You'll be thankful for this sweet potato recipe

November is a month to reflect on all the things I have to be thankful for. This year it will be such a huge blessing to gather in person for our biggest family feast of the year. It happens to be my favorite holiday of the year, Thanksgiving.

Last year, the curbside option just didn't cut it. It just wasn't the same. No wishbone contest, no turkey liver for me and no brother-in-law jokes (AKA Uncle Brian jokes).

When I think back to my Thanksgiving dinners growing up, I don't know how my mom got it all done. There weren’t make-ahead directions on recipes as there are today. The women folk were skeptical of that notion. “It won’t be as good,” they said. So they were relegated to a 5 a.m. start to the day and cooked their way to exhaustion, but they loved every minute of it.

I remember Mom stirring the candied sweet potatoes in the cast iron skillet. I remember the flurry of activity; and she always managed to have it all ready at the same time.

Nowadays, with so many moms working, the shortage of time has forced us into looking at what can be done ahead. This sweet potato casserole is the perfect make-ahead side.

Here’s what sets this recipe apart from others: You don’t use canned sweet potatoes, and if using fresh sweet potatoes, for heaven's sake you don’t boil them. You cook the flavor and nutrients right out of the potatoes that way.

We must bake our sweet potatoes first and then mix in the other ingredients. The absence of water yields a much more flavorful casserole.

I am happy to have another of my side-dish assignments finished as I prepare these sweet potatoes up to the point of baking. I’ll pull them out the night before and bake them the morning of the feast.

I wish you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

Make-Ahead Sweet Potato Casserole

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Mail: You'll be thankful for this sweet potato recipe