[Image: Grandma’s Pumpkin Pie. bonappetit.com]

At the fivezero homestead, no one—well, apart from the peanut—is a native born-&-raised Canadian, so Canadian Thanksgiving always sneaks up on us! But hey, it’s fun to have a day off and celebrate Thanksgiving twice (once again in November).

In any case, it’s fall, and I love fall! Any excuse to have pumpkin pie, sweet potatoes, and boozed-up cranberry sauce is A-OK with me.

The Sweater Weather Tag has been going around the blogs lately (the last one I read was by It’s Jordan Leigh), and since I’ve been slacking with the Tag Tuesdays, I thought I’d sneak this one in for the Canadian holiday weekend.

Favorite autumn candle scent?
Anything pumpkin pie-scented. I’m not a huge candle person, but I do like to head over to Winners/HomeSense and pick up a scented candle or two each fall/winter. I don’t know why I don’t feel prompted to do this in the other half of the year! Something about candles and coziness in cool weather, I suppose.

This is one I picked up last year (obviously I do not use candles enough!) and the scent is still incredibly strong:

Goes with the polish I just swatched, too!

Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate?
Mulled apple cider > coffee > tea > hot chocolate.

What’s the best autumn memory you have?
Picking up leaves on the way to school with my mom, when I was little.

Which makeup trend do you prefer: Dark lips or winged eyeliner?
Vampy lips, oh yeah!

Best fragrance for autumn?
I switch perfumes up a lot, but this fall it’ll be my newer acquisitions Narciso by Narciso Rodriguez and Coco Noir by Chanel, along with an old standby, Au Thé Rouge by Bvlgari.

Favorite Thanksgiving food?
Pumpkin pie! No, turkey with cranberry sauce! Argh, fight!

But seriously, the one thing I make in the fall/winter that always gets raves is a sweet potato bake. It’s dead easy, so I really should make it more often. I got the recipe off some recipe site years ago (sorry, I can’t remember the site, but it was originally called “Mom’s Sweet Potato Bake”), and I just pulled a lot of the sugar that it called for. The first time I tried it, I just gagged at the sheer amount of sugar in the recipe, and cut it down to 1/3 the amount. Some people just have a really sweet tooth, I guess. Here is my version below.

fivezero’s Sweet Potato Bake (de-diabetized from someone’s mom’s recipe)

Ingredients

• 3 cups sweet potatoes, cooked & mashed [about 3 medium sweet potatoes]
• 1/3 cup sugar [it was originally at least a cup! Come on, they’re already called SWEET potatoes!]
• 3 eggs [I use large]
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract [I use my homemade, rum-based vanilla]
• Optional: I like to add some cinnamon, too
• Optional: The original recipe included a topping made from:
  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar [OMG more sugar]
  • 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp butter or margarine, cold

  However, I never do this as I don’t want the additional sugar. The bake is sweet enough as is.

Instructions

In a mixing bowl, beat until smooth: sweet potatoes, sugar, milk, butter, eggs, salt, vanilla, and optional spices. Transfer to a greased 2 qt baking dish.

For the optional topping: In a small bowl, combine brown sugar, pecans and flour; cut in butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over potato mixture.

Bake, uncovered, at 325°F for 45–50 minutes or until golden brown.
[I have baked it at 350–375°F for 35–40 min and it is fine.]

What is autumn weather like where you live?
It doesn’t last long. It gets wintery pretty fast over here. This makes me sad, as fall is my favorite season.

Most worn sweater?
Gap’s V-necked Eversoft sweater, which I have in a load of different colors. They’re warm and machine-washable!

Must have nail polish for autumn?
A berry red like Essie Very Cranberry.

Football games or jumping in leaf piles?
Leaf piles as a kid. Football games as an adult…but only the type that you actually play with your feet. 😉

Skinny jeans or leggings?
Both, but I don’t usually wear leggings outside (if I do, I always make sure my butt is covered!).

Combat boots or UGGs?
Neither. Especially not UGGs, though. Eeeeh.

I generally wear cognac or black riding boots in the fall. I got a pair of gorgeous cognac boots last winter at Winners (some random Italian brand, Fabianelli) and I just love them!

Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?
Yes. I love pumpkin spice. Mmmmmmm.

Favorite autumn TV show?

What song really gets you into the autumn spirit?
The Monster Mash, by Bobby “Boris” Pickett & The Crypt Kickers.

Favorite type of pie?
Tied between lemon and pumpkin. How many times have I mentioned pumpkin pie in this post?

What do you think about Black Friday?
I love to shop sales, but Black Friday is just too stressful. I’ll do some online shopping, but I avoid going into actual stores. Canadian BF deals aren’t typically as good as American ones, anyway.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend to all the Canadians!