Post Holiday

There should be term equivalent to hangover that relates to holiday food consumption. I have one lovely friend who refers to the teenage candy and pizza sleepover binge guilt as "sleepover gut". (Shout out Kare Kares!). This is what I feel like after a holiday. Like my guts got a workout of not-so-nutritious or moderate choices and I feel like crap. It's prob a combo of carb overload mixed with miscellaneous booze, excess sugar, and a lot of sitting around. It's adult sleepover gut, holiday edition. It's not like I'm forced into this pattern, but it has become a lethal family tradition over the years. Sit around, eat, sit around some more, eat some more, sit around a bit, go to sleep.

The fam had a great spread this year:

 This year my favorites included a spinach/cranberry/fat free feta salad and sourdough mushroom leek stuffing. Healthy options mostly!

However the family traditions always make it to the table. Even this demon, candied yams. We don't do the marshmallow thing, but that doesn't make it health food. Now don't get me wrong. These yams are ri-dic-u-lous. I always save room to eat one last, as dessert. They also make a great breakfast item. They've been on the table since I was a kid and they are going nowhere. As nutritiously devoid as they are, they are incredible.

Candied Yams

Makes one 9x13 tray of yams

4 WW P+ per one piece of yam (steep!)

Ingredients

• 4 large yams
• 1 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup light karo syrup
• 1/2 stick butter
• pinch of salt 
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Scrub yams clean
• Boil in salted water until skins slip
• Drain, let cool to handle and skin the potatoes
• Cut each yam into 4 even pieces and place in two baking dishes
• While yams are boiling, combine sugar, butter, karo, cinnamon, 1/4 tsp salt, and vanilla in a sauce pan over medium low heat
• Boil away for about 20 minutes until frothy and caramely
• When ready, pour over yams evenly
• Bake at 350 F for about two hours, removing every 20 minutes to baste the yams
• These can be made ahead of time and frozen. They reheat excellently. 

No, not healthy. But necessary, yes. The holiday feast would not be the same without them!