Sweet Potato Casserole

Today was a very sweet day at school. A couple of weeks ago my wonderful 3-8 kids had the project of digging up the sweet potatoes being grown at school, then they bagged them up and sold them to teachers in our office. Of course I had to buy a bag, and since they worked so hard I decided to make them an American treat with the fruits of their labor: sweet potato casserole. Of course I never got around to it until last night, partially because I was intimated since I have never made sweet potato casserole before (and I don't have an oven). But I forged ahead anyway, using a recipe as a general guide but mostly just going by what I thought would be good (since I also lack any measuring utensils). I took my creation to school today and warmed it up in the microwave right before lunch to melt the marshmallows on top, and the whole teachers' lounge filled with the sweet smell of vanilla and cinnamon. All the teachers kept coming by and asking me what I made. Let me tell ya, they had a funny reaction when I told them it was sweet potatoes, orange juice, cinnamon, vanilla, butter, and marshmallows. Yep, I further confirmed the "crazy gaijin" myth. :) But everyone thought it smelled great, and I have to admit it did.
Then one of the English teachers went with me to the 3-8 classroom to present my gift and explain what it was and that it was made with their sweet potatoes. They were just tickled beyond all get-out and begged me to eat lunch with them, so the English teacher told me to stay there and she would take care of the other class I was supposed to eat with. So I ate with my wonderful kids and they all "oohed and aahed" and "oishi!!!"ed the sweet potatoes. It was a great feeling. Then one of the students scurried off and began working on a card, which they gave me along with a sweet little Christmas present. My kids in 3-8 don't really know romanji (roman characters), so the little girl, Yuki, used this little chart they have in their room, and you can see the results:

Here is my translation: "Ann-sensei, Oishi sweet potato. Arigato. Thank you- 3-8." Which also translates to "Teacher Ann, Delicious sweet potatoes. Thank you. Thank you. 3-8" :-D Oh my little heart almost burst with the sweetness of it all. I am so blessed through my kids.
In related news, today was my last day of school until January 11th. I'll miss the students and teachers, but boy am I ready for a break. This week has been crazily busy, and I will remain busy up until the day before I jet out of here.
Posted by Hello