Sweet Potato Pie

  I've been trying to decide what to put as the first recipe on this blog. I'm from the South, so I wanted to do something Southern, first, and then go from there.  I can't take credit for this recipe. My grandmother, Eva Clenney, would cook all the time, and not really go by a recipe. She would use a dash of this and a dash of that. My mom and all my aunts always wondered how she did everything she cooked, from homemade biscuits to even sweet potato pie.  So this recipe is her's. From what I understand, my family took time to watch her as she cooked and wrote down guess-timates of how much she put in what recipe. My mom told me she followed my grandmother around on this recipe and took notes.  It definitely works for my mom, because she cooks great sweet potato pies, too.  So, they did pretty good on writing it down, and I know it works because I tasted it all the time growing up. I guess that's where I got some of my ability to throw things together and not always use a recipe, or sometimes stray from a recipe and make it my own. One thing I do, though, is write down the recipe after I throw things together, without one. So, here's the recipe that everyone's been asking me about, around here.  Just know that you can slightly vary the amount of the ingredients and spices to your taste. Very important to taste things as you cook, especially on this recipe. Hope you like the sweet potato pie!  For those who've never tasted a sweet potato pie, imagine a pumpkin pie only alot sweeter! :-)  No bitter taste with sweet potato pies! :-)  Well, here's the recipe, below, and have fun cooking! :-)

Sweet Potato Pie
4 cups cooked sweet potatoes
4 eggs
1 stick of butter
3 cups of sugar
1 tsp of vanilla flavoring
1 tsp of lemon flavoring
1/2- 1 cup dark Karo syrup
4 to 5  8 or 9 inch pie shells, or make your own
*mix with 1/2 sugar, 1 tsp of cinnamon, & 1 tsp of nutmeg.
*adjust spices and flavoring to taste

Mix mashed potatoes and 1/2 of sugar, then butter and eggs. Beat well with mixer. Add
spices mixed with  1/2 of sugar. Add flavorings, then syrup. Pour into pie crusts, and smooth the tops with a spatula.
.
Cook at 350 degrees for about 30-35mins.

Makes 4 to 5 pies.