With temperatures cooling down and the days getting shorter, we all know what that means, the holiday season is almost upon us.

When I was growing up, my family would always gather at my maternal grandmother’s house on Thanksgiving and Christmas. If one thing became synonymous with the holidays, it was her sweet potato pie.

Now, let me preface this by saying I don’t eat sweet potato pie, or many sweet potato dishes at all, but my mother and younger brothers did, and they vouch for the deliciousness.

It also seemed appropriate with the annual Harriet Gaskin Sweet Potato Giveaway taking place in West Point on Saturday, to mention a few recipes that involve the orange tubers.

As mentioned, her sweet potato pie was always a hit, and she made a point to make more than one for each gathering because just one wasn’t going to cut it.

I am not sure where her recipe came from, but I know she took pride in it.

It is worth noting that the recipe makes two pies since store-bought pie shells come in packages of two.

Another dish is roasted sweet potatoes.

The recipe for this is simple, and the most time-consuming part is the cooking.

I discovered I liked this dish while in high school. I was handed a tray with some on it one time, and I decided to give it a shot. I was surprised when I ended up liking it.

The sweet flavor works well in contrast with the roasted flavor.

The last treat I’ll mention is candied sweet potatoes.

I am not very familiar with this dish, but I do remember hearing about it a lot around Thanksgiving every year, so it felt appropriate to include it here.

GRANDMA’S SWEET POTATO PIE
Makes 2 pies

Ingredients
2 pie shells
3 pounds sweet potatoes
¼ cup butter or margarine
2 cups sugar or Splenda
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup milk
2 eggs

Directions
■ Peel and slice sweet potatoes and place in a pan.
■ Cover with water and boil until fork tender.
■ Drain and place in a mixing bowl.
■ Mash well with butter.
■ Add sugar and cinnamon and mix.
■ Add milk and mix until creamy.
■ Beat in eggs making sure everything combines well.
■ Pour mixture evenly into pie shells.
■ Bake at 350 degrees fahrenheit until center is set, about 50 to 60 minutes
■ A knife can be used to check pie. Stick it in the center, and if it returns clean, the pie is done.
■ Let cool well before cutting.
Slice and serve!

ROASTED SWEET POTATOES WITH HONEY AND CINNAMON

Ingredients
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling potatoes after cooked
1/4 cup honey
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions
■ Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
■ Lay the sweet potatoes out in a single layer on a roasting tray. Drizzle the oil, honey, cinnamon, salt and pepper over the potatoes. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes in the oven or until tender.
■ Take sweet potatoes out of the oven and transfer them to a serving platter. Drizzle with more extra-virgin olive oil.

Recipe courtesy of foodnetwork.com.

SOUTHERN CANDIED SWEET POTATOES

Ingredients
6 large sweet potatoes
½ cup butter
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt to taste
1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Directions
■ Peel and cut sweet potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick slices.
■ Melt butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add potatoes.
■ Mix sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Pour over potatoes and stir until well-combined.
■ Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are “candied” and tender, about 1 hour. The sauce will darken as it cooks.
■ Stir in vanilla just before serving. Serve hot.

Recipe courtesy of allrecipes.com.