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Ah the holidays! A time for family gatherings, traditions, and of course good food! All my family memories seem to revolve around food this time of year, but unlike as a child, I’m actually now a bit more concerned about how much sweet things I consume this time of year. I’ve decided I need to cut back on my sugar intake again, but without giving up the things I like most – like pie! I tested out Splenda® in a Sweet Potato this weekend, and loved it! I think you will too.
What exactly makes this a family tradition? I don’t actually make Sweet Potato Pie everywhere, but I may very well start after this one. No this tradition stems from the recipes themselves. It all started with my Grandma. She made the absolute BEST pies I’ve ever had. She taught herself how while living on a Ranch and cooking for all the ranch hands. Every year for the holidays, Grandma’s main job in the kitchen were the pies. I’m still trying to perfect her recipe, because she had no recipe. Her two keys to me for a perfect crust were
- Always use Lard. Crisco is no lard – buy LARD!
- Mix with your hands. You have to feel the dough to know when it’s ready.
I’ve got the lard figured out, but getting the right feel is still a work in progress for me, and not something I can ever really share, because you just have to know what it feels like. I completely understand now why she didn’t have a recipe.
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 1/2 cup Lard
- Cold Water
- Using your hands, mix the flour and lard until coarse crumbles form.
- Slowly add a TBS of cold water at a time until the dough holds together in ball form.
- Form a ball, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Roll out, and place in pie plate.
- Bake at 375F for 15-20 minutes.
When trading our sugar for Splenda® you only use half the amount the recipe calls for. That makes me feel pretty awesome! Did you know that the average Amercian consumes 22 teaspoons of added sugar a day? That’s a LOT! In fact it’s triple the recommended amount for women and double for men. I’ve done a limited sugar diet before, and I can tell you it makes a difference! I had more energy, and overall personally felt better with the less sugar.
Check out the Splenda® Sweet Swaps™ Initiative for creative ways to swap out full sugar for Splenda® Sweetener products. Splenda® sweeteners can be found at Walmart.com
Lastly, our Sweet Potato Pie is topped with an oatmeal crumble. This recipe came from my sister in law. She makes a fabulous Sweet Potato Casserole, that she puts this on top of. Her son is allergic to nuts, so she made the exchange to oats and it is fabulous! When we combine the pie crust, sweet potato filling, and oatmeal crumble the family tradition is created.
- 1 prebaked Pie Crust
- 4 medium sized Sweet Potatoes
- 1/2 cup Splenda® Sugar Blend
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp Vanilla
- 1/4 cup Half and Half
- 1/2 cup Butter
- For Oatmeal Crumble
- 1/4 cup Flour
- 1/2 cup Oats
- 1/4 cup Butter, melted
- 1/4 cup Splenda® Brown Sugar
- Peel Sweet Potatoes, and boil in a large pot of water. When a fork can penetrate easily through the potato, they’re done.
- Drain water from the potatoes and mash with a fork.
- Add butter, Splenda®, eggs, vanilla, and Half and half.
- Mix well.
- Pour into prepared Pie Crust.
- Oatmeal Crumble
- Mix flour, oats, butter, and Splenda® brown sugar. Crumble across the top of the Sweet Potato Pie.
- Bake pie at 375F for 25-30 minutes
You can find Splenda® Sweeteners at Walmart in the baking aisle next to the sugar.
