If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It!
I was cleaning out the cabinet underneath my bathroom sink a few months ago and I came across a can of RAVE hairspray. YES, RAVE #3, the maximum control version!
I remember using it back in the 80’s when my hair was BIG, VERY BIG! We treated that stuff like it was liquid gold. I kept a can inside my car, inside my dance bag, inside my purse….there was RAVE everywhere because one could never have enough hairspray around to keep those bangs standing a mile high!
If by some chance I ran out, all I had to do was ask my friends and one of them would pull out a can from somewhere! That stuff was like spray-on super glue, so when my daughter, Sydney, needed her short bob to stay slicked back in a bun for marching band, I knew exactly what to use! Yes, they still make RAVE hairspray! Go figure.
High School Prom our Junior Year 1988
Melissa, Ginger, Jennifer & Jennifer
Last minute makeup check!
Try measuring the height of those bangs!
Luckily, these days, we have access to products that are better suited for my naturally curly and very frizzy locks. When I go to the salon, I know my stylist, Paul, has done his best to familiarize himself with the use of new products and techniques for keeping my hair looking young and vibrant....and I would like to think that I look at least ten years younger when I leave his shop. :)
Lord knows I need all the help I can get...this chick is not growing old gracefully! I am sure he prays a prayer of patience and strength right before each of my appointments! Paul has some serious challenges when dealing with my hair, but he handles them well! Why? Because he listens to me [which is key to making me happy] and he keeps up with the changes in the industry. Change is not always a bad thing.
Changing an already great recipe, however, is not so good. I love to develop new recipes. I love to tweak old recipes that have grown boring to me over time. I love to make dishes taste better….but why fix something that is not broken?
This Sweet Potato Pie recipe is one of those things that doesn’t need any changes! This was the first sweet potato pie recipe I used when I was just learning how to cook. I have used it every time since then. Why? Because, if it ain't broke, don't fix it!
This pie recipe is located in the Deep Creek Baptist Church cookbook, Our Country Kitchen Favorites, that was published in 1983. It was submitted by my Aunt Faye.
Aunt Faye doing what she loves, rockin' on the front porch!
Aunt Faye is a great cook and always had some of the best desserts around. I remember many childhood days sitting on the bench of the long farm table inside her kitchen watching as she made pound cakes, pies and other desserts. I am pretty sure she is the first person who explained to me why it is important to alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients when making a pound cake. It is amazing how much one can learn just by watching!
For years, she has organized a bake sale for the local fire department and I would be willing to bet that she has baked more cakes and pies than the bakeries in town. She doesn't cook very much anymore because her three girls have taken the reigns; however, I bet she can make this pie as well as her delicious pound cakes blindfolded!
Aunt Faye with her daughter, Tammy
Bake Sale at Gulledge Volunteer Fire Department
This sweet potato pie is creamy, sweet and always delicious! The original recipe calls for two frozen (regular size) pie shells, but you can also use the refrigerated pie crusts that roll out. I only make one modification to this recipe. I tend to go a little heavier on the vanilla because I love the flavor, but I am providing the recipe in its original form.
I know you will love it too!
