I can hear my inner "Damaris Phillips" calling.

(And she's really freaking hungry).

I won't be spending Thanksgiving with Solae (she has to go with her mom and step-mom to her stepmom's family dinner). Since I won't be seeing her then, I wanted to see her now. Can you believe she's eleven (she'll be twelve in a couple weeks) and already like a foot taller than me? AT ELEVEN. Did I mention that I won't be spending the holiday with her?! BOO.

THANKSGIVING IS TOMORROW.

Remember when I told you about "Operation: Thanksgiving 2015" a couple of days ago? I was talking about what our plans are and that basically consisted of us getting together to eat an unhealthy amount of food? And then I listed out the things that Momma and I were responsible for cooking (you'll be happy to know that I remembered the fifth item was corn..... and by "remembered" I mean I had to call Aunt Poot for the third time and ask).

Well, Momma had a appointment with her podiatrist yesterday evening (by the way, her toe is all healed, say for a scab, and she doesn't have to go back until February!!) and while her, I and Aunt Poot were talking the subject of Thanksgiving came up (I know, shocking). I asked Poot if she was going to make sweet potatoes and she informed me no, that she loved them (we're the only two in our group that do), but she doesn't know how to cook them.

Therefore, I have decided to reach down deep into my southern roots (I.e. use a shit ton of butter) and make her some homemade sweet potato casserole with a brown sugar/ pecan topping. It's an old recipe of mine (I'm lying, I googled it and I'm going to adjust it to my own taste) and I'm really hoping that she'll like it (as in, it doesn't end up tasting like manure).

It calls for:

• 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes (who are we kidding? I'll use canned)
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

For the topping:

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 tablespoons softened butter (2- ha!!)
• 1/2 cup chopped expensive ass nuts pecans

And the directions sound really simple to:

• Put the mashed sweet potatoes (that I totally got out of the can) in a large bowl.
• Beat eggs, sugar, and 3/4 cup butter- Add milk and vanilla (blend well)
• Combine the egg and butter mixture with the mashed (canned) sweet potatoes and pour into a greased (yay!! More butter!!) 2-quart casserole (I'll use whatever I have on hand, because I know I don't have a casserole dish).
• Combine brown sugar, flour, 2 tablespoons (I reiterate- ha!!) softened butter and pecans- mix until crumbly and sprinkle over sweet potatoes.
• Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.

And after you do all of that you will supposedly have a sweet potato casserole so delicious that you'll want to eat the entire thing (plus the hands of anyone who dares touch your scrumptious plateful). I'm really hoping that it works out that way, because if it does I'm gonna be all- "Oh yeah, I just totally thought it up all by myself and threw everything together. No biggy." But if it's disgusting, I'm going to say- "I can't believe I spent twelve hours making this and the recipe was wrong, I should've known not to google anything." Which will be a lie either way, but I mean really, get over it.

Momma and I will go to the grocery store after I get off of work today to pick it all up. (Chris is letting me off of work today at 12:30- it's Chris, because Uncle Roger is out today and Danielle had a dentist's appointment and Chris is in charge- I ain't mad about it). I should probably pick up alcohol to. Not because anything I'm cooking calls for it. The only thing that calls for it is the chef- aka me.

Happy Holidays from me and mine!!!!! I hope you all are surrounded with love and warmth!!!!!
(Only I would put "scab" and "casserole" in the same post).