Berry Mallow Yam Bake

First week with two grandchildren. Earl Thomas is almost two — a toddler with opinions and a vocabulary that grows daily. Nadia is one week old — a newborn with needs and a silence that fills a room more than Earl Thomas's noise does. Two grandchildren. Two futures. Two sets of hands I will feed and two sets of eyes I will look into and two sets of ears I will talk to in the kitchen while the soup beans cook.

Made and delivered food to Amber and James — same operation as Travis: chicken and dumplings, breakfast casserole, soup beans in labeled containers. Connie's typed labels. My handwriting underneath, illegible and earnest. James said Craig, you don't have to do this. I said I know. I said I want to. He said thank you. I said you're welcome. The exchange was brief and honest and sufficient, the way exchanges between fathers and sons-in-law should be — no excess, no performance, just the food and the gratitude and the understanding that feeding is loving and I am loving you by filling your refrigerator while your wife heals and your daughter sleeps and the world spins on.

Chicken and dumplings and soup beans are the workhorses of a full refrigerator — but every delivery needs something that feels like a little extra, something that says celebration underneath the exhaustion. Berry Mallow Yam Bake is that dish for me: sweet and soft and warm, the kind of thing that reminds you the world still has good things in it even when you haven’t slept. I tucked it in alongside the labeled containers, Connie’s typing and my illegible handwriting, and I thought about Earl Thomas eating it with a spoon he’s just learned to hold, and Nadia someday old enough to ask for seconds.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cans (15 oz each) yams or sweet potatoes, drained and sliced
1 can (21 oz) berry pie filling (blueberry or mixed berry)
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces
2 cups miniature marshmallows

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 2-quart baking dish.
Layer the yams. Arrange the drained yam slices in an even layer across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Add the berry filling. Spoon the berry pie filling evenly over the yams, spreading it to the edges so every bite gets some fruit.
Season and dot with butter. Mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together and sprinkle evenly over the berry layer. Dot the top with the small pieces of butter.
Bake covered. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes, until the yams are heated through and the filling is bubbling at the edges.
Add marshmallows and finish. Remove the foil and scatter the miniature marshmallows evenly over the top. Return to the oven uncovered for 8–10 minutes, until the marshmallows are puffed and golden brown.
Rest before serving. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving so the filling sets slightly and no one burns their mouth.

Nutrition (per serving)

Berry Mallow Yam Bake — Something Sweet for the Hands I Will Feed