October 31, 2007
Your Soul Food Lovers' Newsletter
Your Soul Food Lovers’ Newsletter
Volume #013
Happy Thanksgiving!
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Welcome New Friends
What’s New !
Feature Article: Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes and Ideas
Coming In Next Issue: Holiday Entertaining Tips and Ideas
Column: Spice Up Your Soul Food
Cassandra’s Cooking Tips
Soul Food Care Package
Soul Food Resource Center (New)
Link to Your Gift: New Trends in Soul Food Cooking
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WELCOME NEW FRIENDS
Hey Soul Food Lovers! Thank you for joining us. We invite you to send comments, suggestions, and ideas on what they 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 Cassandra@soul-food-advisor.com.
Again, welcome, sit back, relax, and enjoy this newsletter.
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WHAT’S NEW! -
Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook with 250 soul food and southern recipes from three generations of family cooks.
Cookbook Also includes:
Pre-planned Soul Food Meals
Recipes Used for Bake Sales and church picnics
Best Recipes for Serving Large Groups
Low Fat and Popular Soul Food Desserts
One-Pot Recipes Served During Slavery
Other Extras includes:
Cooking and Baking Tips
Herbs and Spice index
Quick Cooking and Baking Fixes
How to Set up the Perfect Buffet Table
How to Fold a Dinner Napkin
Tips on baking perfect desserts
How to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables
Handy Calorie Chart
Over 75 helpful kitchen and cooking tips
How to stock your food pantry
And Much More….
Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook has been described as
“easy to follow recipes”, and
“didn’t think these recipes would be this easy”
“unlike many other soul food cookbooks”.
Don’t cook? Don’t worry! But I know you know people who do. Why not give them Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook this holiday season as their gift or keepsake.
COOKBOOK UPDATE:
The cookbook is selling well locally and in several other states. We have set up a number of Fall Festivals and book fairs and the book continue to sell.
My home town did a front page feature in the local newspaper a few weeks ago. Also Lauderdale Middle School invited me to be their special guest and to hold a book signing during their fall festival last week. It was good to be on familiar ground and to be surrounded by people who love good food. I took samples of recipes from the cookbook including my old-fashioned peach cobbler. It disappeared pretty fast, even the sample sizes.
I also had on hand one of my favorite desserts, Southern Apple Torte. This torte is a great fall dessert that goes well with most crowds. At the book fair, the guidance counselor told me that the crust on the Southern Apple Torte was like her mother’s old-fashioned butter roll recipe. Of course I was glad to hear that because I have two butter roll recipes in the cookbook. I was so excited to be among friends and family.
If you’re planning a fundraiser for your school, civic group, organization or business, Soul Food Lovers’ Cookbook makes a great fundraising product. They practically sell with little effort. Once people see the cookbook, they want a copy.
For details on raising money for your special cause, send me an email at Cassandra@soul-food-advisor.com.
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New Article -
10 Homemade Kitchen Soups that Warm the Soul
Soul Food Blog - Keep up with the latest information on Soul Food Advisor.com
Soul Food Blog
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FEATURE ARTICLE-
Thanksgiving Leftover Recipes and Ideas
By Cassandra Harrell
Every year we plan the traditional Thanksgiving meal and the menu is basically what our family has served for years. But using Thanksgiving leftovers is when you can really get creative and not worry about if it’s traditional or not. You can put together different recipes to your taste and add and incorporate whatever leftover dishes you have.
For example, I have several recipes that are appropriate for leftover turkey, baked ham, cranberry sauce, sweet potatoes, and hot and cold salads. These recipes also work well if you use a hen for Thanksgiving instead of turkey.
With these recipes you can take ordinary dishes and turn them into extraordinary meals.
SMASHED SWEET POTATOES
3 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 orange, zested and juiced
1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup butter or margarine
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows (optional)
Boil sweet potatoes until tender. Peel and mash until no lumps are visible.
Add brown sugar, orange juice and zest, butter, and cinnamon. Mix well. Spread in shallow dish (10 inch deep dish pie plate works well). Bake 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven. Top with marshmallows and broil very briefly to lightly brown.
SMASHED SWEET POTATOES FROM LEFTOVERS
2 to 3 cups cooked sweet potatoes
Brown sugar to taste
1 orange, zested and juiced
¼ cup butter or margarine
Cinnamon to taste, optional
1 (10.5 ounce) package miniature marshmallows (optional)
Heat sweet potatoes until warm. Mash well. Add brown sugar, orange juice, zest, butter, and cinnamon. Bake 15 to 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until hot all the way through. Top with marshmallows if desired and broil very briefly to lightly brown.
TURKEY DUMPLINGS
1 pound cooked, chopped turkey meat
3 cups water
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon onions, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (12 ounce) package refrigerated biscuit dough
Parsley
Place the turkey, water, poultry seasoning, onions, salt and pepper in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 30 to 40 minutes, or until a broth has formed.
Spread flour on a medium cutting board or other flat surface. Roll out biscuit dough and cut it into 1x2 inch pieces. Drop the pieces into the broth and cook over low heat approximately 15 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
HAM & SMOKED TURKEY WRAPS
10 whole wheat flour tortillas
10 slices smoked turkey, cut into thin strips
10 slices smoked ham, cut into thin strips
1 tablespoon chopped onions
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup Cheddar cheese
Heat flour tortillas in a large skillet over medium heat until slightly browned. Divide turkey and ham strips, onions, mayonnaise, and cheese among the warmed tortillas. Fold in half and serve.
CRANSBERRY MEAT BALLS
8 to 10 meat balls, ½ to 1 inch
Leftover cranberry sauce
Season salt and pepper to taste
Heat balls in microwave until hot. Drain well. Heat cranberry sauce until blended together. Pour sauce over balls and heat for 1 to 2 minutes more. Serve hot.
OTHER LEFTOVER IDEAS:
Think of items you already have in your kitchen cabinet-- items you probably wouldn’t serve for your Thanksgiving meal, but would consider adding on with leftovers, for example:
Use leftover ham and make hot ham and cheese sandwiches
Use leftover ham and cut into cubes and add to macaroni and cheese
Use leftover sweet potatoes to make sweet potato bread
Use leftover dressing to stuff fresh mushrooms or large cooked pasta shells, or add cooked rice to dressing for a complete meal.
Use leftover turkey in cold salads such as pasta salad, macaroni salad, etc.
Use leftover vegetables such as green beans, carrots, broccoli in homemade soups
When serving leftovers, the possibilities are endless. For your after-Thanksgiving meal, think of using your leftovers in creative ways.
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NEXT MONTH‘S FEATURE:
Holiday Entertaining Tips and Ideas
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SPICE UP YOUR SOUL FOOD -COLUMN - This month we focus on Poultry and Sage Seasoning
With the Thanksgiving holiday approaching, this month the focus is on Poultry and Sage Seasonings.
Poultry Seasoning is a mixture of sage, ground thyme, marjoram, rosemary, nutmeg, and black pepper. It’s used mainly to season stuffing, dressing, and adds an unusual flavor to poultry, pork and veal dishes. It also gives a flavor boost to soups, stews, and gumbos.
Sage usually comes whole, rubbed, or in ground form. Its fragrant with slightly medicinal, piney, and bitter flavors. However, Sage is a true companion to Poultry Seasoning. They both are perfect with stuffing and dressing. Sage is also one of the main ingredients in breakfast sausage, and can be served on baked fish, cheese, pork, and game dishes.
Below is a quick and easy Thanksgiving recipe using Poultry and Sage Seasonings:
EASY THANKSGIVING STUFFING
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped green peppers
1 package (8 ounces) unseasoned stuffing mix
2 slices of white bread, crumbled
2 cups chicken broth
1 tablespoon Poultry Seasoning, ground
1/½ teaspoons Sage Seasoning, ground
Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in large skillet on medium heat. Add celery, onion, and green peppers; cook and stir 5 minutes. Stir in stuffing mix and white bread. Add chicken broth, poultry seasoning, sage, salt, and pepper. Toss gently. Spoon into lightly greased 2-quart baking dish. Bake 30 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned.
You may want to add more poultry seasoning or sage depending on your taste. If you do, add small amounts at a time, start with about a ½ teaspoon. Make sure you mix well after each addition.
For more information on choosing cooking spices, visit Cooking Spices
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CASSANDRA’S COOKING TIPS
QUICK COOKING AND BAKING TIPS
· Keep eggs at room temperature for greater volume when whipping egg whites to make a meringue.
· To ensure that you have equal amounts of batter in each pan when making a layered cake, use a kitchen scale to measure the weight.
· Pie crust will be better and easier to make if all ingredients are cool.
· When making a cream pie, sprinkle crust with powdered sugar in order to prevent it from becoming soggy.
· Icing will remain where you put it if you sprinkle cake with powdered sugar first.
Watch for more exciting cooking tips next month!
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SOUL FOOD CARE PACKAGE
Newsletter Subscribers receive an automatic entry into our monthly contest for a chance to win a Soul Food Care Package. This package is loaded with soul food goodies, cooking gadgets, soul food recipes, cooking tips, and a personalized letter from me---Your Soul Food Advisor. So please tell everyone about this offer. Good Luck!
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SOUL FOOD RESOURCE CENTER
Make sure you check out our Resource Center. A wealth of information at your fingertips.
November National Food Celebrations
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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
Soul Food Advisor