"yams" news and stories

As fall gets underway, do you know the difference between a sweet potato and a yam? The subject of much confusion, the orange-colored tuber that is often referred to as a "yam" is in fact, a sweet potato.

If you can believe it, there's sweet potato in this tasty treat.

Slashfood had the delicious task this Wednesday of helping judge the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission's blogger recipe contest. One of the finalists was this delectable cheesecake sweetie by East Village Kitchen.

The contest asked bloggers to come up with recipes that used sweet potatoes in new ways to encourage home cooks to get them on the table after the Thanksgiving dinner season.

Get the cheesecake recipe, see the winner and learn the difference between a sweet potato and a Southern yam after the jump.

Each Thursday, we round up a selection of tidbits from our friends over at YumSugar. Here's what they've got cooking this week.

• They answer the age-old question, what is the difference between a yam and a sweet potato?
• Earlier this week, we weighed in on Starbucks' new breakfast item, the Piadini. The YumSugar team has done an exhaustive taste test of all of their breakfast offerings.
• Dunkin' Donuts is offering up a recession breakfast special.
• Looking for a tasty and wholesome dinner? How about broccoli soup with cheddar toasts?
  
• Slow cookers are perfect for lazy weekends. Try this chicken and sweet potato stew.
• The USDA is now requiring country of origin labeling.

Source

• Be still my tastebuds! It's a pork-tasting showdown, to determine the best porcine rump.
  
• Recipes: Shellfish with Lemon Grass, Chili-Lime Crab Salad, and Smoky Pork Pappardelle.
• Ever wonder what exotic Japanese goods were worth your money? Check out this list.
• Many strong-tasting beers come with a big alcohol content. Not Brakspear Bitter.
• Yams make super-fast lightning bolts.
• South American wines worth mentioning: Chile's Terra noble Vineyard Selection 2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Santa Carolina Barrica Selections 2006 Petit Verdot, and Terra Andina Altos 2005 Syrah Cabernet Sauvignon, plus Argentina's Finca Flichman Expresiones Reserve 2006 Malbec Cabernet Sauvignon and Trapiche Broquel 2006 Malbec.
• Dig deeper and move beyond Vietnamese Pho.

Anyone who has eaten either Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with me knows that I hate sweet potatoes and love yams. I always thought this was weird because I assumed they were sort of the same thing. Now I know that's not really the case. And I've found one frozen turkey dinner from Boston Market (in stores, not sure about the restaurants) that includes a sweet potato casserole with a pecan topping that I've fallen in love with.

These folks are trying to make November Sweet Potato Awareness Month. The site not only gives a detailed explanation of what yams are and what sweet potatoes are, they also give some great recipes, including Sweet Potato Cornbread Stuffing and Sweet Potato Apple Casserole.