MARY BETH HEINE (Apex, North Carolina) shares that her grandmother, ELIZABETH WILLIS STANTON (Richmond, Virginia), was born and raised in Petersburg, Virginia, and was known to her grandchildren as Grandmommy. Mary Beth shares, “Grandmommy not only kept house, cooked, and took care of her aging relatives, but she was a partner in our granddaddy’s furniture store for many of the years of their marriage. She showed her daughters and granddaughters very early on that you can be a wife and a mother and also work hard at another job. Additionally, she was an incredible artist who painted in oils for most of her life until she moved to a retirement home and used watercolors to keep the odors to a minimum. While I didn’t inherit her painting ability, I admired that she used art as a creative outlet. Today, I sew and knit as a way of expressing my creative side while also working full-time in another field.” Grandmommy passed away in 2003.
Butter to prepare dish
2 large sweet potatoes
2 large eggs
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 whole medium orange
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter, melted
¾ cup milk (whole or 2 percent)
¾ cup walnuts or pecans, chopped
1 Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1 ½-quart casserole dish.
2 Peel, then grate the sweet potatoes into a small bowl.
3 In a separate bowl combine the eggs, brown sugar, sugar, and cornstarch. Cut the orange in half and squeeze the juice from both halves into the large bowl. Add the sweet potatoes to this mixture and stir well. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, butter, milk, and nuts and mix well.
4 Pour into the casserole dish. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until the top is golden brown and the pudding is set. Serve warm, plain or with whipped cream.
MAKES 4 SERVINGS.
NOTE: For variation, try adding ½ cup raisins and/or ½ cup shredded coconut before baking.