Food Lust People Love

Sunday, March 15, 2026

Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams

Slightly sweet yet delightfully savory, these tender maple thyme hasselback yams are a wonderful (and pretty!) side dish for your holiday table.

Everybody makes a big deal of Girl Scout cookie season, and rightfully so, of course. They are delicious and iconic, especially the Thin Mints. But I daresay fewer people are aware of a Scouting America (formerly Boy Scouts) fundraiser that takes place in many councils across the United States.

I discovered the program a couple of years ago at a neighborhood holiday event where among the vendor booths there was a troop of scouts selling their branded Scout’s Own maple syrup. Apparently, if they live close to maple syrup country, scouts can attend “Sap Camp” to learn about and help with the production of the syrup.

Since I cannot say no to a young person selling something delicious, you know I had to buy a bottle. Scout’s Own maple syrup is lovely, dark, rich and just the perfect amount of sweet. I used it to make these maple thyme hasselback yams.

Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams

Growing up in the southern United States, we called these orange flesh tubers yams or occasionally, sweet potatoes. You can substitute your favorite sweet potato here.

Ingredients

3 yams

2 tablespoons olive oil

Fine sea salt

¼ cup or 56g butter

¼ cup or 60ml maple syrup

2 sprigs fresh thyme plus extra for garnish

Method

Preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Scrub the yams and trim the hard ends and discard. Place a yam in a deep serving spoon and use a sharp knife to cut thin slices in it, just down to the spoon edges. Repeat with the other two yams.

Place the yams in a tight-fitting baking pan and drizzle them with the olive oil, opening the slices to get a little oil inside the yams. Sprinkle with fine sea salt, trying to get some inside the yams as well.

Bake the yams for 30 minutes in your preheated oven.

Melt the butter and mix it with the maple syrup, ¼ teaspoon salt and the leaves from the fresh thyme sprigs.

Spoon the maple butter thyme mixture over the yams, making sure to get it in between the slices, inside the yams.

Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until the yams are tender and cooked through. Turn off the oven when you take the yams out.

Drain the syrupy butter into a small pot and put the yams back into the turned off oven to stay warm.

Bring the syrup to a boil over a medium high heat.

Cook for about five minutes until reduced and thickened.

Leave to cool for just a couple of minutes then spoon over the yams and garnish with tender sprigs of thyme. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

It’s Sunday FunDay and today we are sharing recipes with maple syrup ahead of Maple Syrup Saturday on March 21st. Many thanks to our host, Camilla from Culinary Cam. Check out the links below!

French Toast by Mayuri's Jikoni
Karawya with a Maple Syrup Drizzle by Culinary Cam
Keto Baked Chicken Legs in Buffalo Sauce by Sneha's Recipe
Maple Bacon Candied Walnuts by Amy's Cooking Adventures
Maple Bourbon Smash by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Maple Dijon Bacon Green Beans by Making Miracles
Maple Mousse by A Messy Kitchen
Maple Pecan Glaze for Scones by Sid's Sea Palm Cooking
Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams by Food Lust People Love

We are a group of food bloggers who believe that Sunday should be a family fun day, so every Sunday we share recipes that will help you to enjoy your day. If you're a blogger interested in joining us, just visit our Facebook group and request to join.

Pin these Maple Thyme Hasselback Yams!

Tuesday, March 10, 2026

Pecan Banana Bread Mini Loaves

These pecan banana bread mini loaves are wonderfully tender, sweet and nutty, perfect for breakfast or snack time. Eat all four or give some away as gifts!

Sometimes I like to bake precisely to give the baked goods away. It’s a great way to show friends and family that they matter to me and because I love to bake, making gifts allows me to do that without stockpiling.

That said, these mini loaves freeze beautifully so if you don’t eat them all or give them away, wrap them well in some cling film and pop them in the freezer for another time.

Pecan Banana Bread Mini Loaves

The foil mini pans I use for these 5 3/4 in x 3 1/4 in x 2 in or 146mm x 82mm x 50mm. They are technically disposable or recyclable but I do wash them well and reuse them. If you don’t have cooking oil spray, you can grease them with oil, using a pastry brush.

Ingredients

6 tablespoons or 85g butter

1 cup or 200g sugar

2 eggs

2 large ripe bananas

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cups or 190g flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup or 60ml sour cream

1 cup or 120g chopped pecans

For decoration: 12 pecan halves

For greasing the pans: canola oil spray

Method

Grease four mini loaf pans (see note above ingredients list) and preheat your oven to 350°F or 180°C.

Beat together the butter and sugar until they are fluffy and light yellow. Add the eggs, bananas, vanilla and salt and beat well until combined.

Combine the dry ingredients in a sieve and sift them into the butter mixture, alternating with the sour cream, ending with the last of the dry ingredients.

Stir well in between each addition to combine.

Fold in the chopped pecans.

Pour the batter into your prepared pans and decorate with the pecan halves.

Bake in your preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the little loaves are golden and a toothpick comes out clean.

Cool completely before slicing to serve.

As mentioned above, these make great gifts and also freeze well.

Enjoy!

It’s the second Tuesday of the month so that means it’s time for my Bread Baker friends to share their recipes. Our theme this month is bread with fruit! Many thanks to our host Swathi of Zesty South Indian Kitchen.

Pan di Ramerino (Rosemary Raisin Buns) by Karen's Kitchen Stories
Mini Apricot Cranberry Panettones by A Messy Kitchen
Pumpkin Apple Sourdough Loaf by Zesty South Indian Kitchen
Pecan Banana Bread Mini Loaves by Food Lust people Love
Apple Crisp Sourdough Loaf by Sneha's Recipe
Fig Bread by The Wimpy Vegetarian
Sourdough Blueberry Breakfast Loaf by A Day in the Life on the Farm
Oat and Raisin Quick Bread (Gluten Free) by Passion Kneaded

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on this home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

Pin these Pecan Banana Bread Mini Loaves!

Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Edamame Summer Salad

This edamame summer salad boasts pan-roasted edamame and sweet corn tossed together with tomatoes, cucumber, onion and feta, dressed with a garlic lemon vinaigrette. So fresh and tasty!

It’s been a while since Food Network was one of the channels I could watch on my cable tv list but when I was searching online for recipes with edamame, I came across one by Alton Brown on their website.

It sounded simple enough with edamame, corn and tomatoes but, weirdly for a summery salad, it wanted me to turn the oven on to roast the edamame and corn. Really, Alton? I don’t know where he lives but in the southern United States no one, and I mean no one, would turn their oven on to make a summer salad.

Because we aren’t crazy. And, yes, I know it’s March right now but it was already 80°F (26.6°C) yesterday so I’m still not turning my oven for this. Most unnecessary!

I did like the idea of roasting the edamame and corn for a little extra flavor and crunch though so a hot skillet seemed the way to go. And I decided to add even more summer vegetable freshness with cucumber. And carrots and jalapeño and feta.

This is the best kind of salad, the kind you can eat for days and it just gets better. Nothing that wilts! I've had it for lunch the last few days and I'm going to be sad when it's gone.

Edamame Summer Salad

I give my amounts for the salad ingredients but know that you can add more or less according to your tastes. Love tomatoes, up the amount. Not such a fan of cucumber, put less. Want to add some basil like Alton does? Knock yourself out. It’ll still be good.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette dressing:

1/3 cup or 80ml olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

2 spring onions, chopped (white part only, save green for salad)

1/2 teaspoon fine salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the salad:

2 cups or 280g shelled edamame

1 cup or 140g fresh or frozen corn kernels

1/2 cucumber

1/4 purple onion, thinly sliced

1 ½ cups or 210g cherry or grape tomatoes

1 ½ cups or 110g shredded carrots

1 fresh jalapeño - optional

3 ½ oz or 100g feta cheese

Reserved green part of 2 spring onions

Method

Combine the ingredients for the vinaigrette in a small jar or container with a lid. Close the lid and shake well.

In a nonstick skillet over medium high heat, sauté the edamame, stirring very frequently, until the edamame is scorched a little in spots.

Transfer it to a plate to cool.

Repeat with the corn.

Thinly slice the purple onion.

Put the onion in a large bowl and pour over three-quarters of the vinaigrette. Finely mince the jalapeño, if using, and add it to the dressing bowl. Press the onion and jalapeño down into the dressing to cover.

Cut the little tomatoes in half.

Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the watery seeds with a small spoon. Chop the rest.

Crumble the feta with the tines of a fork and slice the green part of the spring onion into small pieces.

Add the edamame and corn to the dressing bowl and toss well.

Add in the tomatoes, cucumber and carrots.

Taste and see if you need to add the rest of the vinaigrette. If not, store any unused dressing in the refrigerator for another salad. Garlic lemon vinaigrette is lovely on leafy greens.

Finally, add in the crumbled feta and toss gently to combine.

You can add the spring onion greens directly to the top in the bowl and serve or transfer the salad to a serving plate and sprinkle them on.

Refrigerate any leftovers and enjoy them for several days, if they last that long.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 4th edition of Alphabet Challenge 2026, brought to you by the letter E. Many thanks to Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm for organizing and creating the challenge. Check out all the E recipes below: