A Louisiana Treat

We are currently studying the state of Louisiana, and we recently learned that sweet potatoes (yams) are an important Louisiana crop.  They grow throughout the state and each year the city of Opelousas holds a Yambilee Festival to celebrate the harvest.

R loves baked or mashed sweet potatoes, but C is a picky eater and won't even try a bite.  Since he is a fan of pumpkin bread though, I figured a sweet potato bread would be a good choice for our Louisiana food.  I was right; everyone in the house loved the bread.  It tastes just like pumpkin bread.

This recipe is from the allrecipes site:

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Combine sugar and oil; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.
2. Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about one hour. 

Our information about the sweet potatoes came from the book P is for Pelican, A Louisiana Alphabet by Anita C. Prieto.