Easy Baked Yams and Apples

I love the kitchen. Always have. It’s always been my favorite room in the house. When I was a little girl, my favorite chair was in the kitchen, the step stool with the cream-colored vinyl seat and back rest. You could pull the bottom part up and out to give you another step. Gave a nice bird’s eye-view of things. When I first moved out on my own, what was one of the first things I bought? That very same type of kitchen step stool (that I found at K-Mart). It survived a few moves but got severely injured in the last move a year ago when it was exposed to all kinds of contractor dangers. It’s still in the garage. Just can’t get rid of it. And the original still sits in my mom’s kitchen.

I’ve always enjoyed cooking alone. Very contemplative for me. But I also love the camaraderie of a partner in the kitchen. My hands can’t chop the way they used to – I probably wouldn’t qualify for a kitchen-knife-wielding license if there was such a thing. No matter…. a spouse, a family member, a friend usually shows up at just the right moment (with a bit of advance planning on my part). My good friend Glenda is most often the one who I can count on to help me around the cutting board. I am so grateful for that. It helps the culinary visions dancing around in my head become a reality.

In this case, a bunch of yams needed dicing.

Apples, too.

Add some cinnamon and brown sugar  – a little maple syrup already in with the yams.

Even if your hands are perfectly  fine, let a friend or neighbor in your life come on over and lend a hand. They may even end up staying for dinner. It’s a good way to bring the people in your life closer to you. In the end, the connection we make with those around us is one of life’s treasures. I’m so grateful for those connections – they enrich my life every day.

Happy Day of Thanks to All!

EASY BAKED YAMS AND APPLES

Ingredients:

Directions:

Grease a shallow baking dish. Toss apples and yams together with 1 T. of the oil, maple syrup and salt in baking dish.

Mix cinnamon, sugar and a pinch of sea salt in small bowl. Sprinkle over yams and apples. Drizzle remaining oil over the top.

Bake at 375° for one hour. Loosely cover with foil for the first half-hour, then continue baking uncovered. Pierce yams with fork to check for tenderness.

Serves 6. Recipe can be made in advance and can easily be doubled.