Cautionary Tale from Elizabeth Warren: "Don't set the sweet potatoes on fire"

[Triana]

(sharing the whole thing since it was received via email to all on her mailing list, probably)

_ _ _ _ _ _

I buy all sorts of things for Thanksgiving that no one in the family eats much during the rest of the year. Jell-O for Aunt Bee’s special dish (she’s gone, but the green Jell-O salad lives on). Canned onion rings. Marshmallows.

I’d stopped doing the sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows on top, only to get protests from the family. I said I wasn’t going to keep making it. “You don’t eat more than a few nibbles, and I end up throwing most of it out.”

My daughter Amelia and son Alex dissolved into gales of laughter. “No, no, you’ve got to keep making it.” Even Bruce was in on the joke.

Finally they confessed why they looked forward to the dish. The last thing I do, once all the dishes are laid out and the turkey is on the table, is put the sweet potato casserole topped with carefully arranged marshmallows under the broiler, while everyone heads to the table.

And about half the time, I get distracted and remember the sweet potatoes only after the marshmallows have caught fire.

Amelia and Alex claim that, while they were growing up, that was the highlight of Thanksgiving: Would mom set the marshmallows on fire again this year? And, if I did start a fire, how exciting would it be? Would I scream? Would I set the kitchen towels on fire again? Would I carry the flaming dish to the sink while everyone rushed into the kitchen and yelled advice?

Every year, our Thanksgiving is a re-mix of traditions. Stephen adds Italian foods. Elise cooks fresh veggies with new sauces. Sushil added dhal last year. I’m not sure if a new tradition will pop up this year, but I hope it doesn’t involve fire.

I’ve been playing Blokus, a board game with Lavinia and Octavia, while Atticus, who just turned five, keeps running the siren on his new fire truck almost non-stop. We’ve also got a 1000-piece puzzle spread out, just underway. Maybe we’ll go for some non-food related traditions this time, but either way, I’m celebrating.

Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful. As I look around this morning at my own kids and grandkids, making new traditions and hopefully not setting the house on fire, I’m deeply thankful to have the opportunity to fight for families in Massachusetts and all across the country – and I’m thankful to have you with me for those fights.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours.

Elizabeth

[zazen]

1. as a regular kitchen fire-starter, this makes me feel better!

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. of the "smoke alarm is the oven timer" school.

[NV Whino]

2. Nice!

[Gloria]

3. Liz, Liz Liz...call me and I'll get your

Sweet potatoes straight...use the crockpot...wash don't dry, put in ungreased crock, put on HIGH, give them a few hours....no fire, just sweet and soft and yummy (fork test to your liking)..

Gives you more time to go after something....

[Demeter]

4. Yeah, some differnt traditions that SHE enjoys would be good

Mom should get some priority.

[eppur_se_muova]

5. Another reason to switch to pralene topping -- or at least marshmallow cream.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/15633/gourmet-sweet-potato-classic/

[Laffy Kat]

7. Yummers. nt

[1norcal]

8. Thanks Triana

Elizabeth Warren is the kind of Senator we need more of, smart, kind and energetic. A great woman...

[Snobblevitch]

9. Ok, I can doing this once,

but to do it every year?

[Chan790]

11. It's not surprising.

Marshmallows are mostly sugar and gelatin. They need to go under the broiler to toast...for all of about 20 seconds. It's the sort of thing you should probably do when you're not leaving the front of the range-top. The story suggests that she puts them in the oven, then starts carrying things to the table, then forgets them, only to remember about 2 minutes later when they catch fire.

Alternately, do what we did in the restaurant. Make the sweet potato sides in ramekins and then use the brulee torch to toast the marshmallows. I know people are going to say "...but who owns a brulee torch at home?" I'm pretty sure Liz Warren can afford a $29 kitchen torch, even if the sweet potatoes are the only thing it gets used for all year.

[Snobblevitch]

12. We have a kitchen torch.

(Ok, it's in the garage.) But I still can't see why anyone would do this more than once (twice?).

[azurnoir]

10. never set fire to sweet potatoes

just scrub em clean, trim off the ends, wrap 'em in foil and bake yummy serve with plenty of butter and a shaker of cinnamon sugar