Stink...and totally unrelated: Sweet Potatoes

Yesterday I got to work, walk in the office......wait. You need a little more information. I work at a church that is set back off the road around a very wooded area. We have tortoises nesting behind the church office (caught them doin' the wild thing a couple times...lol), squirrels all around, birds, etc. It's beautiful, alot like being in the mountains, without the elevation...giant oak trees, etc. In other words...it ain't no industrial park! Ok, back to my story...

I walk in the office and there's a smell. I'm standing there making a face and my co-worker walks in and says, "You smell that? Something died under the building." Eewwwww!!! It was pretty bad in my office, but her office was so bad it made your eyes water. At lunch I ran home and got one of those Yankee Candles...super strong smell (the good kind) and an air-freshener thingie. I put the candle in my office and the air-freshener in her office and in 10 minutes it was SO much better. Her office, on the other hand, was still awful! She finally went home to do her work, she couldn't stand it anymore. I don't know who's job description this would fall under for clean up, but I guessing no one because no one is doing anything about it. I'm dreading going to work today.

Oh...lol! While I'm home at lunchtime, I'm thinking maybe I might start stinking myself after sitting in the office all morning....so I ask Joey, "Smell me. Do I stink?" He gives me a sniff and says, "No more than usual." Nice.

RECIPE TIME! Here's my sweet potato recipe. Give it a try, it's easy and super yummy!

Sweet Potato Surprise
4 sweet potatoes, baked and mashed
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup margarine, melted (I always use butter)
1/2 cup milk
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Topping:
1 cup grated unsweetened coconut, dried or fresh (This is when I thought 'What? Are you nuts?!" I couldn't find unsweetened coconut anywhere in San Diego and I wasn't about to buy a coconut and grate my own...this is Thanksgiving not Survivor! I think it's easier to find here in Florida. I just used regular sweetened, grated coconut you get in the bag on the baking isle and it was great.)
1 cup pecans
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup margarine (Butter!!)

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the sweet potatoes, sugar, margarine, milk, eggs and vanilla extract until well combined. Transfer the mixture into a 2 1/2-quart baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients with a pastry cutter or your fingertips until crumbly. Distribute the topping over the sweet potatoes. Then bake the casserole for 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Serves 6-8. Enjoy!