Mum-mum's
   Sweet Potato Pie

Nikki Rausch

The women in my family are all accomplished cooks. From cakes to casseroles and soups to pies, they can do it all! My mom can cook, bake, and whip up a new recipe in an instant.

My Aunt Debbie (my mom's sister) makes famous Christmas cookies, pecan pie, and the perfect stuffing. Homemade cornbread is always on the menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas at my grandmother's (Mum-mum's) house.

Mum-mum's sweet potato pie is an old family recipe that has been passed down from generation to generation. Since it is a relatively simple recipe, and I'm not a very accomplished cook, around Thanksgiving and Christmas, I love to help my mom make it.

For as long as I remember, there has never been a Thanksgiving or Christmas where we didn't have Mum-mum's sweet potato pie. On my mom's side of the family, since my grandmother is from the South, sweet potato pie is a must for any big family gathering.

When I asked my mom where the pie recipe originally came from, she told me it was passed down from my great-grandmother. Apparently, my great-grandmother passed the sweet potato pie recipe down to my grandmother so she could use the recipe in a festival.

The festival, called Nationality Days, takes place yearly in Ambridge, PA (my home town). The purpose of the festival is to celebrate the mixing pot of nationalities in the small town. Every family would create a dish that was unique to their culture or ethnic group, bring it to the festival, and have a big potluck dinner.

The process for creating the pie is very simple. All you have to do is mix and pour. It's very quick and even the worst of cooks could master it. After the pie has been removed from the oven, just remember to let it cool, or else when you cut it, it will fall apart.

The pie is perfect for slices cut like a pizza. It's perfect for any occasion, any season. The pie is even freezable! It tastes great served plain by itself, but for those hot summer months, a dollop of ice cream compliments it perfectly.