Lizzie's Sweet Potato Crunch

Lizzie, Lizzie, Lizzie. What were you thinking? For the past 3 years, Lizzie has been lying to Kelaine and I. Lizzie jams the freezer full of microwavable dinners and frozen pizzas and swears up and down that she can't cook worth a lick. Liar, liar - pants on fire! We had a delicious potluck dinner the other night and Lizzie brought out a trusted family recipe that was the star of the night. This dish is amazing, fantastic, and all things wonderful in one big casserole dish. It is very sweet, which works because the rest of the Thanksgiving meal is quite savory. Smooth sweet potato topped with a buttery, brown sugar topping with crunchy pecans for texture. If you are looking for a last minute addition to your Thanksgiving table, this should be it. Thanks Lizzie! You are catering our next party, though...
Lizzie's Sweet Potato Crunch
Ingredients:
6 fresh sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 stick of butter, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
Crunch Topping:
1/2 cup melted butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup chopped pecans

1. Bake potatoes in oven at 350 for one hour. (Lizzie's mom says: The sweet potatoes are large and take a while. They are done when you can completely poke them with a fork.) 2. Allow to cool and then peel.3. Place potatoes in large mixing bowl and mash.
4. Mix in sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla extract and milk.
5. Cream together with sweet potatoes.
6. Spoon into large, buttered baking dish.
7. To make the crunch topping, combine butter and flour in a small bowl. Then add sugar and nuts.
8. Mix thoroughly and spread evenly over sweet potato mixture.9. Bake in pre-heated oven for approx. 30 minutes at 350 degrees or until topping is browned.
Tips: The sweet potato mixture may be prepared ahead of time and frozen in a casserole dish, tightly covered, for up to six months. Allow to defrost at room temperature before topping with crunch. Marshmallows can be substituted for the crunch topping if desired. If marshmallows are used, heat mixture in oven throughout before adding marshmallows and then place marshmallows on top and brown under broiler.