I give thanks for this Yamtastic recipe, among other things

I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I hope that you find many reasons in your life to be grateful for this holiday and for life.

This year I find myself grateful for the support I received the past year and a half from my partner, friends and family. As I continue my learning process in graduate school, I am grateful for the patience, love, understanding and compassion that I have received over the semester from everyone. I have truly been blessed and feel honored to have the opportunity to attend more school and learn more about myself and the world. I am very excited to take what I have learned and give back to the community once I finish my degree.

I am also very thankful for good health and for life. I have recently heard about the death of one of my favorite English professors from St. Olaf, which has left me full of tears and speechless until now. I have thought about him and his family quite a bit over this holiday and his life has reminded me again of why we should be so thankful for each day we have here on Earth as well as the importance of being a good person. Thank you Rich Durocher for your passion and spirit and for sharing your gifts with the St. Olaf community, your family, friends and me. While you will be greatly missed, I have no doubt that you have touched the life of every person you have met, and I am thankful to have known you.

On a less spiritual and emotional note, I am thankful for a recipe that my friend shared with me this holiday. I cannot write about Thanksgiving and not mention food, right? :)

This year for Turkey Day, I was given the task of making sweet potatoes. Now, most people don't get too excited about this side. I admit, I was a little bummed that the only thing my mom could think of that I could make was the sweet potatoes--the dish that often gets left behind, the dish that people don't really care about. However, instead of just giving up hope on my responsibility, I decided to find a recipe with some flare to make people think twice about yams and maybe even go for second helpings.

The recipe I found was not your typical marshmallow-canned sweet potato concoction. Check it out on my my friend's blog, she calls it Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole. It was amazing and to die for if you have a sweet tooth, providing a sweet break between the bites of turkey and dressing.

To be fair, I must give a proper introduction to my friend. Her name is Liz and she has a fabulous cooking blog that all foodies should acquaint themselves with. She is a St. Paul local, runs a childcare center and teaches cooking classes to all ages. She is my go-to gal when I need to make something to entertain guests or family members. I have not been let down yet by one of her recipes, I assure you, you won't be let down either.

Also, to those readers out there, a big thank you for taking the time to read my blog. I appreciate your readership and thoughtfulness :)