Sweet Potatoes

Pat Colandro from Dundalk was looking for a recipe for a chicken dish with sweet potatoes and pineapple that she said was published some years ago in The Baltimore Sun. She said couldn't remember the exact ingredients, but the dish was a great way to get more fruits and vegetables into her family's diet. Maria Murphy from Santa Rosa, Calif., sent in a recipe from a cookbook called "Slow Cooker and More" that she thought sounded similar to what Colandro was looking for. What's particularly nice about this recipe is that the whole dish can be assembled in 15 minutes or less, and then the slow cooker does the rest of the work.

Everyone has hopes and dreams for their families. I thought I'd planned everything out perfectly. Up until recently, I thought I'd played by the rules. So how did this middle-class, college-educated, gracious woman go from a comfortable life in a cozy two-story house to a stressful, paycheck-to-paycheck life in an apartment? It didn't seem fair. I know - life isn't always fair. But I fancied that statement more when it didn't apply to my life. Don't get me wrong, I understand the mechanics of it. My husband and I went from two incomes to one when we went from one child to two in less than two years.

Shirley Doran of Queenstown was looking for a recipe that her mother used to make Sweet-Potato Puffs. They had a marshmallow in the center surrounded by mashed sweet potatoes, and they were rolled in corn flakes and fried. Rosalie Baer of Salem, Ore., sent in a recipe that she has used since the 1950s. Her puffs are baked rather than fried, which appealed to me for health reasons. Also, why mess with the deep fryer when oven baking can produce equally good results? Be sure the mashed sweet potatoes are completely cool before you try to form the balls.

Russell Brown, executive chef at O'Learys Seafood Restaurant in Annapolis, was in Today's Kitchen on Nov. 18 with Al Roker and Natalie Morales. The funniest thing happened. See, Brown is demonstrating how to make swordfish steak au poivre, and Morales notices that among the ingredients on the counter was white wine. So, Morales asks Brown about it, and then Al Roker makes it seem like Morales was interested because she wanted to DRINK the wine!!!!! You can watch this classic TV moment here . The Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy blog is running Thanksgiving Tips from the Stars -- here's a recipe for Brussels sprouts with pancetta from Chazz Palminteri, which you can try for yourself at Chazz: A Bronx Original in Baltmore's beautiful Harbor East.

I'm from North Carolina, love sweet potatoes and want to grow them in my garden. Last year I couldn't find any slips (what Northerners call transplants). Can't I just grow my own from sweet potatoes I brought up last year from North Carolina?Yes, you can. Sweet potatoes are just large storage roots, unlike white potatoes, which are tubers. You can grow slips two ways indoors. First, scrub your potatoes well to remove anti-sprouting chemicals applied after harvest. Then, cut a potato in half and suspend each half in a bowl so that the bottom third of the root is underwater.

Whenever I am invited to a potluck, I instinctively offer to make dessert, but recently, when a good friend mentioned that she'd like to have us over for such a supper, I volunteered to bring a vegetable. I did this because I was anxious to try a new dish one of my enthusiastic assistants had developed. The recipe was for a sweet potato gratin, which had been fashioned after a similar dish I had created using Yukon Gold potatoes and creme fraiche. My talented helper, Emily Bell, had replaced the white spuds with sweet potatoes, and used rosemary in place of thyme as a seasoning.

Ann Bailey of Pasadena asked for a "recipe for sweet potatoes in a syrup that makes them sticky." Her answer came from John J. Krawczyk of Las Cruces, N.M., who enjoys recipes and says he has hundreds of cookbooks.Krawczyk's Candied Sweet PotatoesMakes 8-10 servings6 medium sweet potatoes (about 4 1/2 pounds)1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar1/2 cup sugar2 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg1/4 teaspoon ground allspice3/4 cup pineapple juice1/3 cup light corn syrup2 tablespoons orange juice1/4 cup butter or margarine1/2 cup chopped pecansCook sweet potatoes in boiling water for 20-25 minutes or until fork-tender.

SWEET POTATOES are not easy on the eye. Their long, dark shapes and odd bumps make it difficult for them to win friends easily and influence palates.But like a lot of things in life, once you get beyond firstimpressions, sweet potatoes have a lot to offer. They may be bug-ugly on the outside, but in the right hands they can deliver sweet satisfaction.They are a difficult sell, especially to kids. The other night, for instance, when my wife served up a plate of sweet-potato french fries to our two kids, they turned up their Yankee noses.

Everybody raved about the sweet-potato souffle," writes Kristina Zaruba of Baltimore, who is seeking the recipe. She explained that she was visiting New Orleans and had lunch at the Piccadilly Cafeteria. "I was with 30 people and this outstanding souffle was served. Everyone raved about the dish. Thank you for your assistance." Virginia M. Peters of Winchester, Va., responded with a recipe and brief note. "This works great in a high-sided souffle dish," she wrote. Recipe requests Connie M. Granger of Arlington, Va., writes that she is looking for a black-pepper cake.

"Please help me find a recipe for Sweet Potato Pudding. My Dad always wants this pudding," wrote Mrs. Elvin Myers of Baltimore.Chef Gilles Syglowski chose a recipe from Molly Hagel of Baltimore. He noted that "this recipe called for fresh grated sweet potatoes instead of canned and it was a real fresh flavor."Grated potato pudding1/2 cup butter1 1/2 cups sugar2 eggs, well beaten3 cups peeled, grated, raw sweet potatoes1 1/2 cups milk1/2 teaspoon saltpinch of allspiceHeat oven to 350 degrees.

Pat Colandro from Dundalk was looking for a recipe for a chicken dish with sweet potatoes and pineapple that she said was published some years ago in The Baltimore Sun. She said couldn't remember the exact ingredients, but the dish was a great way to get more fruits and vegetables into her family's diet. Maria Murphy from Santa Rosa, Calif., sent in a recipe from a cookbook called "Slow Cooker and More" that she thought sounded similar to what Colandro was looking for. What's particularly nice about this recipe is that the whole dish can be assembled in 15 minutes or less, and then the slow cooker does the rest of the work.

The past is always with us in Baltimore. A native of this town once told me a sure sign that you are a local is when you give directions using landmarks of restaurants that used to be there. As in, "drive down Eastern Avenue until you go past where Haussner's used to be. " That said, CR Lounge still looks like Ixia. Those lofty ceilings, dark blue walls, gold-leaf columns dominate the decor. And when you are sitting at a table a little beyond the bar you think, 'Isn't this spot where they used to sell magazines when this place was Louie's Cafe and Bookstore?

Ronald Collins from Nottingham was looking for a recipe for making sweet potato biscuits like the ones his best friend's mother made when they were growing up on the Eastern Shore. Louise "Buttons" Bassett from Berlin sent in a recipe that she said was given to her by the late Betty Kelly , a longtime friend and native of Salisbury, on the Eastern Shore. She said that the recipe has never failed to give her delicious biscuits. I found that the biscuits to be denser in consistency then more traditional ones, but they had a delicate sweet flavor and a beautiful deep orange color.

Outdoors Girl grew up believing that sweet potatoes were glorified pig food and bear meat was an unchewable lump of greasy protein. Folks with a contrary point of view always said the dislike was directly tied to not having those foods prepared the right way. After much experimentation, she still thinks sweet potatoes are pig food, but the outdoors writer at the Cumberland Times-News turned her around on bear. Mike Sawyers counsels: For bear stew, all I do is use a packet of McCormick Beef Stew Mix, perfect for a Maryland bear since McCormick is a Maryland company.

Outdoors Girl grew up believing that sweet potatoes were glorified pig food and bear meat was an unchewable lump of greasy protein. Folks with a contrary point of view always said the dislike was directly tied to not having those foods prepared the right way. After much experimentation, she still thinks sweet potatoes are pig food, but the outdoors writer at the Cumberland Times-News turned her around on bear. Mike Sawyers counsels: For bear stew, all I do is use a packet of McCormick Beef Stew Mix, perfect for a Maryland bear since McCormick is a Maryland company.

Except for the salt and pepper, every ingredient Karen Albright will cook with this Thanksgiving comes from local farms, including her own. "We're having our turkey," said Albright, 43, who raises pastured birds and beef in Monkton. "Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes - we grew them. Apples from a local orchard. ... I took corn and lima beans and froze them in the summer to have for Thanksgiving dinner." And then there's the stuffing, the one menu item that lives by the rule "Don't ask, don't tell."

The people who were served Thanksgiving turkey-and-ham dinners at the Holy Cross Church hall in South Baltimore got an added treat.Helena Speicher's band played for them throughout dinner, offering such old-time favorites as "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" and "Rock-a-bye Your Baby with a Dixie Melody."Speicher's band features an electric piano, a violin, a clarinet and spoons. Several diners took spins around a makeshift dance floor. A woman who used a cane to get around refused to let her infirmity keep her from dancing.

Except for the salt and pepper, every ingredient Karen Albright will cook with this Thanksgiving comes from local farms, including her own. "We're having our turkey," said Albright, 43, who raises pastured birds and beef in Monkton. "Mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes - we grew them. Apples from a local orchard. ... I took corn and lima beans and froze them in the summer to have for Thanksgiving dinner." And then there's the stuffing, the one menu item that lives by the rule "Don't ask, don't tell."