A Side Dish for Thanksgiving.

November is in full swing and the time has come to begin thinking about our Thanksgiving menus. As for me, my family does something a little different on the fourth Thursday of every November. We have a family reunion. There's no traditional formal, sit down meal for us that day. It's been this way my whole life. And....I wouldn't have it any other way. I look forward to seeing my big family that day. I enjoy catching up with cousins that live hours away. I love eating the wonderful food that everyone brings. Let me tell you, cooking is one thing my family is known for. The buffet goes on and on and on. I always feel so bad at how full my plate looks when I finally get through the line. It's just that there's so much that I want to taste. Spoonfuls add up quick in that kind of environment. So that brings me back to the recipe for this post. I finished up a Bible study recently and our women's group met yesterday for a potluck lunch. I was browsing through some of my favorite food sites to get an idea of what to take and came across Scalloped Sweet Potatoes from tastykitchen.com. This site is also where the above photo came from.  And I thought that nothing screams Thanksgiving any more than sweet potatoes (well..except turkey). What I liked about this one was that it was more on the savory side. I really "dig" a sweet potato casserole topped with brown sugar, butter, and pecans as well as anybody, but sometimes it's nice to change things up. Here's the recipe: 2 lbs. Sweet Potatoes, 4 Strips Bacon, 1 Whole Onion (chopped), 2 1/2 T. All-Purpose Flour, 1/2 t. Salt, 1/4 t. Black Pepper, 2 Cups Reduced Fat Milk, and 1 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese ( I used an italian blend). Preheat oven to 325˚ F. Peel potatoes; cut into 1/4 inch slices. Place potatoes in a large pot of salted boiling water. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until just tender. Drain well and set aside. Meanwhile, fry bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp. Drain on a paper towel, crumble, and set aside. Add chopped onion to bacon drippings and cook until tender. Stir in flour over low heat and cook to a paste. Add salt and pepper. Whisk in milk and cook until mixture thickens slightly. Arrange half of the sweet potatoes in the bottom of a greased 11x7 inch baking dish (I also took the opportunity to throw a dash of salt and pepper over the potatoes at this point too).  Sprinkle on half of the crumbled bacon. Pour on half of the milk mixture. Arrange remaining potatoes, sprinkle with remaining bacon, and pour the rest of the milk mixture on top. Cover with cheese. Bake for 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender. If desired, brown cheese for 1-2 minutes under the broiler. This turned out to be a really delicious side dish. You can get a printable version of this recipe from tastykitchen.com if you'd like. Enjoy!