Thanksgiving week is full of so much emotion.
A born gratitude junkie, I LOVE stopping mid week and gathering with people to celebrate gratitude. I also love to cook for holiday meals! (My very-requested recipe for Jack Daniels Sweet Potatoes is at the end of this missive. You’ll thank me later!)
I’m also what you might call a sentimental sensitive. When we love, baby, we are ALL in. Sound familiar?
Gratitude For It All
Well, my family has attended more funerals around Thanksgiving than should be allowed. My cousin was murdered a few short weeks before Thanksgiving. My father died on the Friday morning after Thanksgiving. Two aunts left the earthly plane around Thanksgiving, too. (Hugely grateful not all in one year.)
See what I mean – much emotion this week. And nothing triggers our Chief Operating Officer of Control like a load of holiday emotions, high expectations of ourselves and a tinge of perfectionism. So I’m about to share with you the very tool I use and share with clients when the holiday hullabaloo of emotion and expectations ramp up: the art of Both-And / Yes-And.
Both-And Baby!
Learning to stand in Both-And allows me to feel my sadness AND experience my gratitude at the same time. This has made me more resilient.
It is a big deal to decide to acknowledge your disappointment around unmet expectations, or sadness about past holiday “stuff’ AND choose to enjoy what this year’s holiday brings.
The AND is where the power is. It opens the door to your inner resources. It inspires you to create fresh memories. It supports you to make powerful choices that serve all parts of you. And, it offers the salve to your inner sentimental sensitive.
By the way, several client conversations lately have centered on choosing to stand in both Healthy Choices AND Full-Out enjoyment this holiday season.
I invite you to stand with me in the Both-And place during this six week holiday season! Please share 
below in the comments your Both-Ands and gratitude!
I am passionate about coaching and being of service. When you spend time with me, your focus turns inward, offering you the space to exhale and recharge. Let’s connect and get the conversation going! Email me: cat@catwilliford.com
Love, Light and Gratitude for You,
Cat
And now, one of my most requested recipes!
Jack Daniels Sweet Potato Delight
- 2 large cans (40 oz each) Princella Yams in Syrup (or, if you are really industrious, bake your own!)
- 3/4 C butter or margarine
- 3/4 C Dark Brown Sugar
- 3/4 C Jack Daniels (or more for the truly Spirited!)
- Large Marshmallows
- Pecan halves (optional)
- 1/4 tsp Vanilla
- Several shakes of Cinnamon and Nutmeg
- 3 Tbsp Evaporated Milk, or 1/4 C Whipping Cream (I’ve been known to use Eggnog for this!)
- 2 eggs
Drain yams, reserving some syrup. Mash yams in a mixing bowl. I use a hand mixer to get a whipped texture. Add 1/2 of the softened (or melted) butter and 1/2 of the brown sugar. Add vanilla, beaten eggs, evaporated milk, Jack Daniels and spices. Mix until whipped. (If the mixture looks dry, add some of the syrup.) Spoon the mashed yams into greased Pyrex (or Foil) 9″ x 9″ dishes. (You can use a 9×13″, adjust cooking time slightly)
Cream the rest of the butter and brown sugar, then add a dash of flour (gluten free flour works great!) to make a “crumble”. Drop this mixture in chunks on top of the potatoes.
Bake for 30 minutes at 325 (with turkey, or at 350 for 20 minutes), then add pecans and bake for another 10 or 15 minutes. Add Marshmallows and bake until they melt and brown. (I usually add the pecans when the turkey comes out of the oven to set, and add the marshmallows when the carving starts!)
Enjoy!!!!!!!!!!!!!! In case you are wondering, yes, this is a vegetable desert!!!
Note: This recipe is a merging of different family recipes – taking the best of the ingredients I had a visceral “yummy” reaction to. There are no known nutritional percentages of anything, other than my proclamation of: Good for you cause they taste so darn good!
