A classic Thanksgiving dish with a twist

This year is a very special Thanksgiving for us, we are having over 25+ US Military Service Members in our house who do not have a Family to spend it with.  Thinking about my menu, I decided that instead of my usual red roasted potatoes, I was going to try something different for them,

"Roasted red yams with smoked paprika"

It is as delicious as it sounds!!

Here is the recipe:

makes approx. 6 servings

2 medium-large (approx. 3 pnds) red yams "Red Garnet,"
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil

1. Pre heat oven to 425 degrees
2. line your baking sheets with silicone liner or parchment paper.
3. Cut all the yams to approx. dice sized squares
4. in a mixing bowl, toss yams, oil, and smoked paprika.  
5. spread the yams evenly on your baking sheets and bake for 10 mins.
6. using a spatula, carefully flip your yams and bake for approx. 8-10 mins more (depending on your oven) 
7. Enjoy tender baked yams, while the outside is deliciously caramelized.

Serve as a side dish with your Thanksgiving dinner or any night of the week. 
Your Family will thank you!
P.S. You can also add a little bit of rosemary for an even more intense flavor!

I do the majority of our shopping at Smart & Final and I was able to buy the red yams for .49 cents a pound!
Other items on sale are:

1.  Farmer John Spiral Sliced Half Ham, Bone-In, Farmer John Logo @$1.99 PER LB.
2.  First Street 8" Apple or Pumpkin Pie, selected varieties, 24 OZ. @ $2.99
3.  Dreyer's Ice Cream, selected varieties, 48 FLUID OZ. @ $2.99.
4.  Pepsi or 7-UP,  selected varieties, 12/12 OZ., Limit 4 total @ 4 for $10 (+CRV in CA Only). 
5.  Crystal Geyser Spring Water, 35/.5 LT. @ 2 for $8 (+CRV in CA Only).

Do the "Smart" thing, shop at Smart & Final, for us it's our one stop shop for everything from food to tablewares.
Do you have any special meals or dishes you love to create around special occasions?

A wine & cheese party with a twist...

Although I have been a mom for almost 18 years, I am still not used to having my plans changed.   I mean c'mon, with 6 kids, and a Husband who has been deployed as many times as we have kids, you would think I would be used to being flexible right?

nah, that would be too easy!

In that sense, I planned a nice evening for a few of our Adult friends with a Wine & Cheese party, I did my shopping at Smart & Final.  I may be missing sleep, but not common sense ;)
I shop at Smart & Final a few times a week, the prices are very low, there is no membership dues, and they accept coupons!!!

So off we went to shop for our fun evening...

First thing's first right!?!?

We shopped for an entire Army, wine, cheese, snacks, food & snacks for the kids, and party supplies as well.
I was so excited, we spent way under $100!!!

Now, back to not being used to having my schedule messed with, guess what happened the morning of our Wine & cheese party?
My 8yo Daughter broke her hand during school, not a hairline fracture, we're talking about her wrist, broken :(

Let's say that she had the giggles from the pain meds ;)

SO, after being all day in the hospital, she didn't want to go home and go to bed, she asked if I could please not cancel the wine & cheese party, so we turned it into a "get well" get together for her ;)

We made another quick trip to Smart & Final, after all, Mommy was going to need some extra wine after this ;)
We bought shredded cheese and more supplies and we made homemade pizzas!

though it wasn't the day I had planned, it was nice to be able to relax at home after such a terrible ordeal, eat some good food, and enjoy some "happy drinks" ;)

We were able to do both shops for around $100!!!!
Is that awesome or what?!?!
So c'mon, do the Smart thing;

Shop at Smart & Final!

If you want to see our entire trip check out my Whrrl story

More check-ins at smart & final

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All opinions and suggestions are my own ideas, no other children were harmed in the planning of this party, said 8yo will be sporting a flashy bedazzled pink cast on Wednesday, thank you CB for sponsoring our shop.