Sweet Potato Pie

Although I've been enjoying my book club for over a year now, I hosted one of our meetings for the first time this week. This month, we discussed Mary Ann Shaffer's The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Such a weird title. But, I have learned to trust absolutely any book my friend Missy recommends. I read it many years ago, and remembered loving it. I loved re-reading it as well.

To prepare for our discussion, I knew I wanted to plan a menu that would tie in somehow. (For example, I made coconut bon bons when we discussed Lorna Landvik's Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons.) The obvious choice was to make a potato peel pie. One site stated, "I warn you, it tastes like paste. The more authentic it is, the nastier." No thank you. Instead, I opted to make a potato pie. Sweet potato pie, that is. Mmmmm. It was my first time making one, and something I will definitely make again!

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes 
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions:
For the filling, combine first 8 ingredients. Mix thoroughly. Add milk and continue to mix. Pour the filling into the pie crust and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Cool to room temperature before covering with meringue.

Meringue: Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add sugar, beating until stiff and glossy. Spread over pie filling and bake for 10 minutes, or until meringue is browned.
Cool and serve.

Adapted from: Paula Deen 

Mimosa Bar

With a tennis team named Overserved, we always offer some kind of "special" drink when we host a visiting opponent. So far this season, you could have enjoyed Bloody Marys and milk punch. For our most recent match, however, my teammate Lynn and I set up a mimosa bar.

I first got the idea from Pinterest (of course). Sure, you will find some fancy and beautiful presentations in Pinterest Land that require matching milk jars, labels, and such. This version, on the other hand, is quite simple. I think it is perfect for a more casual setting such as a family get-together, tailgating, etc.

Lynn provided different variations of fruit juice by Simply: lemonade, orange, lemonade-raspberry, and cranberry. I provided two bottles of champagne. Typically, mimosas are made by combining equal parts juice and champagne. Since this is a self-serve bar, one would have the flexibility to adjust that ratio. No judging here! ;) Although we only offered fresh raspberries in keeping with the "simple" theme, you could certainly expand the fruit offerings to include orange slices, lemon slices, cranberries, blueberries, etc.

As soon as Lynn showed me her silver champagne bucket, I knew it would be the perfect match to one of my vintage tarnished silver trays I display above my stove.

I also used this mimosa bar as an opportunity to practice what I learned in my calligraphy class. Yes, I know. I still need more practice!

Unfortunately, we were able to complete only one match before the rain came. Under these conditions, though, the mimosa bar turned out to be the most perfect Plan B.

Adapted from: Sweet Phi.