Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes and Overcoming the Overwhelm

Welcome to another episode of the DishItGirl Podcast! Dina kicks off November by diving into everyone’s favorite part of the holiday meal—side dishes. First up: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with smoky paprika, maple syrup, and gruyere cheese—an elevated remix to the classic casserole. Dina also shares what’s been happening in her kitchen lately, from her cozy Pumpkin Pasta with dried sage and sherry, to her Fall French Onion Chicken, and even her go-to “Kick Sick” ginger tea that’s been on repeat in her home.

As we head into the holiday season, Dina reflects on that all-too-familiar sense of overwhelm—the feeling of running full speed into another busy stretch of life. She opens up about Drawing from Proverbs 21, Dina reminds listeners that while we often think we know what’s right, God ultimately weighs the heart. She unpacks what it means to serve with the right intentions and not out of guilt or obligation. Dina also shares practical ways to ease the overwhelm this season.

This Week in The Kitchen

1. “Kick the Sick” Tea

2. Fall French Onion Chicken

3. Pumpkin Pasta

Feature Recipe: Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes: https://www.dishitgirl.com/recipes/twice-baked-sweet-potatoes

Ingredients

4 large sweet potatoes

2 pieces of bacon, cooked and roughly chopped

¼ cup sour cream

1 tbsp maple syrup

2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper

1 cup shredded smoked gouda cheese

2 tbsp chopped fresh chives

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Poke sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place on prepared baking sheet. Bake sweet potatoes 1 hour until soft and baked through. Set aside until cool enough to handle. Alternatively, you can use the microwave to bake the potatoes until soft. Depending on the size this could take up to 20 minutes.
2. Cut cooled sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then use a spoon to scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-inch wall. Transfer pulp to a large bowl, and return sweet potato shells to baking sheet.
3. Add the pulp to a large bowl along with the sour cream, maple syrup, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Mix together until well combined.
4. Spoon mixture into the sweet potato shells, filling each shell to the top. Then top with shredded cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted. T
5. Once removed from the oven top with crumbled bacon and chopped chives.

Resources:

Dina’s Cookbook

Pumpkin Pasta recipe

Prefer video? This episode is on YouTube!

DishItGirl is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org