During the fall season, there are many festivals honoring the diversity of crops grown in south Louisiana. One of my favorites is the Yambilee Festival held in Opelousas, Louisiana. During the festival, there is always a lot of music, dancing, and of course food---most of which has sweet potatoes featured. When I was a youngster, my mother always had a baked sweet potato waiting for me for my after-school snack. I liberally slathered it with butter and drizzled cane syrup over it and gobbled it up. I ate so many sweet potatoes my father called me Patate Douce (Sweet Potato). I still love them and have a collection of sweet potato recipes, which come in handy for Thanksgiving. I suggest that you stock up now with some of the yam products at cajungrocer.com. SWEET POTATO PUDDING

• Makes 10 to 12 servings
• 3 cups drained and mashed sweet potatoes (or one 29-ounce can)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup grated coconut
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup margarine, melted
• Pinch of salt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the sweet potatoes, sugar, butter, eggs, coconut, milk and vanilla. Pour into a 8x8-inch buttered baking dish. Combine the brown sugar, pecans, flour, margarine and salt until well mixed. Spoon the mixture over the sweet potatoes. Bake for one hour.