Holy SWEET POTATOES Bat man!!!!!

Ladies and gentlemen,,, I must confess I was shocked and amazed.


My mouth was drooling with delight at this lil culinary "surprise" Who would have thunk,,,

Sweet potatoes, chili powder and cheddar cheese in a corn tortilla combined with a few other yummies could meld together to form such a lovely and simple yet different dish

I must confess,,, I was a little unsure of including sweet potatoes in a quesdilla cheese format,, but I had some leftover sweet potatoes that were going bad and not enough cheese to make a full fledge quesadilla,, so as always,, I consulted my kitchen best friend,,, "Moosewood cooks at Home" and as always,, they did NOT let me down.



I HIGHLY suggest anyone with children try this recipe... As long as your kiddos like mexican fare.
It is packed with tons of nutrients that an otherwise bland and boring cheese quesadilla could not provide.
So open up your minds and give this one a try,, ( sorry for the sloppy pic,, didnt think the dish would be talk worthy so didnt snap a pic til after we had dug in,,,, )


"Sweet Potato Quesadillas" courtesy of Moosewood cooks at home "

1 1/2 cups Finely Chopped onion
2 garlic cloves,, minced or pressed
3 TBSP vegetable oil
4 cups grated peeled sweet potato ( about 3 potatoes )
1/2 tsp oregano
2 tsp ground cumin
generous pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

Corn tortillas
Sour cream
aute the onions and garlic in the vegetable oil until the oinions are translucent.

• Add the grated sweet potatoes, oregano chili powder cumin and cayenne and cook covered for about 10 minutes.Stirring frequently to prevent sticking
• When the sweet potato is tender, add salt and pper to taste and remove from heat.
• Warm a small frying pan up with a dash of oil
• Place tortilla on center of frying pan,, sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top,, add about one eighth of the sweet potato filling on the tortilla and top addl grated sharp cheddar chesese,.
• Place another corn tortilla on top and let heat on low heat til cheese starts to melt.
• Gently press the tortilla together with a spatula every few seconds.
• Once cheese appears to be meltin, flip tortilla over and brown other side,, Continue til cheese is melted and tortillas are melted together
• Serve with a dollop of sour cream to dip.

"Simple Happy Days "

Have you ever had a day where you just WANT to be happy. You yearn to find the simple things in life that TRULY make you happy.
If your ever wanting to find out where to seek true joy and happiness, you can see that in the eyes of a toddler walking and running through the leaves. A single leaf can bring a smile to her face. A single leaf can bring her happiness and make her mind fill with wonder and awe. Before the time hits when children are taught "learned' behavior and material desires ,,,
true happiness and wonder can be found in the simple things.

Like nature.
What a beautiful gift.

If only we all could run with abandon like children and think with unbridled amazement and awe. I have reached a point in my life where simple things mean SO MUCH MORE than the large material valued items that so many people seek to have. I find this joy and happiness in my children.
Yesterday imparticular I had one of those "Simple happy days" I wished I had my camera with me, as I like to capture these moments in picture,, but sadly I didnt. Hope my words can help eveyrone to envision what I was seeing this day.

Here is what I posted in my daughters journal.

Wathing you experience simple joys really truly make me feel blessed. You make me see life through a new set of eyes. It's like ive been blind all this time and watchng you makes me see how incredible life can be. Makes me stop and think and KNOW what TRULY is important.

It was a sunny breezy beautiful day today. Not a cloud in the sky about74 degrees
The sum was warm and the breeze smelled like "fall" , like grass clippings and drying leaves sprinkled with the fragrance of fall flowers. Falling leaves from the trees as we walked in the shades of yellow, red, green and orange.
We went to Hudson Crossing Park. I love to spend time with you in nature,. I watched you run through the grass, staying a few steps behind you. I watched you and I couldnt help but smile from ear to ear. As you ran , you laughed and giggled,, I think the sound and feel of the leaves rustling under your feet amused you. Every so often you would trip over a tree trunk, topple over, get your hands and knees dirty, you would sit there for a minute, look at the dirt on your hands, you wouldnt cry, you'd simply investigate the dirt on your hands, Turning your hands back and forth, back and forth. Then youd look up at me and say "uh oh" so Id come down and squat beside you,, and reassure you "its ok" just a little dirt and I would show you how to brush it off. Youd brush it off and getback up and keep running.

Every so often a brightly colored leaf would catch your attention. So you would stop and pick it up ,, some of the leaves from the old oak trees, as big as your head , you would hold it out to me and say "wow" ! ! !

On the way back to the car I spotted the biggest tree in the park. A tall stately tree that as far as trees go. could give the Sears Tower a run for its money,, it not only was tall but as it grew higher,, its branches spread wider as it embraced the sky and hovered over us like an upside down wedding dress. Its leaves were bright yellow and small and when the breeze blew they sort of "twinkled" . I said "WOW Lily look,,, she said "Wowo" SUNSHINE ! and blew it a kiss. Yes Lily,, it does look like Sunshine doesnt it ???

aaaahhhh if only adults could find this inner simplicity and happiness... Im working on it..