How Not to Lose Your Mind Eating Venison

The following article appeared in THE BANNER of Bernice November 12, 2009:
My nephew, Jameson, gave me this recipe to include in FLAVORED WITH LOVE, a book of recipes by my family members and stories about and by the cooks. Y'all will love this:

Mustard Fried Venison

Venison (ham pieces or loin)
Plain mustard
Onion
Soy sauce
Garlic salt
Self-rising flour

Trim and slice venison into 1/4" to 1/2" pieces. If using ham pieces it's a good idea to tenderize (beat) the venison. Also cubed venison works real well. Place meat in bowl.

Mix in mustard, large chopped onion, a couple splashes of soy sauce, a few dashes of garlic salt. Make sure all meat has some mustard on it. Let marinate as long as possible in fridge. Overnight or all day is fine.

Place flour in a paper sack, mixing in salt and pepper freely. Dredge venison pieces through flour mixture and drop into hot cooking oil.

Plain mustard is prepared yellow mustard. Heed the following warning.
Jameson's Note. At the bottom of the recipe he wrote: This is one of my favorites. You can tell it's a guy recipe as the minutia are missing–you just go by feel. It was given to me a long time ago by a friend, Eddie, of South Carolina. My copy is dog-eared. Eddie is one of the best deer hunters I've seen. He's one of those types that spend days in the woods prior to opening day scoping out a big buck. He is also a bit crazy.

Warning. He also wrote: :Do not put a piece of this on top of your head or your tongue will beat your brains out trying to get to it!

More about Jameson: As a youth, Jameson learned to hunt and fish on his grandparents' farms in Mississippi. As an adult, he has traveled extensively to hunt and has gathered game recipes and hunting stories along the way.

He claims: Once I was hunting elk in an aspen forest in Colorado and confronted a grizzly. I jumped up to catch a limb ten feet over my head. I missed, but luckily caught it on the way down.

For Louisiana Readers Only: Don't bother to read my observations about this recipe if you are from South Carolina or Georgia. Everybody in Louisiana knows that most recipes (including cakes, cookies , and brownies) need a little shake of cayenne pepper. An addition of our favorite spice could enhance this recipe. Cayenne pepper opens the palate so you can appreciate all the flavors. Sometimes when we put too much, it opens the eaters' whole heads up. Noses drip, eyes water, mouths drool, ears smoke, and scalps bead sweat. That way we know we've overdone it.

One more suggestion: If you cannot get a deer this year, try this recipe with pork chops. Y'all have a good time hunting!

Mary Lou Cheatham
Email: MaryLCheatham@gmail.com
THE COLLARD PATCH
http://collardpatch.blogspot.com
http://www.collardlovers.com
FLAVORED WITH LOVE
http://www.flavoredwithlove.com
DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
http://www.DoYouKnowHowGodLovesYou.com

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Eating Venison During Poor Economic Times

The following article appeared in THE BANNER of Bernice, LA, November 5, 2009:

Eating venison is a solution to having a bountiful meat supply during this time of down-turned economy.

A friend of ours is preparing for a bumper crop of deer meat this year. He has planted his deer salad. The other day he went to the store and bought his supply of deer corn. He wanted the sacks to say, “Go, Razorbacks,” but all he could find was in yellow and purple bags honoring LSU. He had no choice but to buy it, and since it was fifty cents cheaper per bag if he bought a ton, he bought a ton.

Having purchased more corn than he could possibly use, he arrived the next morning at the local coffee club with a plan. Being a frugal man … okay a penny-pinching Scrooge … he offered to sell some of it to his deer-hunting, coffee-drinking, yarn-spinning buddies. Not above making a tidy profit off his friends, he proudly announced a special offer: fifty cents a bag more than he had paid at the ton rate. One of them told him, “_____, you can buy deer corn down the road at the convenience store at fifty cents per bag less than you are asking.”

It was particularly embarrassing when it came out that he had bought a ton to get the same price he could have gotten at the local convenience store while buying it one bag at a time. To put it mildly, he was perturbed! What came out of his mouth next cannot be reported here.

He decided to make good use of the corn. At his stand he has the fattest, best fed deer in north Louisiana and south Arkansas. The deer that eat at his place are so fat he doesn't need to use his gun. He can just go out and run them down. Is catching deer on foot included in the primitive weapon season? Any way, our friend could be considered a primitive weapon. Like us, he's definitely an antique.
His wife told me, “At $450 .00 a pound, this solution for stocking the deep freeze may not be so economical after all.”

A while back I was collecting recipes to place in my story cookbook, FLAVORED WITH LOVE, which is about my family and friends. Most of the people are real, and all the stories are. Bill, my deceased brother-in-law, gave me this easy recipe for venison:

Venison Hash

Cook 2 pounds venison in salted water until tender. Drain all but small amount of liquid. Add 1 chopped onion. Season to taste with seasoned salt. Cook until tender and liquid is absorbed.
Note: When I was a little girl, Bill cooked this hash dish with goat meat one time. Just in case y'all can't find a deer ….
.
Mary Lou Cheatham
Email: MaryLCheatham@gmail.com
THE COLLARD PATCH
http://collardpatch.blogspot.com
http://www.collardlovers.com
FLAVORED WITH LOVE
http://www.flavoredwithlove.com
DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU?
http://www.DoYouKnowHowGodLovesYou.com

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Poinsettias

Last year I bought a beautiful large red poinsettia at Sam's. For an entire year I have managed to keep it alive. Today in early November I decided I needed to repot it and rebloom it. I wish I had read earlier the article I found today. It may not be too late to try. I'm going to pay attention to this paragraph from "Poinsettia Care in the Home" by Paul Ecke:

"The poinsettia is a photoperiodic plant, meaning that it sets bud and produces flowers as the Autumn nights lengthen. Poinsettias will naturally come into bloom during November or December, depending on the flowering response time of the individual cultivar. Timing to produce blooms for the Christmas holiday can be difficult outside of the controlled environment of a greenhouse. Stray light of any kind, such as from a street light or household lamps, could delay or entirely halt the re-flowering process."

www.ecke.com

It is wise to use what we have to improve our lives.

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Growing Up Near Hot Coffee, Mississippi

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Re-Green the Green

"Have you ever noticed how easy it is to grow stuff in Louisiana?" A friend observed. "If it falls on the ground in Louisiana it will just grow!" Grass grows here. We are in the middle of the grass-growing season. Another friend could not attend excercise class this morning because he had to stay home and mow his grass. Our back yard stays so wet from the sporadic rains that we cannot mow the grass. The crawfish and moles compete for space there. Then when it dries out, the sunshine makes the grass grow. Before the earth dries enough to mow the grass, the grass is waist high.

I read about somebody in the North who let her grass grow a little higher for Easter so her grandchildren could hunt eggs. That tactic wouldn't work here. Saturday before Easter the backyard grass was so high and thick that we would have lost not only the eggs but also the children.

All over the civilized world, especially in our dear nation, we are spending a fortune mowing grass. Think of all the money and resources spent on gasoline, electiricity, or human strength to cut the grass. My mother and father used to have me push a girl-powered mower. They called that kind of energy fuel "elbow grease."

Riding through the neighborhood, we noticed today that more and more people are tilling up large sections

I'm not sure how many people had victory gardens in WW II, but more and more people have them now. Growing garden is actually less work than mowing grass.

Wherever you live, it is possible to grow stuff. Don't forget to grow collard greens. Collard greens are almost perfect food. In the cool climates, they grow beautifully in the warm weather. In the warm climates, they grow best in the cool water. They are prettier than many of the plants that are considered ornamental. Also it's easy to grow onions, turnips, lettuce, carrots, and tomatoes.

Get your plants, garden seeds, gloves, and spades here:
http://www.1newmall.com/nh

We have shared more of our thoughts about this practical way to improve the world in The Collard Patch.

Picking and Fixing Collards

Paul Elliott is the co-author of The Collard Patch. He loves to pick collards, cut them up, cook them, and eat them. I wash them. Get your own collard-cooking manual to learn the best ways to fix collards.

ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ON88q82BQq4

Top Secret Green Beans Recipe -- 25 Servings

I overheard the recipe for church beans! And here I'm sharing it with you. This is top secret. I'm sharing this with you so you can make some outstanding beans the next time you have to carry a covered dish to a fellowship.

In addition to what I overheard, I suggest you add a teaspoon of garlic powder, a generous shake of red pepper, and two generous shakes of black pepper to the sugar and butter mix. (Only if you are a spicemouth.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Place 1/4 of a small bag of brown sugar and two sticks (1/2 pound!) of salted butter in a saucepan. Cover that with water, not too much. Heat that until the butter melts and the sugar dissolves, not too much.

Place an institutional-sized can of cut green beens in a big pan. (Don't drain them. You will have to be careful not to spill them on the way to church.) Pour the sugar and butter mix over the beans.

Cut a pound of bacon in pieces -- about 1-1 1/2 inches long. Spread the butter over the top.

Bake the beans 30 minutes or until they bubble and the bacon is cooked (not crsip).

Cover it and take it to church. You will have enough beans for 25 people. Don't even think about the number of calories or fat grams in this dish. Beans are health food, aren't they?

Collard Wraps

Make delicious wraps with collard greens!Paul Elliott, co-author of THE COLLARD PATCH, demonstrates his method of preparing wraps containing collard greens.


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Picking and Fixing Collards

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Collards fresh from the collard patch can be prepared hundreds of ways. THE COLLARD PATCH is full of delicious recipes and information to be read about collards and to read while the collards are growing and cooking. Farming and harvesting them is excellent exercise. To prepare them it is beneficial to remove the stems. Collard wraps and collard tortellini are two examples of unusual ways to eat collards. THE COLLARD PATCH is full of traditional and innovative ways to prepare collard greens.

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Flavored with Love Review

People in California love it!

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Do You Know How God's Loves You?

Do You Know How God's Loves You?

Do you need a last minute gift?

Here is a unique gift! Chances are that no one else will duplicate your gift because it is FRESH OFF THE PRESS as of December 10!

There is still time to order from Amazon and receive a gift with free shipping before Christmas. December 17 is the last day to order and expect to receive something by December 24.

I'm sharing with you a new daily devotional book that will make you think and show you some more about the Bible both as inspiration and as knowledge of God's word that is not usually included in material such as this. This book will give each person who studies it daily guidance to make 2009 a more meaningful and succesful year.

The most powerful, most intelligent, most loving, most beautiful, most self-sacrificing Person who has ever lived loves you more than anyone else is capable of loving you. He came to the world as a Man, and He was totally a Man. Yet He is God, totally God with more glory and power than we can comprehend. Jesus, the God-Man, loves you so much that He died for you.

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:7-8)

DO YOU KNOW HOW GOD LOVES YOU? came out on Amazon.com, just in time for Christmas gifts. (There are only two more days until the end of the guaranteed deliveries for free.) The book contains a daily devotional for each day of the year.

Please take a minute to go look at this big beautiful book. It has over 400 pages with an inspirational study for each day of the year. Some of the subjects included are angels, the names of God, the chracter of God, witnessing, grief, prayer life, and daily living. There are amusing stories about children and musings about life. In fact, the book is full of stories that will challenge you and inspire you.

Here is the link: http://adexclusive.com/r/amdy/


Merry Christmas,
Mary

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Spicy Guacamole Dip

This message is from Paul Elliott, the co-author of The Collard Patch The recipe is for Jane Butel's spicy Guacamole Dip. Paul says: We know you love delicious food. How about healthful food that ALSO helps you lose weight?
You're gonna love this!

It's called cooking with chiles! Yes, the capsaicin (hot stuff) in chiles actually stimulates your metabolism by about 30% and THAT burns more calories. But you don't need to go around with a flaming mouth and a scalp dripping with perspiration to get the benefit.

1 Delightful spicy Guacamole Dip recipe and 2 Southwestern Recipe and Chile Resources--

First, a delicious spicy guacamole recipe--

Jane Butel, the Queen of Southwestern Cooking and owner of the "Best Cooking School in the US," designed this recipe.

GUACAMOLE
Guacamole at its best! For greatest flavor, appearance and keeping
quality - always cut avocados with two knives into coarse chunks
about 1/2 inch square.
**[Paul's hint: "Two knives" means one in each hand cutting across in front of you so you don't squash up the avocado. Jane says chunky avocodo is tastier and has a better texture. You know what? Jane's right!]
Yield: 4 servings
2 ripe avocados (preferably Haas)
½ teaspoon salt
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lime juice, or to taste
1 medium-size tomato, chopped
¼ cup finely chopped Spanish onion
1 medium fresh jalapeno, minced
2 Tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
1. Halve the avocados; scoop pulp into a bowl. Coarsely chop with
two knives. Add salt and garlic; then slowly add lime juice to
taste.
2. Fold in tomato, onion, chiles and cilantro. Let stand a few
minutes before serving to allow flavors to blend.
3. Taste and adjust seasonings. Some like spicy guacamole, while
others like it quite mild. Often piquancy is best determined by
the other foods you are serving. If some like it hot and others
don't, a solution is to serve a side dish of spicy salsa.
4. Serve guacamole in a Mexican pottery bowl and garnish the top
with a few tostados thrust into the top. Serve with a basket of
tostados. As a salad, serve over chopped lettuce and garnish each
serving with a cherry tomato.
Note: Many myths seem to abound about placing an avocado pit in
the guacamole to keep it from discoloring or oxidizing. I don't
find that to work so well. Cover the guacamole well or sprinkle
with a few drops of ascorbic-acid mixture, the mixture used to
prevent darkening in freezing fruits. Be careful not to add much
of the acid, as it can be slightly sweet.
** [Paul's Note: ascorbic acid is nothing more than Vitamin C: great for keeping food from turning a brown color on exposure to air. Of course, it's still good food with excellent flavor, the ascorbic acid keeps it looking nice.]

Yum!

FREE: A delightful Southwestern recipe e-book and Southwestern Cooking resource--tips, tricks, and recipes

Jane is offering all our friends a free subscription to her newsy, recipe filled Butel's Bytes. As a bonus for joining Butel's Bytes, you will receive her five favorite recipes and a weekly series of fun, newsy notes about chiles, health, and Southwestern cooking.

To subscribe click here for Jane's Site. When you get to the site, look on the right side turquoise menu bar and select the button labeled "subscribe." You will be taken to the form where you put in your name and email address. Press "submit."

VERY IMPORTANT: Next, you will need to activate your subscription.

Check your mail from Jane Butel that says "RESPONSE REQUIRED." Open that email and click on the long link in the middle to activate your subscription. Very quickly you will receive Jane's email with the e-book of special recipes attached.

Spicy Guacamole Dip

You'll get her Butel's Bytes tips, tricks, information, and recipes in your email regularly and can even browse back issues. Yum!

All Jane's recipes are kitchen tested and guaranteed to delight!

Here's to Happy Cooking and eating.

Oh, yeah, that little ** thingy--Blatant confession follows . . . I, Paul, acknowledge that I know little of cooking. I am the Certified Spicemouth(TM) and Eater in Chief. So I'll watch out that these great chefs and magnificent cooks don't run in any strange terms on y'all.

Yum!

Mary Cheatham and Paul Elliott, the Collards Folks

Go to Jane's site here.

Original Nestlé Toll House Chocolate Chip Cookies

I have heard stories about people paying huge amounts of money for cookie recipes. Here is the very best cookie recipe in the world. It is not for sale. Go to this link to get it.
http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/detail.aspx?ID=18476

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Who Invented the Chocolate Chip Cookie?

By: Steven Magill

Have you ever wondered who invented the chocolate chip cookie? Because chocolate chip cookies are so common, it is easy to forget that these treats have not been around forever. In fact, did you know that chocolate chip cookies are not even one hundred years old? It's true!

The answer to "who invented the chocolate chip cookie" is: Ruth Graves Wakefield.

Ruth Graves Wakefield was born on June 17, 1903 and she is person who invented the Toll House Cookie, which was the world's first chocolate chip cookie.

Ruth Wakefield was educated at the Framingham State Normal School Development of Household Arts and she graduated in 1924. After graduating from school, she worked both as a doctor and gave lectures about food.

In 1930 Wakefield and her husband purchased a lodge for tourists in Whitman, Massachusetts (part of Plymouth County). The lodge was first built in 1709 and has a long and rich history of its own. Many weary travelers have spent the night at the lodge as it is conveniently located around halfway between New Bedford and Boston. This is usually where passers through paid a toll, changed their horses and stopped for some much appreciated home cooked food. When the Wakefields bought it, they named the lodge the Toll House Inn and made sure to keep up with the lodge's traditions. All of the home cooked meals were prepared and served by Ruth and it was not long before her desserts earned her some local fame. There were many visitors to the lodge, one of the most famous being John F. Kennedy (when he was still a Senator).

In 1940, Ruth wrote a cookbook called Toll House Tried and True Recipes. Ruth passed away in 1977 and the Toll House Inn burned down at the end of 1983. While there are plenty of companies that make and sell chocolate chips now, the recipe printed on the back of the Nestle Toll House bags is the original Ruth Graves Wakefield recipe. As of today, Nestle is the only company with the rights to print the recipe on its bags. All of the recipes that are printed on other company's' bags are different from the original recipe.

The chocolate chip cookie was invented in the late 1930s (making it almost seventy seven years old) though there are different stories about how, exactly, the original chocolate chip cookie recipe was invented. Some stories say it was an accident, others say it was an experiment and still others say that it was a purposeful recipe. The story of how the chocolate chip cookie was invented varies according to the person telling the story. One thing is for certain, though, and that is that the answer to "who invented the chocolate chip cookie" is Ruth Graves Wakefield. Who knew that what might have started out as an experiment or an accident would someday be one of the most common treats in the Western World? Who doesn't remember eating chocolate chicookies p after school?

Copyright (c) 2008 Steven Magill

Article Source: http://articlestars.com

Just think, you can start enjoying the recipes right away -- no waiting at all! Can you taste the key limes already? You gotta try the Chocolate Chip Key Lime Cookies...mmmmmm!www.chocolatechipcookie.info/index.html

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How to Cook Collard Greens

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How to Cook Collard Greens


These women are amusing, but they have
done a terrible thing.
They poured the pot likker down the
drain! There was a collander in the sink. Horrible.
Shame!
All that valuable nutrition and cornbread
sopping wasted.
I was impressed by the way Cynthia,one
of the cooks, pulled the stems out. We
prefer cutting our stems out.
Those cooks chopped the greens after
they cooked them. We always chop
ours first.
They had tofu with their collards; we have
not tried that yet.
Notice the way they cooled the collards
with icy cold water after cooking to make
them pretty and green. Most of us
Southerners don't care whether our
greens are bright green.
The members of the family promote
organic whole foods grown locally. We
believe in that too. (Our collard patch is
in the front yard.)Go here to see a funny and informative YouTube video of collard cooking.

Rice and Vegetables

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Rice and Vegetables
“Eat your carrots!” Sometimes we need to give our children some subtle encouragement. This recipe is simple and delicious. By combining a few vegetables with rice, it is easy to teach young palates to appreciate different flavors. Combining rice with vegetables improves the nutritional value of rice and makes everything taste special. We like this rice dish with pork. “Eat your carrots!” becomes an unnecessary phrase when they taste as good as these.

Yield: 4 servings
Begin by cooking ½ cup basmati rice for 5 minutes in 2 cups boiling water with the lid in place. (I need see-through lids. Also use an adequate container, such as a small stockpot. That way you will not need to worry about having the water boil over he sides.) Flavor the rice with 2 teaspoons ham bouillon or 2 bouillon cubes.

Add 1 cup frozen chopped carrots and 1 cup frozen corn kernels. Continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in 2 tablespoons margarine.

Football Widows' Revenge

Coping with Super Bowl Desertion

Girls, today the computer is all yours.

“HE” is too busy watching television to keep you from the Web.
Whether he is cheering for the New York Giants and
New England Patriots is unimportant.

What is important is that this is your time.

Carpe diem! (Seize the day!)
Go to my favorite virtual hangout http://www.1newmall.com/ws/
and get your revenge. Here are some sharp looking clothes.
You will hardly notice that he is not listening to you today,
and he’d better not care how much you spend.

http://www.1newmall.com/ws/

Stevia, Chives, Rosemary, Fennel, and Cilantro -- The Joy of Living Green!

In our front-yard collard patch, last fall's collards have survived. We continue to cut leaves off the plants. Last night we had stir-fried collards with broiled salmon; tonight we
enjoyed collards in wraps with hot Italian sausage.

Mint is growing near the rocks piled in the patch. Soon we'll set out some onions in the collard patch. Today we bought stevia, chives, rosemary, fennel, and cilantro. We plan to start those herbs in pots inside the house.

Stevia, a tropical popular herb, is growing in popularity as a sugar substitute. Stevia's small green leaves are thirty times sweeter than sugar, and they can be dried. If our efforts succeed we'll save grocery money spent on Splenda©, Alterna©, and sugar.

We selected garlic flavored chives with long, flat leaves. They will be delicious on baked potatoes, in salads, and in stir-fried collard greens. Chives do not dry well, but the chopped leaves can be frozen.

Rosemary, ah, rosemary! We love it. Rosemary is very pretty in the garden. It is a great flavoring for polenta, marinades, salad dressings, soups, sauces, gumbo, chicken, fish, lamb, and pork. Since it flavors Creole, Cajun, and Middle-Eastern food like nothing else, rosemary is an essential in Louisiana kitchens. We use it dried, but we prefer it fresh. I hope our crop flourishes.

Fennel has a mild anise flavor. The bulbous stems can be served raw like celery or steamed. Their flavor will enhance stews, soup and collard greens. Paul likes to eat the
seeds.

Cilantro is important in Mexican dishes, which are important in our diets. It also flavors Mediterranean and Oriental dishes well. For a garnish it is unsurpassed.

All the plants we grow will help our personal economy, our health, and the world's ecology. Write me at Mary@CollardLovers.com to tell me how you are living green.

New Collard Greens Recipes

Visit The Collard Patch at Amazon.com for some new collard greens recipes. Check the blog entries there.

What We Are Doing Now

On BlogTalkRadio Paul Elliott and I have a new radio talk show called GreensCast. We appear there occasionally and speak with interesting people, friends and family, to discuss a variety of subjects. No matter what our program is about, we always share information about the preparation of delicious food. Check our archived shows there. Also on our BTR blog we have posted several recipes that we wish to share with you.

Our programs include a useful interview of Dr. Mike Stanley, my son-in-law, by Paul about food safety in preparation and storage. Mike, a veterinarian and an Air Force veteran, has a wealth of experience in public health and food safety.

Another popular show is an interview with the famous marketer and cookbook author Willie Crawford. He discusses with us the way he cooks collards, and his background.

Paul and I are the authors of The Collard Patch, the world's best collard and cornbread cookbook. It is not only a book of recipes; it is also a book of stories and nutritional information about collard greens, the Cinderella of dark leafy greens. We believe that collard greens are important for maintaining good health. Collards, one of the most delicious foods imaginable when prepared appropriately, furnish a wealth of nutrients while remaining incredibly low in calories.

One of the beautiful aspects of collard greens is that they can be grown almost anywhere. They love cool weather and tolerate a mild amount of frost. These beautiful plants make excellent ground cover in yards. Also they can be used to add interest to flower beds. In a time when people are seeking more intriguing flavors than ever before because our taste buds have grown up and when people are needing to spend a smaller percentage of their budgets on food, we recommend growing collard greens.

Nutritionists consider green leafy vegetables such as collards to be one of the leading foods, as far as food value is concerned. They are nutritious when eaten raw, added to vegetable juices, or prepared in delicious dishes much as spinach has been traditionally prepared. There is a theory that the chlorophyll in them removes environmental toxins, such as heavy metals and pesticides from the body. Some people consider them to be a liver protector.

I cannot prove all these ideas, but I do know they are a source of iron, calcium, beta carotene (precursor of vitamin A), soluble fiber, and manganese. They provide vitamins C, K, B1, B2, and B9. Collards have potent anti-cancer properties, antiviral, and antibacterial components including diindolylmethane, sulforaphane, and selenium. There are only 46 calories in one fourth pound of cooked collards.

We devote a large amount of our time encouraging people to eat more collard greens. When we tell people about this project, some of them find us slightly insane. We, however, are devoted to this cause. We have appeared at book signings, crafts fairs, civic club meetings, radio interviews, and cooking shows on television in Louisiana, Georgia, Mississippi, Texas, and Wisconsin. We are willing to go throughout the country to promote the use of collard greens.

This recipe is an example of a collard greens dish that is packed with all the good things we need to eat without unnecessary calories. The taste is great.

Wilted Collards with Flaxseed

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil with 2 tablespoons minced garlic in a big deep skillet.
Toss in 1 pound finely chopped tender collard green leaves.
Heat and wilt five minutes or until tender.
Add some salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes.
Turn off the heat. Add 1 tablespoon honey and 1 tablespoon red vinegar.
Top with ¼ cup toasted flaxseed.

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Shopping at Central Market

Central Market
HEB Food-Drugs #/546
320 Coit
Plano, TX 75076
Phone: 469-241-8300
Store Hours: 8 a. m. to 10. p. m.

Central Market is the essential place to shop. It is a grocery store like no other.

Entering, you will go through the produce section. Fresh produce is not something on the periphery of the store. Instead it is important. There are fresh vegetables and fruits organically grown from all the right places. We like the bananas and the Brussels sprouts. I've never seen such a varied selection of potatoes. The precious little fingerlings of infinite variety are fun to select. They taste delicious. The artichokes are outstanding.

After winding through the marvelous displays of fresh fruits and vegetables, you will find yourself in the meat market and fish market. Let's check the leg of lamb. I love it! If you are not traveling too far, buy one. (Or perhaps you should buy a cooler.)

My favorite part of the store is the section deep inside the store where you can weigh spices and put them in your own bags. I love the spices, as well as many of the other food items there -- coffee, nuts, candy, peanut butter, honey, cereals, flours, meals – displayed in an endless array. Sounds expensive? No. Actually these items are less expensive than prepackaged items. The curry and the chile powder mix are the best. We usually select a big bag or two of Wasabi peas (dehydrated English peas coated in Wasabi and horseradish) to munch on the way home and for days to come. We like the flax seed, which are incredibly delicious and noted for their salubrious properties. If you lose us in the store, look here. We stay here about an hour.

Did I say what my favorite section is? It is the bakery. Our favorite bread is the white chocolate apricot. We eat it toasted or straight out of the package. Don't miss the most delicious item in the store
being made by expert cooks on the spot – tortillas. I like the little golden ones with sun-dried tomatoes and flecks of pepper in them. When I pass there, I admire these and the ladies usually hand me one to cram into my starving mouth.

What I really like most in Central Market is the selection of cheese. Along the walls there are coolers with every kind of cheese imaginable. What makes this section special is the station in the middle of the floor where someone is making mozzarella cheese balls in olive oil and garlic. Buy a jar of these and serve them on very special occasions. When you pass, the cheese preparer will give you a morsel. My advice: go there first and pass the section several times as you shop. The taste is splendid.

There is a section of sausages and prepared meats. We usually select the hot Italian sausage, the bratwurst, the Jalapeño cheddar sausage, the salami with Jalapeños. By the time we arrive in this section, which is my favorite, the shopping cart is too full to hold anything else.

And there is a deli section. Since we have already filled our cart, we don't buy things here, although it is the most intriguing food in the store.

On the way out, we will pass through the florist's section, where the flowers are unusual and inviting. By the time we arrive there, we are loaded with food. There is no more space in the car to place flowers.

You owe it to yourself to shop at Central Market at least once in your life.

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Take a trip to Natchitoches!

If possible go see the Christmas Lights of old Natchitoches, Louisiana.
As you approach the quaint downtown with its brick streets, you will see rows of antique and gift shops. Arrive before dark so you will have time to look at all the fleur de lis displays in the little shops. A horse with a carriage will be waiting to take you on a tour.


Enjoy an authentic Natchitoches meal – meat pie or gumbo. We recommend Lasyogne's.

The lights are a splendid display along the Cane River Lake.

Go here and click on the image to see a picture of the Natchitoches Christmas lights.

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Kindle

Amazon has a revolutionary way to read books. If you haven't seen this, take a look.



Kindle:
Amazon's New Wireless Reading Device


Product Overview (Quoted from Amazon.com)

Revolutionary electronic-paper display provides a sharp, high-resolution screen that looks and reads like real paper.
Simple to use: no computer, no cables, no syncing.
Wireless connectivity enables you to shop the Kindle Store directly from your Kindle—whether you’re in the back of a taxi, at the airport, or in bed.
Buy a book and it is auto-delivered wirelessly in less than one minute.
More than 88,000 books available, including 100 of 112 current New York Times® Best Sellers.
New York Times® Best Sellers and all New Releases $9.99, unless marked otherwise.
Free book samples. Download and read first chapters for free before you decide to buy.
Top U.S. newspapers including The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post; top magazines including TIME, Atlantic Monthly, and Forbes—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
Top international newspapers from France, Germany, and Ireland; Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine, and The Irish Times—all auto-delivered wirelessly.
More than 250 top blogs from the worlds of business, technology, sports, entertainment, and politics, including BoingBoing, Slashdot, TechCrunch, ESPN's Bill Simmons, The Onion, Michelle Malkin, and The Huffington Post—all updated wirelessly throughout the day.
Lighter and thinner than a typical paperback; weighs only 10.3 ounces.
Holds over 200 titles.
Long battery life. Leave wireless on and recharge approximately every other day. Turn wireless off and read for a week or more before recharging. Fully recharges in 2 hours.
Unlike WiFi, Kindle utilizes the same high-speed data network (EVDO) as advanced cell phones—so you never have to locate a hotspot.
No monthly wireless bills, service plans, or commitments—we take care of the wireless delivery so you can simply click, buy, and read.
Includes free wireless access to the planet's most exhaustive and up-to-date encyclopedia—Wikipedia.org.
Email your Word documents and pictures (.JPG, .GIF, .BMP, .PNG) to Kindle for easy on-the-go viewing.

GreensCast - BlogTalkRadio - Collard Greens

This show is our first program on BlogTalkRadio. Here we are sharing recipes along with information about growing, preparing, cooking, and eating our favorite vegetable -- collard greens.


GreensCast - BlogTalkRadio - Collard Greens, Collards, Cooking, Health, Food, Gardening, Green Cooking, Greens, Living Green, Nutriton, Organic, Recipes, Southwestern Food, Thanksgiving Recipe, The Collard Patch, Delicious,

Great Cookbook Giveaway

Have you heard about the Great Cookbook Giveaway? It's going to make Internet marketing history.

Willie Crawford, a world-famous Internet marketer and noted cookbook
author, is asking his friends to give away electronic cookbooks. He's organizing the largest free list-building giveaway EVER.

(He's the author of the world's most famous recipe for
collard greens. You can get it in our cookbook, THE COLLARD PATCH.)

Willie and his wife Nancy have run a free recipes website for about
10 years. He told me that in November people start looking online
for holiday gift and cooking ideas.

He is expecting to have the largest free cookbook giveaway in the
history of the Internet. We're talking literally HUNDREDS of free
PDF cookbooks and cooking related ebooks.

The giveway started November 1, 2007. Go take a look. All you
need to do is drop by and get free electronic cookbooks: Great Cookbook Giveaway

Go there and get a free copy of "The Collard Notebook" and our free e-book
with reicpes from Flavored with Love.

Smoothies at Crescent City Coffee Shop

Yum! At Crescent City Coffee Shop, 1007 North Trenton Street, Ruston, LA 71270
(318) 232-5282, you can get a fruit smoothie made fresh by the attractive young men and women working there. (Most of them are students at Lousiana Tech or Grambling). As you watch, they toss a generous serving of fruit into a blender with a small amount of flavored syrup. Then they will ask you if you want whipped cream and how much whipped cream you want.

My mouth craves Strawberry Smoothies. I confess that after my first one I have not passed many minutes without thinking about having the next one. There is also a Four Berry Smoothie, which is a blend of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. Alexandra, one of the baristas, recommends the Peach Pear Plus. For adventurous palates, there is the Mango Tropics Smoothie, an exotic blend of mango, pineapple, and bananas.

With one of the eight different types of biscotti to go with your smoothie, you can have a light healthy lunch. There are three sizes of smoothies: 12 ounces, 16 ounces, and 20 ounces. Let your appetite and your conscience guide you. Or perhaps you would prefer one of those great big cinnamon rolls or a fresh warm muffin instead of biscotti.

Beignets are the most popular food at the Crescent City Coffee Shop. Mike makes these authentic New Orleans style fried dough temptations fresh in the shop. There are big ones and little ones. Also before 11:00 am, there are irresistible stuffed beignets, filled with ham and cheese or sausage and cheese.

While you enjoy your smoothie, look around for a newspaper or for someone with whom you can enjoy a lively conversation. If you don’t see any of your old friends, don’t despair. There are always people there who love to visit: soon you’ll have some new friends. If you have your laptop with you, check your e-mail while you enjoy your smoothie. Use the free WiFi; if you need a private connection, bring a cord to plug into the Ethernet.

I’ve noticed that the frappes are more popular than the smoothies, but I have not tried one because I’m too busy drinking the smoothies, Diet Cokes®, dark roast coffee, or hot blackberry sage tea with lemon.

Warning: Don't sit down in the Crescent City Coffee Shop unless you have hours to spend. You will have so much fun you won't want to leave.

A Special Gift: THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT by Beatrix Potter

Peter Rabbit at THE COLLARD PATCH


Beatrix Potter's THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT is, in my opinion, one of the great masterpieces of all time. When Paul Elliott and I were co-authoring THE COLLARD PATCH, I wanted to offer something special to the readers of our story cookbook.

We found a treasure! We decided to make THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT available to our readers. This is the original book, THE TALE OF PETER RABBIT. (If you live outside the United States, please check the copyright laws in your country before downloading this book.)

Go to the lead at the bottom of any page in THE COLLARD PATCH to find a lead to download the book. If you set your printer in black and white, you can download some of the pictures for your children to color.

Get This Amazing Collard Story Cookbook, The Collard Patch, Now!

Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

A Free ECookbook of Our Favorite Christmas Recipes

Christmas Cookbook - a collection of our best family recipes for the holidays assembled in one place. They are classics along with our families' latest innovations. Delight through the holidays to the sights, smells, and delicious tastes of some of the best food you'll ever put in your mouth! This book covers everything-from appetizers to party foods to breakfast to Christmas dinner to desserts to gifts to food with children to what to do with your gifts. (value: $19.97)

Availiable FREE at The Twelve Days of Christmas

The Midnight Clear

Houston – Carolyn Forche`, national best-selling author and motivational speaker, just returned from the book launch of The Midnight Clear, a collection of Christian and Christmas-themed stories of love, hope and inspiration by 20 national female African American authors. Many of the authors, such as Carolyn, are award winning, national best-selling authors. Sixteen attended the launch event held at Copeland’s Buckhead Restaurant in Atlanta, GA this past weekend. The book is published by KNB Publications in Atlanta. Forche's story, The Best Christmas Promise Ever, chronicles the riveting account of her 3-year vigil with a dying sister, and God's miraculous, near-death delivery, that stunned the Chicago medical community.

She is author of the award-winning Colors Come From God … Just Like Me, (Abingdon Press), which has sold nearly 30,000 copies. She hails The Midnight Clear as a first and one-of-its kind publication, that will touch and inspire the lives of people everywhere. The book was released in late November, and is already getting very positive reviews nationally.

Forche`, who is busy scheduling a number of book-signings here in Houston and in her native home, Chicago, says the book was timed for Christmas release and makes the perfect gift for anyone. Reading the “page-turner” contributions from the various authors on the plane home made her feel “privileged to be a part of such a stellar group of talented writers.” She applauds the efforts of Kendra Norman Bellamy, publisher and author of many best-selling works, whose genius in pulling together some of the best writers in the country has made this publication a sure-to-be best seller as well. Carolyn may be contacted at her office, (281) 914-0422.

Real Women Eat Chiles -- One day only – December 7, 2006!

What's this all about? Read on...
I am very excited to be able to tell you about my friend
Jane Butel and her award winning book "Real Women
Eat Chiles". For the last month, Paul Elliott and I have been
helping her put together an awesome “Real Women Give Away”
featuring her wonderful cookbook for the 2006 Holiday season.
When you order a copy of Real Women Eat Chiles right now,
as a thank you for your support, you will receive a complimentary
collection of gifts.
(Combined together, all of these gifts are worth over $685 and you
get them as a bonus, at absolutely no charge.)
Real Women Eat Chiles is full of fabulous spicy, Santa Fe-style
recipes and delicious, health-tested quick ideas for great, easy meals.
The inspiring stories about women and chiles remind us that the secret
to weight-loss without a diet is high-energy, healthy food!
This gorgeous gift book is perfect for:
· girlfriends
· teachers
· mothers
· sisters
· daughters
I recommend the reading for any woman who is a high achiever or who wishes to be!
But you must act now as this offer is for a limited time! Go here right now and check this out:
http://www.janebutel.com/realwomen.html
Remember, you must act today!

***MARK HENDRICKS' 12 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS 06 OFFICALLY LAUNCHES ***

It's here and it's live now.... It's now in its 4th day!I've already spotted several things and started downloadingbut if you haven't gotten over there yet to take a look...be sure to do it soon before the huge download rushbegins...This only happens once a year — so download everything you want while you can...=======> http://www.collardlovers.com/12days/

We are including a Christmas Cookbook for you in that bonus package!

=======> http://www.collardlovers.com/12days/

The Collard Patch was featured on John Folse's "Stirrin' It Up" on October 4, 2006. To hear the radio program, go to this link:

http://www.CollardLovers.com/jfolse110406.mp3

Get This Amazing Collard Story Cookbook, The Collard Patch, Now!

Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

RECIPE: Stacey Pardue's No Sugar Added Lemon Ice Box Pie

No Sugar Added Lemon Ice Box Pie
(Some of my television viewers have reported that the Crystal Light lemonade adds too much tartness. You may need to use only a 1/2 package depending on your taste buds.)


1 small box sugar free vanilla instant pudding mix
1 3/4 cups skim milk
1 tub Crystal Light lemonade powder (to make 2 quarts) or 1 package Kool Aid lemonade powder plus 1 cup sugar substitute
1 tablespoon lemon juice
8 ounces fat free Cool Whip
1 low fat graham cracker crust (See recipe below!)
Combine pudding and milk; add lemonade powder and lemon juice.

The above recipe is quoted from http://www.wafb.com/

Fold in 1/2 of the Cool Whip. Pour into crust and refrigerate until set. Top with Cool Whip.
Yield: 8 servings Calories: 215Fat: 4 grams


Low Fat Graham Cracker Crust
Reduce the fat and calorie content of your recipes by making your own graham cracker crusts! You may find that 1 cup of crushed graham crackers is sufficient for a small pie.
1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 8 full-sized crackers)
2 tablespoons sugar substitute or 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons liquid Butter Buds
Place all ingredients in small mixing bowl and mix with a fork until moistened. Press into 8 or 9 inch pie pan prepared with nonstick cooking spray.
Yield: 8 servings Calories: 40Fat: 1 gram


WAFB <http://www.wafb.com/Global/story.asp?S=1385316&nav=menu57_10_2>

-----
Get your copy of FLAVORED WITH LOVE at www.FWLCookbook.com

RECIPE: Stir Fried Vegetables

Stir Fried Vegetables

Stir fry these ingredients in a wok as listed :

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

12 garlic pods, finely chopped

2 cups carrot s, chopped

2 cups collards, chopped

2 cups cabbage, chopped

1 Fuji apple, coarsely chopped

Pinch baking soda

1 tablespoon Madras curry

2 tablespoons pine nuts

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons Teriyaki sauce

2 tablespoons raisins

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

Serve in bowls or over rice. Two servings.

An Offer You Cannot Afford to Miss

"Here's How To Grab Your $3,757.23 Book Buy Business Bonus Bonanza...absolutely FREE!"!
Go right now to www.CollardLovers.com

You have to grab these bonuses today, November 2, 2006, or not at all. This is a one-day offer.

BONUS BANANZA

We have some exciting news for you! We are giving away bonuses worth more than $3,000 to everyone who orders The Collard Patch at Amazon.com on November 2, 2006.

These bonuses include cookbooks, help with producing and marketing your own cookbook, self-help literature, generalized marketing, thousands of free recipes, software . . . and so much more.

Go to our Bonus Bonanza page and discover what we are giving away.

Go to http;//www.CollardLovers.com/bonuses and follow the directions.

Our Prater's Mill Country Fair Experience

Well, the anticipation of the Prater's Mill Country Fair in Dalton, GA, this past weekend was certainly well-placed. There were about 10,000 visitors over Saturday and Sunday!

Our cookbook, The Collard Patch, sold very well. We met so many delightful people. Of the ones we met, some were from TN, AL, MS, SC, KY, and LA, in addition to many from all around the home state of GA.

The history of Prater's Mill is intriguing, and the volunteers demonstrated that grain can still be ground into flour, corn meal, and hominy grits. We bought both white and yellow cornmeal and wheat flour.

One of the local matriarchs, Mrs. Smith of the Goodner-Smith Family, was selling delicious homemade jellies and we laid in a supply of that also.

It was a wonderful weekend experience both as a spectator and as a vendor.

Check back this week for a surprising announcement!

Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

Recipe: Hot Link Collard Eggs

Original Recipe by Paul Elliott
Ingredients
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 cup finely chopped tender baby collards with stems removed
1 hot link, finely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 eggs
⅔ cup grated cheddar
1 tablespoon oregano
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon salt substitute
1 tablespoon Frank’s Red Hot Sauce—Chile ’n Lime®

Preparation
· Sauté onions, collards, and hot links in olive oil in a heavy skillet.
· Whisk the other ingredients together—the eggs, cheese, and spices—in a mixing bowl
· Pour all the ingredients into the skillet; cook and stir, as you would scramble eggs.

Use to fill crepes or tortillas.

This recipe was featured in The Ruston Daily Leader. Paul's story is in a separate blog entry.

The Way Men Cook Breakfast

Hot Link Collard Eggs

The Way Men Cook Breakfast

By Rindy Swafford. Ruston Daily Leader

Who knew collards could be eaten for breakfast?
Ruston resident Paul Elliott found this fact out after a truckload of them landed in his lap.
Mary Cheatham’s sister had some collard in her garden, and it turned out to be a pickup truck full,” Elliott said. “So we had all these collards and had them in these big black garbage bags.”
His friend Mary Cheatham then wondered what they would do with all the collards.
The answer, for Elliott, was simple.
“We’re going to wash them and freeze them,” Elliott said. “So we had enough collards to do a lot of experimenting. And this recipe was part of that.”
He manufactured his recipe for hot link collard eggs out of things he enjoys – hotlinks, collards, and eggs. Also, in his two and a half years of living in Louisiana, this Texas native learned to season his recipe.
“Living in Louisiana, I’ve learned to enjoy well seasoned foods, so I added some of those and worked with the recipe until it suited my spicemouth,” Elliott said.
Elliott and Cheatham soon decided to add this recipe to the May 2006 release of their cookbook entitled The Collard Patch.
“We picked a lot of other areas that people have not thought of to use collards,” Elliott said. “People don’t usually think of collards in desserts; we’ve done it all and got some delicious recipes in the process.”
Elliott”s hot link, collard, and egg mix can be used to fill crepes or even soft tortillas. The size of the wrap or crepe depends on “how big a breakfast you want.”
Elliott’s cookbook not only contains information about how to create his recipes, but also it contains nutrition facts about the ingredients.
“In the process (of making the book) we put in some information on collard nutrition, how to grow collards, how to control pests and the series of stories from my youth that we titled “Growing up in Collard Country,” Elliott said.
This series contains stories about “people who didn’t know how to farm but moved out to a farm and boy did we get laughed at by the serious farmers” – Elliott’s family.
Elliott said the nutritional facts were included alongside some the recipes to let people know how healthy collards are.
“Well, we did it on some of them; on others you probably shouldn’t even ask because it’s in and effort to point out that collards can be very healthy, very tasty, and have many different ways they can be used,” Elliott said. “So if you think you don’t like collards, you haven’t tasted our collards; that’s the difference.”Elliott and Cheatham’s The Collard Patch can be found at Potluck Gifts and online at www.collardlovers.com

The above story is quoted from The Ruston Daily Leader. Paul's recipe for
Hot Link Collard Eggs appears in a separate blog entry.

Recipe: Creamed Taco

1 pound ground beef, browned and drained
2 cans Ranch Style® beans (original seasoned ones)
1 can chili without beans
1 can Ro*Tel® tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
½ pound regular Velveeta® cheese product, cubed
½ pound Mexican Velveeta® cheese product, cubed
½ pint whipping cream
1 large bag regular Fritos® corn chips

Place the meat in the bottom of a four-quart pan or crockery cooker. Dump all the other ingredients (except the chips, of course) on top. Cook at very low heat until the cheese melts.

(The story about the above recipe is in a separate blog entry.)

Get This Amazing Collard Story Cookbook, The Collard Patch, Now!
Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

Mary Vaughn’s Creamed Taco: Adding a little spice to a Texas favorite

The Ruston Daily Leader featured Mary Lou Cheatham, author of Flavored with Love,as guest chef in “North Louisiana Cuisine” in the Lifestyles section Sunday, August 13, 2006. Creamed Taco, a recipe from Flavored with Love, was the featured recipe.

Though Mary Lou Cheatham has had a passion for cooking all of her life, it was only four years ago that she decided to put her own recipes and those of her family along with life stories into a cookbook called Flavored with Love, which can be purchased at Potluck Gifts in Ruston.

“About four years ago I was at my family reunion, and there was so much good food and I decided I wanted to collect those recipes,” Cheatham, a resident of Ruston for 30 years, said. “In the meantime everybody was just telling these wonderful stories, all the stories about my family -- funny stories and sad stories. I decided maybe I could put these together, and I came up with the idea of making a story cookbook.”

Family members and friends gave recipes and real-life stories to go along with them. After Hurricane Katrina, her readers expressed a desire for more south Louisiana recipes and stories, so she obliged them with a third edition, which was released in February of this year.

“I did the third edition because so many people were asking me about recipes from south Louisiana, so I added recipes about south Louisiana and some things from south Louisiana heritage.”

According to the book, “The Southern cooking in a down-home Louisiana and Mississippi style ranges from foolproof sugar cookies to make with children at Christmas to authentic Italian lasagna to simple desserts like the three-step fresh fruit salad.

Today’s “Mary V’s Creamed Taco” recipe comes straight from Texas with a little added Louisiana spice.

“My cousin (Mary Vaughn) gave me that one, and she has lived in Texas,” Cheatham said. “So this recipe has a Texas and south Louisiana influence.”

Though the recipe in the book calls for ground beef to be added to the tomatoes, beans, chili, Cheatham said she prefers to use crawfish tails to add a unique Louisiana influence.

With football games and other outdoor activities to go to, she also said this quick and easy recipe would be perfect for the upcoming tailgating season.

“This recipe would be excellent for tailgaiting because it’s easy to make in the crockpot, and it just has to stay warm,” Cheatham said. “People can serve it in a bowl and pour over Fritos and add jalapenos if they want to.”

Cheatham said its creamy texture also makes it the perfect comfort food.

“It’s a creamy comfort food but with spice,” she said. “And it’s very, very easy to make.”

Cheatham recommends serving this soul food dish with guacamole dip.

Cheatham’s recipe book contains more than 300 recipes for down-home dishes and nostalgia thrown in with stories from friends and family members.

As the book says, with those recipes you can imagine serving an authentic Louisiana meal that you prepared without difficulty filling your house with the distinctive odors of Creole and Cajun food.

Cheatham’s book is filled with recipes from southern Mississippi and Louisiana.

How’s that for a little Southern pride?

(The recipe is in a separate blog entry.)

To read more about Flavored with Love, visit www.FWLCookook.com and www.FlavoredwithLove.com

Get This Amazing Collard Story Cookbook, The Collard Patch, Now!
Get This Amazing Southern Cookbook, Flavored with Love, Now!

Pineapple Upside Down Gouda Cake

The Mars Cheese Castle website has some wonderful recipes, along with pictures and descriptions of different types of cheese. Mars Cheese Castle is located at Kenosha, Wisconsin.

http://www.marscheese.com/

Pineapple Upside Down Gouda Cake
Ingredients Lbs. / Ozs. Method
TOPPING:
Unsalted butter, melted 4 oz.
Brown sugar, firmly packed 7 oz.
Canned pineapple juice 2 oz.
Combine.

Canned pineapple slices, for garnish

CAKE:
Unsalted butter 4 oz.
Sugar 12 oz.
Cream together at 3rd speed of 3-speed mixer until smooth.
Eggs 6-1/2 oz.
Add.
Mix at 2nd speed until well blended.
Flour 12 oz.Baking powder 2 oz.Salt 2 oz.
Sift together; add.
Mix at 1st speed just until incorporated.
Canned pineapple juice 4 oz.
Gouda cheese, shredded 8 oz.
Stir into batter.

Heavy whipped cream, for garnish
Instructions:
Pour pineapple into two parchment-lined 8-by-2-in. round pans.
Arrange pineapple slices over topping; pour batter into pan.
Bake at 375_F for 30-35 minutes.
Cool 10 minutes; invert and remove pan and paper.
Garnish with heavy whipped cream if desired.
Yields two 8-in. cakes.

The above recipe is quoted from the Mars Cheese website.

Quick Ways to Prepare Collard Greens

Drizzle cooked collard greens with olive oil and lemon juice.

Serve steamed collard greens with black-eyed peas and brown rice for a Southern inspired meal.
Use lightly steamed, cooled and chopped collard greens as a filling in your sushi vegetable rolls.

Healthy sauté collard greens with tofu, garlic and crushed chili peppers for a meal that will definitely add spice to your life.
Quoted from http://www.whfoods.org
Check this site for more information about collards.

Sauteed Collard Greens and Kale

Simply stews - Susan Wyler
1 large bunch collards, 1 ¼ lbsl large bunch kale, 1 ¼ lbs3 tablespoons olive oil6 cloves garlic, finely chopped ½ teaspoon salt½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Rinse collards and kale well in a large bowl of cold water. Drain and cut off the tough stems. There will be 6 to 8 tightly packed cups. In a well seasoned wok, heat the olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring 30 seconds. Add half of the greens and cook stirring for about 1 minute, until they begin to wilt. Add the remaining greens and cook stirring constantly for 8 to 10 minutes, until the greens darken slightly and are fairly tender. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Serves 4.

Quoted from:
http://www.epa.net/collardgreens/recipe.html

THE COLLARD PATCH will be featured at Prater's Mill Country Fair.

The Collard Patch Will Be Highlighted at Prater’s Mill Country Fair, A Southern Festival of Quality Artists, Craftsmen, Music, and Food.

Prater’s Mill Country Fair will highlight The Collard Patch, the best collard cookbook in the world, as its featured selection for 2006. Mary Cheatham and Paul Elliott will exhibit and autograph their collard and cornbread reader October 14 & 15, 2006, at Prater’s Mill Country Fair north of Dalton, GA.

Jane Galay, whose recipe for Memories of the Mill Cornbread along with her true story, “Memories of the Mill,” are featured in The Collard Patch, will be present to autograph her selections.

Prater’s Mill Country Fair is one of the most visited autumn events in the Southeast region. The festival provides an opportunity adults and children to experience life as it was in the middle 1800’s. Prater’s Mill, which is still in operation, is a gristmill that grinds grain into flour or corn into meal.

The fair features numerous types of entertainment:

Southern food
Live history exhibits
Original art
Blacksmithing
Handcrafted quilts
Quilting
Woodcarving
Rug Hooking
Hand tufting
Civil War encampment
Antique engines in operation
Tours of the gristmill
Country store
Shugart Cotton Gin
Farm animals in Westbrook Barn
Canoe rides in Coahulla Creek
Nature trail hikes
Pony rides
Clogging exhibitions
Country bands
Gospel singers
Jugglers
Storytellers


From http://www.pratersmill.org/the essential information:
Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Visitors are urged to dress casually and wear comfortable shoes.
Prater’s Mill is located on Georgia Hwy. 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, TN. Interstate travelers should take I-75 to the Tunnel Hill-Varnell Exit No. 341; drive north 4.5 miles to the intersection with Georgia Hwy. 2 at Varnell; turn right and continue 2.6 miles to the Mill, a total distance of 7 miles from I-75.
For more information or to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities call 706-694-MILL (6455) or visit www.PratersMill.org.
Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Visitors are urged to dress casually and wear comfortable shoes.
Prater’s Mill is located on Georgia Hwy. 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. Interstate travelers should take I-75 to the Tunnel Hill-Varnell Exit No. 341; drive north 4.5 miles to the intersection with Georgia Hwy. 2 at Varnell; turn right and continue 2.6 miles to the Mill, a total distance of 7 miles from I-75.
For more information or to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities call 706-694-MILL (6455) or visit PratersMill.org.
Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Visitors are urged to dress casually and wear comfortable shoes.
Prater’s Mill is located on Georgia Hwy. 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. Interstate travelers should take I-75 to the Tunnel Hill-Varnell Exit No. 341; drive north 4.5 miles to the intersection with Georgia Hwy. 2 at Varnell; turn right and continue 2.6 miles to the Mill, a total distance of 7 miles from I-75.
For more information or to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities call 706-694-MILL (6455) or visit PratersMill.org.
Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Visitors are urged to dress casually and wear comfortable shoes.
Prater’s Mill is located on Georgia Hwy. 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. Interstate travelers should take I-75 to the Tunnel Hill-Varnell Exit No. 341; drive north 4.5 miles to the intersection with Georgia Hwy. 2 at Varnell; turn right and continue 2.6 miles to the Mill, a total distance of 7 miles from I-75.
For more information or to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities call 706-694-MILL (6455) or visit PratersMill.org.
Fair hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5, children 12 and under enter free. There is no charge for parking. Visitors are urged to dress casually and wear comfortable shoes.
Prater’s Mill is located on Georgia Hwy. 2, 10 miles northeast of Dalton and about 30 miles south of Chattanooga, Tenn. Interstate travelers should take I-75 to the Tunnel Hill-Varnell Exit No. 341; drive north 4.5 miles to the intersection with Georgia Hwy. 2 at Varnell; turn right and continue 2.6 miles to the Mill, a total distance of 7 miles from I-75.
For more information or to inquire about sponsorship and volunteer opportunities call 706-694-MILL (6455) or visit PratersMill.org.
Information sources: http://www.georgia.org
http://www.pratersmill.org/

Natural Remedies And Old Mountain Foods

Quoted from:
http://www.mountaintimes.com
Folks back in the 1800s (and even into the 1900s in some parts!) did not have a local grocery store with fruits and vegetables piled onto cooled shelves, or a corner drug store where remedies waited patiently stacked. Most of their nourishment and medicines came from the world around them, from spring greens and summer flowers, to autumn fruits and roots dug in winter.
The mountains are literally covered with herbs, plants and other naturally occurring substances which can be eaten or used for medicinal purposes. Extreme caution should be used, however, when dabbling in natural remedies and wild foods! If even remotely unsure of what you're using or ingesting, DON'T DO IT! It is important to learn to properly identify a plant before using it for food or medicine. Mistakes can be painful, or even deadly.

Go to the website to read about specific plants.

Nanny’s Broccoli Cornbread

Lauren is a sixteen-year-old young lady who cooks on KTVE. Here is a recipe from her website,

http://www.cookingwithlauren.com

Go there for some more good recipes.

Nanny’s Broccoli Cornbread
1 6 oz pkg. cornbread mix (1 1/4 cup)

1 stick melted butter

2 eggs, beaten

1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped onion

1 t. Tony’s seasoning

1 pkg. chopped broccoli

6 oz. sour cream

½ cup shredded cheddar cheese

Mix all ingredients together except the cheddar cheese. Fill prepared muffin tins about 2/3 full. Sprinkle top with shredded cheese. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 30 minutes until golden brown.
*Cottage cheese may be substituted for sour cream.For a lower fat version of this recipe, use low fat sour cream, egg substitute, and low fat cheddar cheese.

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Cauliflower Soup

Quoted from

Boggy Creek Farm website: http://www.boggycreekfarm.com/pages/recipes.php

Cauliflower Soup

This soup is worthy of your getting out the blender.
1 large Cauliflower (chopped in small bits to cook fast)

1 bunch Leeks (chopped finely; if using baby leeks, chop the greens too)

1 cup to 1 pint Soy Milk (or milk of choice)

1 cup to 1 pint Yogurt

Sprinkles of freshly grated Nutmeg and Cinnamon

Sea Salt to taste

Sauté the Cauliflower and Leeks until soft. Place them in blender or food processor and blend, adding Milk and Yogurt to the desired consistency. Add seasonings and serve hot or cold.

Serves 2-3

When we made our website, www.CollardLovers.com, we made a background of collard leaves. We were intrigued to discover that the Boggy Creek website has also used greens as a background.

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Recipe:Market Vegetables with Dipping Sauces

From Amazon.com:

BACK TO THE TABLE

Cookbook by Art Smith, Oprah's Personal Chef

"Dining together allows us to better understand who we are, regardless of our social status," writes Art Smith, author of Back to the Table, a cookbook that explores the meaning of the dining ritual while providing 150 recipes to "strengthen bonds between loved ones."

Personal chef to Oprah Winfrey and a contributing editor to her magazine, O, Smith grew up in the Southern cooking tradition, the underpinning of this enticing home-style collection. Smith's reiterated message--that we return to the "sanctity of the table"--is unassailable; his recipes, however, really make the point.

Readers looking for good food to cook and share will find the book a much-turned-to treasure.Chapters like "Breaking Bread," "The Family Meal," and "Food Is Love" organize recipes around the communal eating theme. "The Family Meal," for example, includes exemplary everyday formulas for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, such as Zucchini and Tomato Frittata, Carrot-Ginger Soup with Minted Yogurt, and Grilled Fish Fillets with Watercress Mustard and Tarragon. Other outstanding recipes--such as Mushroom, Provolone, and Rosemary Pizza, Sunday Dinner Pot Roast, and Spring Vegetable Lasagna--reflect and encourage shared cooking and enjoyment. Formulas for sweets are woven throughout the book and include such delights as Kumquat-Ginger Pound Cake, Chocolate Pecan Pie, and an old-fashioned Peanut Brittle. Illustrated with photos that depict the food and cooking processes or show people enjoying meals together, the book reminds readers of the culinary and spiritual pleasures of the shared table. --Arthur Boehm

Book Description

Art Smith is Oprah Winfrey's personal chef. Smith provides readers with an array of mouth-watering recipes that represent the very best of home cooking.He also discusses how to set the table in a way that gives reverence to the food and the guests; how various cultures give blessings before a meal; how different kinds of foods and dishes can contribute to an atmosphere of family unity; and so much more! Back to the Table is illustrated throughout with stunning photos of the food and of people sharing their tables, and their lives. He has cooked professionally for the families of celebrities and heads-of-state for almost 20 years.

Recipe quoted from Oprah.com by Art Smith:

Market Vegetables with Dipping Sauces
Created by Art Smith
From the March, 2005 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine
Makes 4 servings

Art Smith redeems steamed vegetables—the dish that gave an entire cooking method a bad name—with his market vegetables accompanied by peanut, sweet-and-sour, and curry yogurt dipping sauces.


INGREDIENTS


Assorted colorful seasonal vegetables, sliced in a range of sizes
1/4 teaspoons sea salt or juice of half a lemon


Peanut sauce:


2 Tablespoons chopped peanuts or peanut butter
1 teaspoon minced scallions
1 teaspoon finely chopped chili pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
1/4 cup hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
1/3 cup water
1 teaspoon vegetable oil


Sweet-and-sour sauce:


1 teaspoon finely chopped chili pepper
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
2 Tablespoons grated carrot
1/4 cup fish sauce
8 Tablespoons lemon or lime juice
3 Tablespoons sugar


Curry yogurt sauce:


1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons curry powder
1/2 teaspoons ground cumin


To prepare vegetables: In a large pot with a steaming basket insert, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add salt or lemon juice to enhance flavor. Place vegetables in steaming basket and cover. Cook 3 to 5 minutes; remove steamer from pot. To make sauces: In 3 small bowls, mix each set of ingredients together and stir. Sauces can be prepared and refrigerated up to one day in advance; serve alongside steamed vegetables.

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Gone fishing—RECIPE: Grilled Salmon

It’s been a long time since I’ve heard from our friend Shane Bryan. Visiting his blog, I discovered he has found a way to make money while he has fun fishing. Here is a note from his blog with a fishing recipe in the P. S.:
Just wanted to say "hi" to all my readers and to say sorry for the spotty posts of late. I am currently commercial fishing out in Prince William Sound, Alaska. This year has been pretty busy so far with very little time in port. Am having a good summer. I will be catching up with my blogging as soon as possible. We should finally be getting a little time off here next week. I'll also try to post some pics at that time.
Cheers,
Chef Shane
P.S.: Looking for an excellent way to grill salmon fillets on the grill? Simply rub down with lemon pepper, garlic, salt and a little hot sauce. Most of the hot sauce will burn off leaving a slightly spicy but not hot taste. This is my favorite way of doing up salmon. This will also work well in a skillet, but use less hot sauce because it won't burn.
Quoted from http://chefshane.com

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Cheddar Biscuits

Note from Martha Hawthorne:

This recipe has been served in our home for many years. Enjoy!

Martha

Red Lobster Biscuits

2 c. biscuit baking mix
1/2 c. cold water
1 c. finely grated mild cheddar cheese
1/4 c. margarine, melted
1 t. parsley flakes
1/2 t. garlic salt

Preheat oven to 450
Mix biscuit mix, cheese & water. Drop by large spoonfuls onto
greased baking sheet. Bake for 8 - 10 minutes. While still hot
brush on the margarine that has been mixed with the garlic salt
and parsley flakes. Serve hot. SERVES 4

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It all started a few months before Katrina hit . . .

After Katrina, my friends asked for more Louisiana recipes, stories, and facts.
As a result, I revised Flavored with Love.

It all started before Katrina hit. People all over Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana were buying and reading the cookbook. Then they begged for more south Louisiana food and experiences.

A lady who owns a gift shop deep down in French country asked me, “How many ingredients do you have in these recipes?”

I said, “It varies. They are all simple to cook, but some of them have as many as 20 things you have to shake into the pot.”

She said, “Good. I’ll sell it in my store. You can’t make food taste right without at least 11 or 10 ingredients.”

About that time Christie and Mike (my daughter and son-in-law) moved across the Mississippi River from Modeste to St.James Parish. Paul (a fellow cookbook writer) and I went to help build a fence around their yard.

To begin the project, Christie went next door to the Kellers’ house, introduced herself to Ms. Hazel, and asked her where the property line was.

With a clear understanding of the acceptable location of the fence, Christie and Paul went to work. About 30 minutes later, a man riding in a little hauling tractor with a load of tools in the back came driving down the street and up the driveway.

Go to www.FlavoredwithLove.com to read the rest of the story.

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Collard Greens (Collards), a Source of Antioxiants

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"'Antioxidant' is a classification of several organic substances,
including vitamins C and E, vitamin A (which is converted from
beta-carotene), selenium (a mineral), and a group known as the
carotenoids. Carotenoids, of which beta- carotene is the most popular,
are a pigment that adds color to many fruits and vegetables -- without
them, carrots wouldn't be orange, for example."
From http://www.goaskalice.columbia.edu/0830.html


"Despite over four decades of research, our understanding of oxidative
damage and the role of antioxidants in health is still in its infancy.
Much of the research done to date has produced contradictory results."
[page description in the source code]
"Other studies have shown that diets high in the antioxidants called
carotenoids, especially lutein and zeaxanthin, did have a protective
benefit in reducing the risk of macular degeneration. These are found
primarily in green leafy vegetables, and the intake of spinach or
collard greens had the greatest benefit. Neither vitamins A, C, nor E
was especially helpful. (58) Scientists believe lutein and zeaxanthin
may help cells avoid oxidative damage from light exposure by absorbing
blue light (59). To prevent the onset of macular degeneration, some
doctors suggest wearing sunglasses to protect your eyes from
ultraviolet light damage and eating green leafy vegetables to keep
lutein levels high in the macula."
From http://www.infoaging.org/b-oxdam-17-r-macular.html

Quoted from Answers.Google.com

Recipe: FATHER'S DAY ITALIAN MEATLOAF

Recipe quoted from What's Cookin'
Current recipe for June 16, 2006
FATHER'S DAY ITALIAN MEATLOAF - LA BELLA VITA'S GUEST COOK - MADDY MULL
2 lb ground beef
1/3 red bell pepper chopped
1 1/2 oz dried bell pepper
1 oz montreal steak seasoning
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1/3 tbsp Italian seasoning
barbecue sauce
1 italian sausage link

Mix first 6 ingredients together and mix well. Form into a ball and place on wax paper. Spread over wax paper into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Place italian sausage across the width of meat mixture. Roll up meatloaf over sausage. Bake at 300 degrees for 40 minutes then rotate and continue cooking an additional 25 minutes.

Combine barbecue sauce and italian seasoning. Spread over meatloaf and serve.

Join La Bella Vita for Father's Day!!

ENJOY and Happy Father's Day.

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Cookbook Readers

Two Great Story Cookbooks -- Distinctive Gift Items! They are certainly unique because nobody else has these cookbooks. When people see them the first time, they say, "Ahh! Wow! These books are beautiful! I didn't expect them to be so big"

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Order

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Order

Snippets and Snippets 2

A Reader's Review of Snippets:
I've been reading bits and pieces of Beth Boswell Jack's writing for a number of years, mostly on a web site called USADeepSouth, and it's great to see them all gathered together in this book called Snippets. Our local Arkansas paper doesn't carry her column, but I wish it did. Her writing is funny and smart. I wish all humorous women without edgy big city pretensions weren't compared to Erma Bombeck. Jacks has her very own, clear voice. I love that she's been married to the same man since forever, lives in a small town in Mississippi, but gets around like crazy. Is there such a thing as up-to-date nostalgia? One of my favorite pieces is "Diary of a Mad Strutter". If you've ever heard of the Sweet Potato Queens from Jackson, Mississippi, you must read how Jacks joined the parade. Snippets is a good gift for southern readers, but also could knock down a bunch of stereotypes that Yankees might still be carrying around. For that you might want to check out Southern Jewelry Laws, page 66.


Beth has written Snippets 2!



Who is Beth Jacks?

A resident of the Mississippi Delta, Beth Jacks is a graduate of Millsaps College (B.A.-English) and the University of Mississippi (M.Ed.-Special Education).
Jacks writes poetry and short stories for children's magazines and literary journals. She's had stories and poems published in Simon and Schuster's Chocolate series and in Delta Magazine, Ladybug, Hopscotch, Devo'Zine, Pockets, Boys' Quest, Story Mates, Story Friends, Wee Ones Mag, Northwest Family Magazine, Shining Star, Kids' Highway, Working Writer, Lighthouse Story Collections, Lonzie's Fried Chicken, and a number of other magazines.

A weekly personal essay columnist for several Southern newspapers, Jacks is a member of both the Mississippi Press Association and the Louisiana Press Association.


From USADEEPSOUTH.COM