Fall is also the season for one of my favorite foods----sweet potatoes, or yams as we call them in south Louisiana.

When I was in elementary school, my mother always had a warm, baked potato waiting for me for my after-school treat. Slathered with butter and drizzled with Steen’s cane syrup, those potatoes were the high light of my day. I ate so many sweet potatoes as a youngster, my father nicknamed me patate douce (sweet potato).

My love for them continues to this day.

Just so you’ll know, Louisiana yams have high energy value, and are rich in vitamin A and vitamin C. That pretty orange color of the potato is beta-carotene, which is also an antioxident that can offer protection against certain cancers. And despite their sweet taste, a 3 1/2 ounce sweet potato has only 141 calories, and contains very little fat and NO CHOLESTEROL! They're easy on the pocketbook, and can be baked, boiled, or fried, and can be used in an endless variety of foods from soup to nuts.

So here we go, here is a recipe for sweet potato pudding that is a great side dish to serve with pork, chicken and beef dishes.

SWEET POTATO PUDDING

• 2 (16-ounce) cans Bruce’s yams in heavy syrup, drained
• 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 butter, 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, butter and salt until well mixed. Spoon the mixture over the sweet potatoes. Bake for one hour. Serve warm.