Frank's Sweet Potato Pie

One of my favorite desserts is Sweet Potato Pie. My mom and grandmother would make it for me as a kid. We would always have it as a dessert during the holidays. I could never find anyone to make it the way grandma did, so I asked her for her recipe. Over the years, I've made a few adjustments to the recipe to make it mine.

Over the years I've brought pies into work to share with my co-workers and now the ask me to make some every year around the holidays. I always talk to people about making gifts special and unique to the person you give the gift too. Since my co-workers and friends like my pies so much, I started baking last night. I ended up making six pies. I wrapped the pies up this morning and attached a card with the recipe and a Christmas/Holiday card. I'm sure I'll still get requests to make the pies, but now my friends have the chance to make the pies themselves. For my family in Florida, I'll be there in a few days to make your pies!

I can't make pies for everyone, so below is a copy of my recipe. If you have any questions, leave me a comment. Happy Holidays to Everyone! I hope you enjoy your gift below.

Frank's Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients
4 large Yams or 6 medium/small yams
2 Deep pie shells or 3 shallow pie shells
2 Eggs
1 Stick of butter
1 Cup of sugar
1 Can of sweetened condensed milk
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
½ Teaspoon Cinnamon
½ Teaspoon Nutmeg

Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
- Peel and boil yams
- When yams are soft, drain and mash to a fine consistency
- Melt butter
- Mix butter, mashed yams and remaining ingredients together to an even consistency.
- Add mixture for pie shells
•- Bake for 1 hour or until pie crust and top of pie are brown.
- Eat warm or chilled

Golf in December?

Early this morning I received a phone call from my best friend Scott. He had two questions for me:
#1 "Are you awake?"
#2 "Would you like to play golf?"

We're having a rare "heat wave" here in Ohio and today's high was 65 degrees. Scott informed me of the weather forecast and I answered "yes" to both of his questions. The Painseville Country Club had a special for a one dollar a hole, so we golfed nine holes. I had a very "six-sesful" day. My final score was close to the temperature. I shot a six on almost every hole. I hit at least six trees. I "released" six golf balls back to their native environment after I saved them this summer. The orphaned golf balls were released in the woods, a bush or two and one disappeared in the mud near some geese. My score could have been better, but it was a fun to hangout with Scott, share a few laughs, and enjoy playing golf in Ohio in December!

Coleman Productions

About a year and a half ago, I was asked to work for the Coleman Productions. The Agency represents speakers and entertainers who mostly work in the college market. This weekend the staff and talent were invited to Cincinnati for a planning retreat. It was a lot of work, but we had a great time. The retreat covered company goals, employee training, mission statements, marketing and too much stuff to type about in this blog. There were a ton of laughs this weekend. When you place 8 entertainers and their agent in one room, the stories are priceless!

The group was introduced to Skyline Chili. The restaurant is famous world wide from what were told. Their specialty is the chili/spaghetti. The "chili" is made by putting spaghetti noodles on a plate and covering the noodles with chili and your choice of beans, onion and cheese. Good food! Be sure to click HERE for more information.

Here are some pictures from the trip:

All of the Coleman Speakers and our "Super" Agent Brooke

Everyone enjoying Skyline Chili

Me and my Skyline Bib. "Nice noodle!"

"Someone named a road after me!"

Kwanzaa

On Wednesday, Lakeland held a program to celebrate Kwanzaa. Kwanzaa is an African American and Pan-African holiday which celebrates family, community and culture. Celebrated from 26 December thru 1 January, its origins are in the first harvest celebrations of Africa from which it takes its name. The name Kwanzaa is derived from the phrase "matunda ya kwanza" which means "first fruits" in Swahili, a Pan-African language which is the most widely spoken African language.

I was asked to assist with the program and I agreed. 5 minutes before the program I was handed a speech. I was asked to lead “libation.” Libation is a time to honor our ancestors or famous African-Americans.

The program had dancers, drummers and informational speakers. The program was a lot of fun and the food was even better.

Here are the seven principles of Kwanzaa and some pictures from the program. Click on the title above for more information on Kwanzaa.

Umoja (Unity)
To strive for and maintain unity in the family, community, nation and race.

Kujichagulia (Self-Determination)
To define ourselves, name ourselves, create for ourselves and speak for ourselves.

Ujima (Collective Work and Responsibility)
To build and maintain our community together and make our brother's and sister's problems our problems and to solve them together.

Ujamaa (Cooperative Economics)
To build and maintain our own stores, shops and other businesses and to profit from them together.

Nia (Purpose)
To make our collective vocation the building and developing of our community in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness.

Kuumba (Creativity)
To do always as much as we can, in the way we can, in order to leave our community more beautiful and beneficial than we inherited it.

Imani (Faith)
To believe with all our heart in our people, our parents, our teachers, our leaders and the righteousness and victory of our struggle.

Woo Hoo!

Kelly came to visit me this weekend. She flew into Columbus. She landed as I was finishing up my speech. The ride back from Columbus is a little over 2 hours, so it was nice to have a co-pilot. This was Kelly's first visit to Ohio, and if might be her last after seeing the weather. Friday was cold, windy and rainy. The rest of the weekend was cold, windy, then snowy. Great way for me to welcome someone from Arizona.

When Kelly gets excited she says "Woo hoo!" Thats the way I felf having her in town. She was only able to visit Friday to Monday, but we had a great time. We hung out with my Best friend Scott, watched some movies, put up my Christmas tree, and she even brought me an ornament from Arizona to add to my tree. I'm hoping this will be the first of many ornaments we'll be getting for each other for Christmas.

While having a great weekend. The first big snow of the year showed up the morning Kelly was supposed to leave. A 30 minute drive to the airport turned into a hour and half trip and Kelly missed her flight. Awww, I got more time with her.

It was sad to see Kelly go, but we'll be together again in 3 weeks to celebrate the holidays (New Years). Going to visit San Diego for New Years, so I'll be sure to get some great photos up on the blog.


My Ornament from Kelly

The drive after the snowstorm. Nice job cleaning up the streets!

Me, Kelly and the Christmas Tree

Columbus Speech

I was in Columbus, Ohio last Friday to speak to a group of about 150 at the Ohio Farm Bureau Conference. The group was a lot of fun to talk too. They ranged in ages 11 to 17. There were some parents there too. I know they got a little squimish when I started talking about "first kisses!" I talked about "Making Relationships Matter." The lecture was about making good relationships with friends, family, co-workers and loved ones. Lots of laughs and lots of great questions. I have to say "hello" to the "Group in the middle of the room" and everyone who stayed after the program to talk to me and ask questions about my trip to Australia. For everyone who's asked to be my friends on Myspace...."Thank for being the Big Penguin!"

My 2006 speaking tour is over. I definately had a great time at all the places I visited. My schedule for 2006 is starting to fill up. I'll be sure to post my calendar on my Myspace page - www.myspace.com/frankkitchen

Here are some pictures from Columbus -

Picture of a someones first kiss! Do you remember your first kiss?

My room at the Columbus Hyatt...Thank you Farmers Burueau

Me and some of the students I spoke too. I feel short in this group!

Downtown Columbus from my hotel room. It was rainy and foggy.

Super Busy

A lot of people tell me I'm one of the busiest people they know. I've lived up to those words the last 10+ days!

I'm going to do what I can to catch all of you up. Be on the look out for several new blogs with stories and pictures or my adventures.

Adventure #1

Last Wednesday, my friends Rachel and Becca (sisters) invited me to the Cavaliers versus the Knicks. The Cavaliers lost, but we had a really good time. Rachel was house sitting and the home owner gave her tickets to the game as part of her payment. Club Seats. It was fun sitting with the "Rich People!" It would have been more fun to sit in the louge behind us. I always take my camera with me, so here are a few pictures from the game.


Rebecca (Becca) and I being silly..the game was exciting at this point!

The Scoreboard at Quicken Loans Arena. There is a stat on the board called "The Diff." It's for people who can figure out who is winning. A fan requested the team ad this to the scoreboard last year. Most people laugh at it!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Trip to Peoria

Veterans Day weekend I was in Peoria, Illinois for the National Association for Campus Acitivities (NACA) Mid-America Regional Conference. The conference puts college students responsible for booking entertainment and college entertainers under the same roof (convention center) for three days. Students get to watch the entertainers perform and the entertainers get to show off their abilities. The conference work out for both parties involved because the colleges can books acts at lower prices, and the acts can line up shows/performances.

I was there with my students, but I was also there to speak during the educational sessions in the morning and sell my abilities. Things went great and my speaking partner (Rodger) and I were able to line up some possible dates for 2007. The students really enjoyed our lecture and our promotional buttons and t-shirts.

Below are some pictures from the trip. If you are even in Peoria, be sure to stay at the Mark Twain Hotel. The hotel has great service and rooms. Click on the link below for more information on Peoria and the Mark Twain Hotel

Mark Twain Hotel
Peoria Travel and Tourism

Here are some pictures.




Bradley University Basketball Court
Peoria from the air!


Rodger and I with our Agent Brooke

Sadam Has Escaped!

Funny Picture someone e-mailed me!

1 Year Old!

My blog is one year old! This time last year, I started up this page. it is amazing how fast things go! I just got back from another trip, so I need to get my thoughts and pictures together, so be on the lookout for the stories and another exciting year of blogging from me!

"May the Force be with you!"

I walked into my office to a nice surprise today. There was a handmade Yoda statue on my desk. It had the following inscription:

To Frank: Thanks for all you do. Great Friend, you are. May the Force be with you.

It was made by one of the students who works for me. She's a big Star Wars fan. She gave the Yoda to me for helping her transfer to another school. My students know I like Star Wars, and a few are calling me Yoda. They say I share/give them a lot of wisdom and I'm hard to understand! lol

I was told that this is my "Yoda Award" for all the help I gave the student. This student is off to film school and I wouldn't be surprised to see her name up on the big screen in a couple of years. So, when she gets her Oscar, I'll be sure to look at my Yoda Award and smile.

Sometimes I wonder why I do the job I do, and on days like today, I know why.

Here's a pic of my award.

Wishing for a SNOW day!

Woke up this morning and looked out the window and saw what I'll see the next six months....snow! It wasn't enough snow to close work. A three day weekend would be so nice! Most my co-workers are just as bad as the students when it comes to snow and snow forecasts.....we wish for a SNOW DAY! I'll admit that the snow is pretty now, but after you clean your car off daily for months and see the "white stuff" constantly for weeks, it looses its luster.

So, while things are still "pretty" I decided to walk around campus (work) and take a few shots. These are pictures from the court yard at Lakeland. Notice how the leaves are still on the trees!

Happy Halloween

HAPPY HALLOWEEN Everyone!




This is the pumpkin Kelly and I carved in Arzona last week.

The Halloween Party

I work at Lakeland Community College and one of my job duties is to teach students about every aspect of event planning. One of the best parts of my job is when you see the students apply what I teach them. Sometimes the students learn a little to well or just have the skills and talents to pull off amazing things.

Last night my students held their 7th Annual Hallween Party. The first party had about 30 people, some food, a DJ and a costume contest. It wasn't anything to write home about......7 years later, the party ran from 6PM to Midnight in the Main Gym of the college. Over 1,000 people attend. Activities and events were going on all night...Indoor Laser Tag arena, photo booths, movies projected on walls, make your own music videos, costume contests, food and beverages, and the college radio station dj'ing the party.

Long night and a fun night! Here are some pictures of the party and the costumes!

Arizona Part 2!

Last weekend I took another trip out to Arizona. I went out to relax and see a friend who's become more than a friend to me. Her name is Kelly and we just "click" together! I keep my personal life and Kelly's life personal, so sorry no more details right now! =0 )

We both needed some time away from all the craziness of the "real world," so Kelly invited me to take a trip to Sedona. What a amazing place. Great place to get away and relax! We only had a day but got a chance to see a lot of the beautiful red rocks, canyons and mountains. I've only posted a few pictures, but there is a link to the Sedona website below. I can't wait to go back to see more.

The pictures below are from the trip, the Indian restaurant we visited , and a picture from the Casa Sedona Bed and Breakfast.

If you like Indian food and you get a chance to visit Sedona, go to the India Palace. The food was really good, the service was great and the food came SUPER fast. Here's some more information:

India Palace
1910 West Highway 89A
Suite 102
Sedona, AZ
928-204-2300






Sedona Tourist Site

Casa Sedona Bed and Breakfast

Airport Security

A lot of people are probably worried or clueless to what you can and can’t bring to the airport these days. Let me be the first to complain about how terrorism has made things more difficult when it comes to traveling.

Over the last 2 months, I have been in seven different airports. Each airport has a different set of rules when it comes to screening and carry-ons. This should worry people and the government.

My trips lately have been short one and two day trips. This means I just carry my bag on to the plane. When the terror scandal broke in London this summer that changed things big time for people like me. I hate waiting 30+ minutes to get my suitcase at the baggage claim. It takes too long and it’s difficult to find your suitcase in the sea of black suitcases found at most airport baggage claims worldwide.

I also try to avoid waiting in airports for 2 to 3 hours. That’s why I love the carry on bag. The problem for about a month or two was you couldn’t bring any liquids or gels past the security checks. Recently that rule changed and you could bring travel size toiletries in your carry on. The problem is every airport seems to interpret the rules differently. I had a couple of employees at one airport have a debate over my chapstick.

In one airport, I was to have my toiletries out for inspection. This seemed true until my one friend never unpacked his in Chicago. No problem with security.

Then I heard you’re not supposed to bring any liquids past the security point. I was in the Phoenix airport and watched a guy put a water bottle in his pocket and walk past security.

Then I’ve been told you can have 3 oz. travel size gels and liquids (toothpaste, lotion, eye drops, etc) in your carry on bag. Then another airport told me 6 oz were acceptable. Then I brought a 10 oz travel size lotion to one airport to only have it taken away at another airport. You have to love how everyone follows the rules.

The only things I can suggest are the following:

#1 Check your bag when you get to the airport and pack whatever you want. Be sure to put your shoes at the top of the bag.

#2 If you don’t check your bag, pack all of your liquids and gels in a clear zip lock bag. Be sure to pull the items out of your bag before you go through the security check. Keep the items travel size, under 6 ounces.

#3 If you plan on bringing any food or liquid to the airport or on the airplane, forget about it. They will only let you bring food or liquids on the plane that you buy from vendors behind the airport security checks.

#4 If the airline you're flying allows you to pre print your boarding pass at home, do it. It saves you a ton of time.

#5 Avoid buying a black or red suitcase, everybody has one!

Good luck with your traveling and be warned…every airport is different when it comes to security no matter what the government tells you!

Funny Signs

Here is my funny post for the week. I ran into these two signs in Arizona.

Happy Anniversary

Dick and Kathy Cummings celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary last weekend. They are the parents of my best friend Scott. They treat me like their second son. I was invited out to dinner to celebrate their 40 years together. Here is a picture of Scott, Dick and Kathy! Happy Anniversary! They plan on celebrating for the next 12 months. Part of that celebration includes taking a group trip to Las Vegas in April 2007.