Leah's Candied Yams

                                                

  

  Ingredients:

1. Yams

2. Brown sugar

3. Cinnamon

4. Marshmallows

5. Water

6. Vanilla extract

Steps:

1. Peel yams and then cut them into small pieces before pouring them into a pan

2. Pour 1 cup of water into pan the pan with yams 

3. Add a coat of brown sugar over the yams

4. Sprinkle cinnamon on top

5. Add the vanilla extract 

6. Mix the yams in the pan until all of the yams are covered by the mixture of the other ingredients and all of the brown sugar is dissolved

7. Make sure the yams are leveled evenly in the pan

8. Cover the yams completely with a layer of marshmallows 

9. Sprinkle some more cinnamon over the marshmallows

10. Cover in foil and place in the oven on 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour

Background

In my family it is tradition for the separate parts of my family to all contribute something for Thanksgiving dinner. For example, my mom would be responsible for making the pies while my uncle and aunt would bring the mashed potatoes and my grandma would cook the turkey. Then we would all bring the dishes we made and gather together at my grandma and grandpa’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. One of my favorite dishes that we would always have for Thanksgiving is candied yams, which is something that is only eaten once a year in my family as a part of Thanksgiving dinner. However, my opinion might be a bit biased since in recent years I have become the one responsible for making it. This started several years ago when I decided to help my mom cook for Thanksgiving. I didn’t know much about cooking at all so I mostly just helped out with some easy tasks. One of the things that I was able to help out with was making the candied yams. Then in future years I continued to help make it until it officially became my responsibility to make. At first it was difficult for me to take the lead on making it because when my mom gave me the recipe she did not give me any exact measurements. In her own words she usually just “listened to the ancestors” when deciding how much of something should be added. This made it hard for me to make on my own since I prefer to have precise instructions when doing something, but I eventually got the hang of it after making it a few times. So now I make it every year and do almost everything on my own from peeling the yams to putting it in the oven. The only thing I don’t do is cut the yams since I don’t have any confidence in myself when it comes to using a kitchen knife. Although I still don’t consider myself good at cooking at all, seeing my family enjoy eating a dish that I made encourages me to keep making it every year. To me this dish has become a reminder of the yearly heartwarming family gatherings that I have experienced and of time spent cooking with my mom.