the Lala Co-founders Share Their Favorite Thanksgiving Family Recipes

Food

This post was in partnership with McCormick. To explore more Thanksgiving and Christmas recipes using McCormick spices, extracts and seasoning mixes, click here!

The words “family” and “tradition” have become synonymous with Thanksgiving. The holiday itself is centered around gathering with family (given and chosen) and eating vast amounts of delicious food together – many of the recipes being rooted in family tradition.

We teamed up with McCormick to rediscover lost family recipes that remind us of our Thanksgivings growing up. We love the idea of giving our audience an insight into our lives, where we’re from and what makes us who we are.

Molly’s Recipe

I was born and raised in Indiana. Yes, I am a corn-fed, “cow-tipping” (I swear, that doesn’t actually happen), midwest girl at heart. But at the age of 23, when the Lala was taking off, Katherine and I had the opportunity to move to NYC to advance our business. So I bought a ticket, packed my bags, and never looked back.

I always knew I wanted a change of pace after college – I loved my midwest upbringing, but knew I wanted to experience more, live in another part of the country, or the world, and broaden my horizons and perspectives.

But the thing is, my family, and a chunk of my heart will always be in Indiana. Which is why going home for the holidays is always a necessary and important reminder of where I came from, and the people that make that place so special.

When I think of Thanksgiving dishes, I think of my Grandma.

My grandma was born and raised in North Carolina, where she learned the art of cooking comfort food – real butter, lard, fried chicken, sausage gravy – all the good stuff. And at Thanksgiving, her deadliest, indulgent dish our whole family looks forward to is her sweet potatoes.

Most people view sweet potatoes as a side dish alongside their turkey, but I’ve always treated my grandma’s as dessert – smothered in butter, brown sugar and spices – I prefer them to pumpkin pie.

So in attempts to recreate her secret family recipe, or give an ode to it, I created my own version of “dessert” sweet potatoes incorporating pure McCormick vanilla extract, cinnamon and nutmeg, and have to say, cooking this dish myself and experiencing the results felt just like being back home in the midwest.

Ingredients:

2 eggs
1/2 cups milk
3/4 cups butter (softened)
1 can sweet potatoes (drained)
1 teaspoon McCormick Pure Vanila Extract
1 teaspoon McCormick Ground Cinnamon
Pinch McCormick Ground Nutmeg
1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
1 cup broken up pecans

Directions:

Place eggs, milk, half the brown sugar and half the butter in blender and blend for one minute. Add potatoes gradually and blend well. Add vanilla, cinnamon, a dash of nutmeg and blend. Pour into greased casserole.

For the topping, mix flour, remaining butter and remaining brown sugar in small bowl with a fork until crumbly, stir in pecans. Sprinkle topping over potato mixture and and top with more pecans if you’d like. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes, serve warm, alongside vanilla ice cream if you’re feeling wild.