The snow this morning was, as snow goes in the south, beautiful and disappointing. Regardless, even the smallest of a flurry shower can bring a stillness to the morning; one that I would love to fill with a cup of hot tea and a sweet bite for breakfast by the window. The early winter months can be so dreary with grey skies, biting wind, and early sunsets. I am no doctor, but I think having a healthy dose of sweets at any time of the day is good for one’s health this time of year. Which is why I’m going to share one of my favorite Tomato Head recipes with you: Flour Head Bakery’s Sweet Potato Pie.

First of all, you’ll need the ingredients:

1 ¼ cup sweet potato, baked, peeled and mashed

¾ cup sour cream

1/3 cup whole milk

3 egg yolk

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp nutmeg

1/8 tsp salt

1 – 9inch prepared pie crust

Next, you need to prepare the crust. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of the pie shell. Then line the shell with parchment paper and place pie weights inside of the shell. Place into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Take the crust out of the oven and set it aside to cool. Wait to remove the weights until the crust has cooled. Reduce the temperature of your oven to 325 degrees.

Now place the mashed sweet potatoes in a bowl large enough to mix in. Add the sour cream along with the milk and whisk until smoothly even. Add the yolks and whisk again so that everything comes together. Add the remaining ingredients in any order you choose, then whisk until everything is well mixed.

Pour your concoction into the pie crust and bake at 325 degrees for approximately 45-50 minutes. Look for the center to seem set. If you have a temperature measuring device, make sure the filling reaches 170 degrees. That will be your sign that it is ready to come out of the oven. Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool. Warning: it will be difficult to refrain from diving right into the pie, but for your taste buds’ sake, wait for the pie to not be piping hot.

Sweet potato pie is best served at room temperature, and in my humble opinion, by a window in the morning or with friends in the evening.

Good afternoon! Mahasti would like us to share the recipe from the most recent appearance on her twice monthly cooking segment, hosted by WBIR every first and third Saturday of each month. We think this is the perfect recipe for the beginning of fall.

The onions and pears in this dish lend a sweetness to your plate that balances the savoriness of the collard greens. You’ll also notice the arrival of those popular fall spices – cinnamon, clove and allspice. Besides being delicious, those three spices offer a few health benefits as well. Cinnamon helps prevent inflammation and regulates blood sugar; Cloves contain antioxidants; and allspice has anti-inflammatory properties.

Try this recipe at home and share your successes with us on Instagram. Use the hashtag #tomatohead so we can find you.

3 pears, peeled, cored and sliced

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground clove

¼ tsp ground allspice

1 tsp sugar

¼ cup onion, diced

¼ cup oil

8 cups packed, Collard Greens

½ tsp salt

1 Tbl Balsamic Vinegar

In a medium bowl toss pears with black pepper, cinnamon, clove, allspice, and sugar. Heat oil a large

skillet over high heat. When oil is shimmering add onions and pears and sauté for 3-4 minutes until

pears are soft. Add Collards and sauté for 1-2 minutes until the greens begin to soften. Add salt and

balsamic vinegar. Continue to sauté until collards are soft – approximately another 3 minutes.

Serve immediately as a side with Chicken or steak.