July 07, 2009
Welcome to Soul Food Lovers' Newsletter
Cool Summer Recipes from Soul Food Advisor
What’s Inside This Issue
Volume #031
Welcome New Subscribers
Special Announcements
Great Summer Tomato Recipes
Feature Article: The Joys of Homemade Ice Cream
Cassandra’s Ice Cream Tips
Link to Your Gift
Soul Food Resource Center
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Welcome New Friends, Thank You for Joining Our Soul Food Community!
Thanks to all of you for joining us. We invite you to send comments, suggestions, and ideas on what you would like to see in this newsletter.
Please feel free to take our reader’s poll. This poll gives us insight into the kind of information you want to see in this newsletter. So please take some time from your busy schedule to let us know what you want us to cover. No need to include your name. Visit the new Soul Food Resource Center (in this newsletter) for the Reader’s Poll link.
Also, if you have recipes or cooking stories from the kitchen you want to share, please feel free to do so. Send them directly to me at Contact Us
Again, welcome, sit back, relax, and enjoy this newsletter.
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Summer Recipes from Our Friends-
Next month I will feature delicious and mouth-watering recipes sent to me by subscribers. It’s not too late to send me your most delicious summer recipe. Please send recipes to Cassandra
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New Cooking Videos Coming Soon-
Look for our new cooking videos on soul food advisor in the next few weeks. Watch how to prepare popular southern dishes with these simple videos.
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Special Announcements -
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If you haven’t downloaded your free cooking e-book, its still waiting for you. Several hundred people have already download the e-book and we have received numerous comments. Whether you’re a beginner or an advanced cook, this e-book has something in it for you. Anyone can learn to prepare great southern recipes regardless of your level of cooking. So download your free copy today and tell your friends to do the same!
Download E-Book
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Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook is now available in E-Book form. It makes great reading with easy to follow soul food recipes. Read some of the reviews for this cookbook. And, check out the new webpage here:
Soul Food Cookbook
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Check out our Dessert Recipe Feed that loads new and delicious recipes twice a day 24/7. Check it out here: News Center with Recipe Feed
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Great Summer Tomato Recipes
Tomatoes is an all time favorite among many groups. Whether you use them in salads, hot and cold dishes or just sliced on a plate with your favorite vegetables, tomatoes are the perfect solution to add flavor to your dish regardless of what you’re serving.
This soul food vegetable is also extremely important for helping to prevent certain diseases including cancer, heart disease, helps maintain healthy vision, an immunity enhancement, Vitamin C Immunity enhancement, and aid in skin health.
Below are a few recipes using tomatoes. These recipes are both delicious and very easy to put together. Enjoy!
BACON & TOMATO MACARONI
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 (17 3/4 ounce) pkg. luxury macaroni & cheese dinner
1 small tomato, seeded & chopped
In a medium skillet, cook bacon until crisp. With a slotted spoon, remove bacon. Drain all but 1 to 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings. Add onions to skillet. Cook until tender. Prepare luxury macaroni and cheese dinner according to package directions. Stir bacon/onion mixture and tomatoes. Heat through. Refrigerate any leftovers.
CHEESE STUFFED TOMATO SALAD
6 to 8 firm ripe tomatoes, peeled and cored
2 (3 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cucumber, grated
2 or 3 teaspoons chopped parsley
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup mayonnaise
Salt to taste
Lettuce cups
Mix cream cheese, cucumber, parsley, onion, salt and 3 tablespoons of the mayonnaise. Stuff the mixture into six or eight tomatoes, depending on size. Whip the cream and combine it with the remaining mayonnaise. Place stuffed tomatoes in lettuce cups and top with the whipped-cream mayonnaise.
PASTA WITH BACON TOMATO & CHEESE
1/4 pound Canadian bacon
Parmesan cheese
Garlic powder
Olive oil
2 cups chopped fresh tomato
1 tablespoon fresh parsley
Salt & pepper to taste
1 pound any type pasta, cooked
Cut bacon into strips and saute in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, parsley, garlic powder and salt and pepper. Add to hot pasta and toss. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
BACON & TOMATO APPETIZERS
1 (10 ounce) can refrigerated flaky biscuits
5 to 6 slices bacon or bacon bits
1 tomato
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 ounces (1/2 cup) Swiss cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Separate each biscuit into 2 or 3 thinner biscuits each. Lay each biscuit over top of mini-muffin cup. Using the mini tart shaper press each biscuit into cup.
Chop bacon and sprinkle several bacon pieces to each cup. Coarsely chop tomato with food chopper and add several pieces to each cup. (If tomato is very juicy, drain on paper towel first.)
Finely chop onion with food chopper and mix with mayonnaise, cheese and basil. Using the small stainless steel scoop, mound a small amount of cheese mixture on top of tomato in cups. Sprinkle a few more bacon pieces on top of cheese and bake 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown. Makes 20 to 30 appetizers. Serve warm but can be reheated in microwave.
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The Joys of Homemade Ice Cream
Growing up in the south, homemade ice cream was always a must have at our house especially during warmer months. There’s nothing like a delicious bowl of homemade ice cream on a hot and muggy day. I remember my mother making her famous homemade ice cream. She would always add fresh peaches to the cream from one of our peach trees, making it irresistible, cool, and delicious.
My mother didn’t have a fancy automatic ice cream maker instead she used an old fashioned hand crank machine. I took a little longer to make the cream, but it was certainly worth every bite.
I don’t really believe that many of those machines are around anymore, especially for making homemade ice cream.
I am still searching through my family recipes for my mother’s outstanding homemade ice cream recipe, but for now I have a few wonderful homemade ice cream recipes that I want to share with you.
HOMEMADE VANILLA ICE CREAM
1 quart heavy cream
1 1/4 cups milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1 1/4 cups white sugar, divided
10 egg yolks
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cream and milk. Place vanilla bean and scrapings in pot, and sprinkle with half the white sugar. Allow to just come to a boil.
Meanwhile, whisk the egg yolks together with the remaining sugar and the vanilla extract in a bowl. When the cream is ready, pour a third of it into the egg mixture, and whisk. Pour egg mixture into remaining hot cream and return to the heat until mixture coats the back of a metal spoon. Do not boil.
Strain custard and chill until cold. Then pour into the canister of an ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
PEACH ICE CREAM
6 eggs, beaten
3 1/2 cups white sugar
10 fresh peaches, pitted and chopped
4 cups heavy cream
2 cups half-and-half cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon salt
In large bowl, mix together eggs and sugar until smooth; puree peaches in blender or food processor and stir 5 cups of puree into egg mixture. Stir in cream, half-and-half, vanilla and salt and mix well.
Pour mixture into freezer canister of ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.
SUGARLESS ICE CREAM
1 qt. Coffee Rich
1 c. whole milk
1 tbsp. Sweet 10 sweetener
1 can Eagle Brand milk
6 eggs, well beaten (Egg Beaters or equivalent of 6 eggs)
3 tsp. vanilla
Combine all ingredients and put in container in freezer. Stir a couple of times during freezing to keep well blended.
BUTTER PECAN ICE CREAM
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
2 cans evaporated milk
1 box instant vanilla pudding
1 1/2 c. toasted pecans
1 1/2 c. sugar
Milk
Sauté chopped pecans in small amount of butter. Stir constantly about 5 minutes or until toasted. Set aside to cool. Combine remaining ingredients. Mix well. Pour into 1 1/2 gallon freezer. Finish filling with whole milk. Freeze. Best to let set 1 hour.
BROWNIE ICE CREAM PIE
2 cups chopped brownies (with walnuts and frosting)
1 1/2 litres chocolate ice cream, softened
1 (6 ounce) graham cracker or chocolate pie crust
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup whipping cream
Fold brownies into softened ice cream. Spoon mixture immediately into pie crust. cover and freeze until firm, 1 to 2 hours. Place pie in refrigerator 20 minutes before slicing. Whip 1/4 cup whipping cream until thick. (Easier to use Redi-whip, as it holds its shape better!)
Serve each slice of pie with a dollop of whipped cream then drizzle with 2 tablespoons warm Chocolate Sauce. 8 servings.
Chocolate Sauce: Combine chocolate chips and 1/2 cup whipping cream. Stir over low heat until smooth. Cool slightly. Serve warm. Makes 1 cup.
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CASSANDRA’S ICE CREAM TIPS
· Always store ice cream covered to keep it from absorbing the flavors of other foods.
· If making ice cream in an electric or hand crank machine, always read the instructions carefully before starting.
· Never refreeze ice cream. This drastically changes the taste and texture.
· Ice cream is best if frozen between -5 and 0 F.
· When ice cream freezes fast, the texture is smoother.
Watch for more exciting cooking tips next month!
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Soul Food Resource Center
Make sure you check out our Resource Center. A wealth of information at your fingertips.
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Link to Your Gift
As promised, here is your gift for subscribing - New Trends in Soul Food cooking. The report is password protected. The password is ????????????.
Just click the link below; then enter password. Enter password exactly as listed. New Food Trend
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Until Next Time
Cassandra Harrell is an avid soul food lover and the author of the new Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook with 250 easy-to-follow soul food and southern recipes from three generations of Southern cooks. Throughout the cookbook you’re find helpful cooking tips and fun recipe stories about the dish.
Cassandra Harrell
Editor & Soul Food Advisor
(c) copyright 2009
Soul Food Advisor