle down in my couch with a great book, and these days, by the lights of our newly decorated Christmas tree, and just relish the fact that, for the next 12 hours or so, our house is quiet, orderly, and kid-free. On that happy note, I'm off to the couch with my book - at least for a few minutes when I have to face reality again (the load of dirty pots in the sink, the mounting stack of Christmas cards, the unwrapped presents...). But for now, 15 minutes of peace.