The Soul Mom

Pecan Pie Recipe

2012-09-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

For this week’s Soul Food Sunday, I am sharing a recipe for pecan pie. I really like pecan pie, but it is not something that my family or my husband’s family makes, so I rarely eat it. With that said, I had never made pecan pie before I made this recipe. My first time!

The recipe is a combination of a few that I found on the internet. I pieced them together and voila, here it is and I must say it is awesome! Even my husband who admitted that he doesn’t like pecan pie said it was a good pie and my two co-workers who love pecan pie gave this two thumbs up. I hope you like it too!

Delish Pecan Pie

Ingredients:

1 cup light syrup

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3eggs

½ cup unsalted butter melted

1 tablespoon flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon butter extract

¼ teaspoon rum extract

¼teaspoon salt

1 deep dish pie shell

1 ¼ cup chopped pecans

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roast pecans: Place on a microwave safe plate and cook for 1.5 minutes. Remove and stir. Microwave for an additional 45 seconds. You should be able to smell the roasted nuts.

Mix all ingredients except nuts and pie shell. Stir until fully mixed and no lumps appear. Stir in nuts.

Pour mixture into pie shell and arrange nuts evenly (nuts will rise to the top). Cover sides of pie crust with foil to prevent burning.

Place on cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for an additional 20-30 minutes. Pie should be set and not overly jiggly in the center.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious pecan pie recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes.

Wordless Wednesday... Camel Ride

2012-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yep, that's a camel.

Ranch Oven Fried Chicken Recipe

2012-09-09T09:01:00.000-07:00

This week for Soul Food Sunday I am sharing a recipe for oven fried chicken. I wanted to share my husband’s fried chicken recipe (we all love it so much), but I hate frying food in the house. Everything gets so greasy. So I tried a recipe for oven fried chicken. Much healthier and no messy grease.

I adapted this recipe from one I found on the internet. I added ranch for little extra tang. The recipe was very easy to make and pretty good. My biggest issue was the fact that the crust on the bottom stuck to the baking rack a tad. But the chicken was still fine, since there was plenty of crust on the top. I hope you enjoy it!

Ranch Oven Fried Chicken

Ingredients:

2 lbs chicken (I used boneless breasts)

1 cup ranch dressing

1 tsp pepper

1 tsp seasoning salt

Olive oil cooking spray

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 packet ranch mix (powder)

2 tsp baking powder

Directions:

Prep chicken (wash and pat dry). Mix ½ tsp pepper and with ranch dressing. Put chicken and ranch dressing in a plastic zipper bag to marinate 30 minutes to overnight.

Preheat oven to 450. Line a cookie sheet with foil and place a wire rack on top of the cookie sheet. Spray cookie sheet with olive oil spray.

Mix flour, ranch mix, baking powder, seasoning salt and remaining ½ tsp in a plastic zipper bag. Remove chicken from plastic bag. Shake off excess and place in flour bag. Shake until coated and place on wire rack. Discard flour and ranch mixtures once done.

Spray chicken lightly olive oil spray (chicken should be moist) and place in oven. Bake until golden brown and thermometer reads 170 degrees, which should be 50-60 minutes.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious baked or fried chicken recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

To join the Soul Food Sunday Linky: (1) add your soul food recipe post to your blog, (2) add your post (and delicious photo) to the linky (3) add the linky code to your post! It would also be great if you would link back to The Soul Mom blog.

Next week’s Soul Food Sunday (9/16) will feature pecan pie recipes so come on back!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes.

Sparkle Remake Movie Review

2012-09-06T19:01:00.000-07:00

The other week I went with friends and family to see Sparkle. I was excited to see the movie as I am an avid fan of the 1970s original. In my 8/24 blog post I wrote about all my excitement for the new movie, but most of all, I shared all the reasons why I love the original.

So, with high hopes and thoughts of Sparkle ad Stix I marched into a crowded movie theater with a bubbling group of women. After only 2 minutes, I immediately realized that I approached the Sparkle remake with the wrong spirit and wrong set of expectations. Having just watched the original Sparkle on Centric 2 days prior, I was expecting the same movie with better cinematography and new talent. What I got was a movie with the same characters (kind of) and similar story line.

I must say, my initial feeling upon leaving the theater not only did I not love it, I was actually a bit disappointment. So many of the things that I really loved about the original Sparkle were gone. I missed feeling like Stix really loved Sparkle from the beginning and had this deep, deep love, dedication and protection. Sister going to jail, just was not the same as Sister dying. I wanted to see Stix sing to Sparkle and lift her confidence. I missed my old choreography, it was simple, but I knew it. Sister was strong, but she was old and she tried so hard to be sexy, while Lonetta just had it. Where were all of my favorites?

So.. that was sad. My favorites weren't there, but all was not lost. There were definitely some high points for me. The cinematography was great. Beautifully shot. It looked great. The music was good. They picked the best songs to bring into the movie. (But I was disappointed that we didn't get a full "Look Into Your Heart.") The wardrobe was AMAZING. I was in love with nearly every outfit I saw. The talent was good and I enjoyed their performances. The choreography was good, just more complicated than the original.

The wardrobe was AMAZING!

As for the characters, I was split on which ones I liked better in the remake:

Sparkle- I liked the original Sparkle best. Jordan Sparks did a great job and has this innocent way about her, but she wasn't as innocent and naive as Irene Cara. She was savvy, she was a songwriter, she was tenacious and I liked it, but I loved the super innocence of the original Sparkle much more. This Sparkle was sophisticated and I yearned for naivete. I truly felt like I saw Sparkle become a woman in the original, but I didn't get that with the remake. She did grow, but she already had some strength.

Jordin Sparks is a sophisticated Sparkle in the remake

Stix- I liked the original Stix best. Both Stixs were hard workers, but in the original he had this love and dedication for Sparkle that was evident from the beginning. In the remake, I didn't like how Stix seemed to be using Sparkle for the music. I was always skeptical if he really loved her or if he loved her talent. Derick Luke is a great actor and I think he did a great job, but Phillip Micheal Thomas is a hard act to follow. Plus it was evident Derrick can't sing. I think he tried one note of "Look into Your Heart," and even I could tell that was all that should be allowed.

Sister- Lonette nailed it. She was just a sexy, pretty girl that with a little effort was a bombshell. In the remake, Sister felt old and used. She tried very hard to be sexy. Too hard for my taste. And while incarceration is like death, it's not death and it didn't have the same impact. I hate to say this, but I wasn't all that fond of Sister in the remake.

The Mother- The original mom took the cake. She didn't say much, but nearly everything she said had meaning and depth. He story was not as glamorous as in the remake, but you respected her. Whitney's character didn't connect with me.

Whitney Houston as the ex-singer/devoted church-goer in Sparkle

Dee- liked Dee much better in the remake. Her character had wings and depth and I liked her. In the original, I didn't even remember her name and she just seemed angry. In the remake, I actually wanted to see more of Dee.

Satin- I I liked Satin better in the remake. This Satin was more interesting and entertaining and Mike Epps brought the character to life. Not as gritty and slimy as a drug dealer, but he still had grit, slime and you pretty much hated him. But unlike the original, I looked forward to seeing him on screen.

Mike Epps rocks as Satin Struthers in Sparkle

Levi- I am on the fence with Levi. I actually like them both. This a draw for me.

And in the end, I realize that I need to see the movie again, with fresh eyes and an open attitude. I expected too much and spent most of my time wondering why it was't like the original instead of trying to enjoy what was in front of me. That's the Sparkle purist in me. So, I will give it some time and I'll go back to see the Sparkle remake again, and I actually think that with fresh eyes and an open attitude I'll enjoy it much more.

Cold Oven Pound Cake Recipe

2012-09-02T19:42:00.000-07:00

For this week’s Soul Food Sunday I am sharing a recipe for cold oven pound cake. I love a good pound cake, but I find that it is hard to get a good pound cake recipe. When I do run a across a good cake, the baker usually doesn’t share the recipe (boo!). So I am forced to scrounge around for a recipe to make!

The recipe below is a combination of a recipe I found on the web (Aunt Laurie’s cold oven poundcake) and a recipe that my friend shared. It’s a wonderful recipe that make a moist, sweet, dense cake that is perfect with a tall glass of milk.

Cold Oven Pound Cake

Ingredients:

1.5 sticks unsalted butter
1.5 cups sugar
3 eggs (cold)
1.5 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (no salted needed if you use salted butter)
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream (cold)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon butter extract

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

*eggs and whipping cream should/ be cold right out of the refrigerator (not room temperature)

Note, this makes enough batter for a loaf pan, if you would like to use a large tube pan, double the recipe.

Directions:

Prepare loaf pan. You can spray with bakers spray or grease with crisco & dust with flour, but, personally, I prefer to use Wilton’s cake release which works wonderfully! Also, I line the bottom of my pans with waxed paper, which avoids the bottom sticking. Set prepared pan aside.

Mix dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and salt) set aside. Cream butter and sugar together. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, alternating with whipping cream.

Add extracts (vanilla, butter, lemon and almond).Beat on medium-high to high speed of hand mixer for two minutes, scrapping down sides of bowl. Carefully pour batter evenly into pan.

Place on middle rack in COLD oven and bake at 300F for 1.5 hours. Check it towards the end in case your oven cooks fast or slow. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a cake rack on the counter for about four minutes.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious pound cake recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

To join the Soul Food Sunday Linky: (1) add your soul food recipe post to your blog, (2) add your post (and delicious photo) to the linky (3) add the linky code to your post! It would also be great if you would link back to The Soul Mom blog.

Next week’s Soul Food Sunday (9/9) will feature baked and fried chicken recipes so come on back!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes.

Red Velvet Cake Recipe- Cupcake Style!

2012-08-26T00:01:00.000-07:00

Yum! Red Velvet Cupcake

This week for Soul Food Sunday I am sharing a recipe for red velvet cake that comes in the bite-size variety. My good old friend the red velvet cupcake. I never had a bite of red velvet cake until I was well into my adult years and it wasn’t because I did think I’d like it (I have a huge sweet tooth and will try nearly any cake), it was because no one made it in my family. But after my first bite I was in love and try red velvet cake everywhere I go. Every time I visit a bakery I try a red velvet cupcake. And not everyone gets it right. The biggest area of possible failure in red velvet cake is moistness.

In all honesty, my favorite red velvet cake recipe (for me to make) comes straight from the box courtesy of Duncan Hines. It’s absolutely perfect. I pair it with a homemade cream cheese frosting (never scrimp on this) and it always gets rave reviews. I happened upon it on a lazy day when I needed to take cupcakes to a BBQ. What a find! But for this post, I made it from scratch, no box mix involved!

I read through a lot of recipes online and even dusted off some cookbooks to find the perfect red velvet cake recipe. All the recipes were so very similar it was hard to choose. The recipe below was adapted from the crumbly cookie blog where she did a comparison of red velvet recipes and decided on the best. Since all the research had been done, I decided to go with that winner. I only made a few adjustments to accommodate for what I had on hand.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Everything you need to make yummy red velvet cake or red velvet cupcakes

Ingredients
2½ cups cake flour
1½ cups sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 TBS cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
2 eggs at room temperature
1¼ cups vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk at room temperature (or 1 TBS vinegar plus enough milk to make one cup at room...ala buttermilk substitute)
1 tsp red gel food coloring (or 2 TBS [1 oz.] liquid red food coloring)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp white distilled vinegar
Cream cheese icing (see below)

Makes 30 cupcakes (at ½ liner fill)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a medium bowl.

Beat eggs, oil, buttermilk, food coloring, vanilla, and vinegar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until well combined. Add dry ingredients and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes.

Line cupcake tin with liners. Fill each liner ½ full (you can fill to ¾ max, which will have a very domed cupcake that comes over the edge, I like mine a little more controlled so I go for ½ fill). I use an ice cream scoop to fill my cupcakes. It allows a lot more control, consistency and less mess.

Bake cupcakes for 15 minutes. Take out promptly and check doneness with toothpick. If the cupcakes are not done, return at 2-3 minute intervals. The last thing you want to do is overcook the cupcakes. That’s a sure fire way to guarantee red-tinted sawdust.

Remove cupcakes from tin as soon as you can making sure not to burn yourself. The longer you leave the cupcakes in the tin, the more the chance that your liners will pull away from your cupcakes. So be quick, but be careful! I usually take my cupcakes out within 3 minutes of removing them from the oven.

While the cupcakes are cooling, make with cream cheese icing.

Ingredients
1 stick butter softened
1 8oz pack cream cheese softened
4-6 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Directions
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer. With the mixer on low speed, add the powdered sugar a cup at a time until smooth and creamy and it is the consistency you like. Beat in the vanilla.

Frost cupcakes with cream cheese icing.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious red velvet cake recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

To join the Soul Food Sunday Linky: (1) add your soul food recipe post to your blog, (2) add your post (and delicious photo) to the linky (3) add the linky code to your post! It would also be great if you would link back to The Soul Mom blog.

Next week’s Soul Food Sunday (9/2) will feature pound cake recipes so come on back!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes.

Sparkle Remake...I Think I'll Love It

2012-08-24T00:01:00.000-07:00

I admit it, I missed opening weekend of Sparkle and honestly, that is a shameful confession for me. Why you ask? Well, because I am a self-proclaimed Sparkle super-fan. I love, love, love the original movie. It is my all time favorite and as a bit of proof, my last cat bore that very name. I hate that I did not contribute the very important opening weekend sales, but I am still going so that has to count for something!

I still own the VHS of the movie, although I have not watched it in years... I don't even think our VHS works anymore. I can still sing nearly every song and still know most of the moves. I have fond memories of being in my basement apartment in graduate school watching Sparkle on a 19" TV singing the songs and dancing along. I own the soundtrack (I was appaled that it was not the original score, but eventually got used to and loved Aretha Fanklin's soulful redentions). Ahh... what great memories!

All of this excitement about the Sparkle remake got me to thinking... why do I love Sparkle so much? Why is it my favorite movie? Well....
-I love the music. Thank you Curtis Mayfield. This is bar none, the number one reason I love the movie. What great songs. I can sing nearly each one and they all have a rich soul and tell a great story. The lyrics are amazing.
-I love the talent. Sparkle (Irene Cara), Sister (Lonette McKee) and Stix (Phillip Michael Thomas) stuck with me like glue. Sparkle's innocence and growth; Sister's sultry sexiness and street-smart wit; and Stix's determination and dedication to Sparkle kept me glued to the screen.
-I love the story. Well, stories, because there are a few in the movie. There is a sprinkle of saddness and ugliness, but there is also determination and happiness and love and triumph. You take the ups and downs with the characters, you root them on, you cry when the fall and you cheer when they rise and at the end you feel like you watched Sparkle become a woman.

My Sparkle Favorites
My favorite character- Sister. Lonette Mckee is absolutely amazing. I love Sister's street smart comments and uber sexiness. She always sells it and always tells it like it is.
My favorite scene- My heart melted into liquid and evaporated when Stix helped Sparkle through her recording of "Look Into Your Heart." Stix calmed her, reassured her, he sang to her and when he was finished she sang heart out with a newfound confidence.
My favorite song- "Look Into Your Heart." I loved the scene, but also loved the song. The lyrics make me pause, think and "take self-inventory of [my] woman and my glory, leave the bad things behind."
My favorite dance: "Hooked on Your Love." I'm best at following these moves especially those two swings in the air (boom boom). I don't have a super tight red dress with matching long red gloves, but I can still get it.
My favorite line: Stix to Satin "I didn't drop a dime on you. But I wished I had." I don't know why this is my favorite line. There are are waaaaaay more inspiring lines in the movie, but somehow this one stuck with me.

So naturally, given all my Sparkle love, I am excited to see the remake. I had been dying for a remake of Sparkle (and the Wiz... when is that coming?). Although I loved the movie, the story, the talent and the music, I longed for better cinematography, heck just a little more light in some scenes would have done the trick! I have purposely NOT read any reviews, tried to refuse to talk to anyone who has already seen the movie (someone already told me it was good and they changed some things, but that's all) and don't even want to view the trailer. I want it all to be a surprise.

So this weekend, I am off to see Sparkle with the ladies in my family (make it a girl thing). I am looking forward to seeing how well my favorite movie comes to life with modern technology and contemporary actors. I can't wait to hear the new renditions of the songs and see how the choreography has changed (I want my boom boom). I hope it's all that I expect and more!

Book Review: Sleepyhead

2012-08-22T11:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, my girls and I happened upon a very, very cute bedtime book, Sleepyhead by Karma Wilson and John Segal. The small paperback book came free in box of Cheerios (the all around-favorite in my home) and what a pleasant little surprise.

The story is simple and all-too-familiar to most moms. Bedtime time is delayed by requests of one more… everything. One more book, one more hug, one more drink, one more teddy… etc. Sleepyhead, a cute round teddy-looking bear with a mom who is surely feline, just keeps asking until he falls asleep.

The illustrations are precious and simple with watery colors and lots of cute animals. My littlest one (3-years-old) loves to point out all of the animals as we read and my 5-year-old likes to read the book herself.

What I love most about the book is its simple rhyme and rhythm. I love rhyming books, so nearly any rhyming book has the upper hand with me. And the story is so familiar. By the time we’ve gotten to reading Sleepyhead, my own sleepyheads have already probably been through 2 books!

My favorite line… “One more teddy, one more snuggle. One more comfy, cozy cuddle.” Love it!

If you happen upon this book, I’d advise you to pick it up (or at least give it a good read through while in the store). Great bedtime reading and you’ll be happy that you did!

Enjoy!

Mixed Greens Recipe- Mustard Greens and Turnip Greens

2012-08-19T00:01:00.000-07:00

A delish bowl of greens with smoked turkey

For this week’s Soul Food Sunday I am sharing a recipe for greens. This particular recipe is for mixed greens, a combination of mustard and turnip at equal proportion made with smoked turkey. Growing up I was NOT a fan of greens. My great grandmother made greens and I never ate them. Ever. Then somewhere along the line, in my adult years, I decided to actually give greens a try and I loved them. Boy, had I been missing out. Although I don’t make greens myself, I happen to be very particular about the kind of greens I like. (Yes, I got nerve!) I don’t like my greens spicy and they have to have little tang. When I come across a good pot of greens I am always estatic.

The recipe I am sharing below is a combination recipe with input from a friend (thanks Li), a friend’s dad (thanks Anika) and I also did some nosing around the web. This was only the second time that I have made greens in my life, but I must say I did it like a pro. So delish! Being that I am not an expert greens maker, I decided to go the route of pre-washed and cut greens as you’ll see below in the recipe. More expensive, but worth it! And... we don't eat pork in my house, so I used smoked turkey meat. Yum!

Mixed Greens Recipe- Turnip and Mustard

Ingredients:

1 16oz lb of turnip greens
1 16 oz bag of mustard greens
~2lbs of smoked turkey meat (wings are probably best)
½ a medium white onion chopped and divided (1/4^thcup and 1/4^th cup)
2 green onions chopped (should have 2-3 stems in the bulb) green part only, discard the blub
2 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 TBS Lawry’s seasoning salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp garlic powder
One dash cayenne pepper
1 tsp of sugar

Directions:
Add smoked turkey, 1/4^th of chopped white onion and 1 bulb chopped green onion to pot. Sprinkle with Lawry’s (1 tsp) black pepper (1/2 tsp) and garlic powder (1/2 tsp). Add water to cover meat completely.

Boil, then simmer on med low flame until meat is very tender and falling off the bone. If water boils down too low, add more. I boiled my smoked turkey for 2 hours. After boiling, reserve water (do not throw out), take out meat and cut into chunks. You can do your meat the night before, if you want. That’s what I did and put everything in the fridge overnight.
Put your greens remaining onions and chopped meat in the smoked turkey water. Add additional water if needed. Add remaining spices, sugar and vinegar.

Bring to boil and simmer partially covered for 1 hour or until greens are tender.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious greens recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

To join the Soul Food Sunday Linky: (1) add your soul food recipe post to your blog, (2) add your post (and delicious photo) to the linky (3) add the linky code to your post! It would also be great if you would link back to The Soul Mom blog.

Next week’s Soul Food Sunday (8/26) will feature red velvet cake recipes (I'm making cupcakes) so come on back!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes

African American Kid's TV Characters- Representing with More Soul

2012-08-14T19:28:00.001-07:00

In March of 2010 I created a post, “TV Kid’s Characters Represent with Soul,” which has been one of my most popular posts over time. I shared a little background of some of my favorite African American kids TV characters. This included Orange Blossom of the Strawberry Shortcake crew; Iridessa, one of Tinker Bell’s fairy friends; spelling extraordinaire Princess Presto of Super Why; and super smart and musical Quincy of the Little Einsteins.

Well, I am happy to update my list with two new African American kids TV characters that have also helped to bring a little soul to my children’s TV time.

Doc McStuffins

Dottie, Doc McStuffins

Doc McStuffins, star of her very own Disney Junior TV show, has got to be the crown jewel of our soul TV stars. Crowned by many (including myself) as an inspiring role model for our African American children, Dottie McStuffins aspires to be a physician, like her mom and plays doctor to her dolls and toys. She smart, kind and sweet… who doesn’t just love her! The show premiered on March 23^rd and is set to run its second series in 2013. We don’t own any Doc McStuffins merchandise, but I do have my eye on the sparkly doctor’s bag playset. Maybe Santa is reading this blog and we’ll find one under our Christmas tree.

Goby

Goby of the Bubble Guppies

Goby, of the Bubble Guppies, is a cute guppy (half fish half boy) with a short blue afro. He’s known for his great imagination and is known as the “make-believer.” Though only 6, Goby has a love interest, Deema. His favorite color is green and he likes to collect rocks.

While my kids spend more time in front of the TV than I’d like, it’s good to know while they are watching, they are seeing themselves represented on the animated screen.

Potato Salad Recipe

2012-08-12T00:01:00.000-07:00

Delicious Potato Salad

Welcome to Soul Food Sunday! Today I am sharing a delicious and easy potato salad recipe (with pictures!) Potato salad is one of my favorite things about summer. As bad as I know it is for any weight loss goals, I can’t pass it up, especially if it is good. And there is nothing better than good potato salad, than a good potato salad recipe so you can whip it up whenever you get the craving

From the first bite, I loved, loved, loved my mother-in-law’s potato salad and immediately asked for the recipe. It is tangy and delicious, perfect for a nice summer BBQ, a baby or bridal shower, or actually just any event! It’s so good.

She graciously shared her recipe, which I am sharing with you today. I did take a whirl at it and did a decent job (see my photos). Even though I have the recipe, however, I still prefer it when she makes it! Thanks Geri!

Geri's Potato Salad

Everything you'll need to make delish potato salad

Ingredients

5 lbs red potatoes

18 eggs

3 TBS garlic powder

3 TBS onion powder

1.5 TBS black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon sugar

1 TBS relish

2 cups Miracle Whip

2.5 TBS vinegar

Paprika (optional, for sprinkling)

(recipe is easily halved)

Directions:

Boil potatoes (skin-on) until fork inserts easily. It took approximately 1 hour for me. Pour off water and let cool, preferably overnight. Boil eggs and let cool.

Once potatoes are completely cooled - peel and cube the potatoes. As you cube potatoes and place in bowl, season each layer of cubed potatoes in bowl with garlic powder, onion powder and black pepper. Stir to mix. Reserve 2 teaspoons of garlic powder and onion powder and 1 teaspoon of pepper.

Add salt and sugar. Stir to mix.

Separate egg yellows from whites. Mash yellows finely with a fork in a bowl.

Add to cubed potatoes and season with 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.

Chop whites to small chunks. Add to potatoes. Add remaining 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Stir to mix.

Add one tablespoon of relish. Stir to mix.

Add Miracle Whip and vinegar. Stir to mix. Sprinkle paprika on top, if desired.

Enjoy!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious potato salad recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

Next week’s Soul Food Sunday (8/19) will feature greens recipes (collard, mustard, turnip, mixed, you name it) so come on back!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes.

Wordless Wednesday- Loving Venice Beach

2012-08-07T20:04:00.000-07:00

Chilling with Great Granddad (Papa)

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

2012-08-05T06:30:00.000-07:00

For our first Soul Food Sunday I am sharing a recipe (with pictures) for baked macaroni and cheese (some call it macaroni and cheese casserole). Boy, oh boy, oh boy do I LOVE macaroni and cheese. My absolute favorite macaroni and cheese recipe, of all time, is my great grandmother’s. She made it in glass Pyrex dishes, topped with loads of cheese ontop of a cheesy-tasting, creamy white mixture that was to die for. Later in life, I realized the creamy white goodness was a béchamel sauce, and I also realized that very few people take the time and effort to make it.

I would love to say that I am sharing my great grandmother’s mac and cheese recipe today complete with bechamel sauce (oh boy would I), but I am not. It was a recipe that was never written down before she passed.

My recipe is what I call a “cheater.” Primarily because I use a jar of alfredo sauce and it just doesn’t feel like it’s made from scratch when you do that. But never the less, it is quite yummy and I get loads of compliments every time I make it.

Dyani’s Cheater Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Everything you'll need to make cheesy goodness

Ingredients

Half a pound of elbow macaroni boiled and drained

One jar of your favorite alfredo sauce

1/4 cup of milk

1 16 oz. package of mild cheddar cheese shredded divided (1 cup and ½ cup)

1 16 oz. package of casserole cheese* (or a colby/jack mix) shredded divided (1 cup and ½ cup)

¼ tsp Pepper

Butter (for greasing dish)

*the only brand I have ever found to have “casserole cheese” is Kroger. It is a mixture of American, cheddar, colby and mozzarella cheeses.

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Use butter to grease 9” x 9” glass baking dish. Set aside.

In large bowl mix boiled macaroni, alfredo sauce, 1 cup of casserole cheese, 1 cup of cheddar cheese and stir. Although tempting, do not add more cheese as this can make the inside dry. Trust me, the inside will be cheesy and delish!

Mixing it all up in the bowl

Pour milk in alfredo jar and swirl around. Add milk and pepper and stir again. Spoon mixture in prepared dish and flatten with spoon. Top with ½ cup casserole cheese and ½ cup cheddar cheese. The top should be completely covered. If it is not, add more.

All set to go into the oven

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until entire mixture is bubbly and top cheese is all melted and starting to turn brown. Enjoy!

Finally... cheesy goodness!

Visit the sites below in this linky for more delicious macaroni and cheese recipes that I found on the web! Got one of your own, add it!

CLICK HERE TO PRINT THE RECIPE

To join the Soul Food Sunday Linky: (1) add your soul food recipe post to your blog, (2) add your post (and delicious photo) to the linky (3) add the linky code to your post! It would also be great if you would link back to The Soul Mom blog.

Next week’s Soul Food Sunday (8/12) will feature potato salad recipes so come on back!

Make sure to check out the entire schedule of upcoming Soul Food Sunday recipes.

Breastfeeding Awareness Week- African American Breastfeeding

2012-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

Today starts the 20^th Annual World Breastfeeding Week. A week dedicated to increasing awareness, support and adoption of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding offers amazing benefits for both mom and baby. A great way to bond and provide all of the nutrition a little one will need as s/he starts his/her amazing life.

Unfortunately, when it comes to African American moms, we are less likely to breastfeed than other moms. There are tons of reasons why this is so. Lack of information, lack of support, lack of tradition. I was lucky. I came from a family with several generations of breastfeeding. I was well-informed and well supported when I had my children, and I breastfed each one of my girls from birth to over a year. It was not always easy, but it was always worth it.

I try to encourage any mom or mom-to-be I can to breastfeed. I try to offer resources, information and advice (if they want it). I want to be a support. In 2010, I did a series of blog posts about breastfeeding and I wanted to take this time to re-share some of these. There was some great insight and tons of advice shared by many African American moms. Please take a moment and read. Click the title to read the post.

Breastfeeding Advice- From the Mouths of Moms

Why We Breastfeed- From the Mouths of Moms

Lactation Specialist Advice for African American Moms

Bottle to Breast- One Mom’s Path to Breastfeeding

Q & A with founder of Blacktating, African American Breastfeeding Blog

Loving on Breastfeeding- From the Mouths of Moms

And while you are here, take the opportunity to show your support of breastfeeding!

Grab a "I heart breastfeeding" button to display on your blog/site

And/or add an African American breastfeeding twibbon/badge to your Twitter or Facebook profile pic!

Wordless Wednesday- Venice Beach

2012-08-01T05:45:00.002-07:00

Up, up and away!

Best Soul Food Recipes

2012-07-29T11:51:00.000-07:00

In 1997, the movie Soul Food was released. A portrayal of African American family life and traditions, the film featured a weekly Sunday dinner held at Big Mama’s house complete with the best southern soul food and all the fixin’s you would want.

Now, growing up, my family didn’t have the weekly soul food dinners. We saved big extended family meals for holidays and special occasions. The food was great, the recipes were priceless, the love was abounding.

Soul Food Sundays is created in this spirit. Each Sunday, myself, and other fellow bloggers will share our favorite and best soul food recipe for a select dish. Hopefully, we’ll get a few family secrets! I invite you to try not just one of the recipes, try them all! And check back weekly for the new dish.

Below is a calendar of soul food recipes. Once the date has passed the links will be active to access the posts and recipes (you just may want to bookmark this page). Don’t miss any!

RECIPE CALENDAR

Baked Macaroni and Cheese Recipes - August 5, 2012

Potato Salad Recipes - August 12, 2012

Greens (collard, mustard, turnip, etc.) Recipes- August 19, 2012

Red Velvet Cake Recipes - August 26, 2012

Pound Cake Recipes - September 2, 2012

Baked or Fried Chicken Recipes - September 9, 2012

Pecan Pie Recipes - September 16, 2012

Did I miss any of your favorite soul food recipes? If so, comment below with the dish and maybe we’ll add it to the list.

Interested in participating in Soul Food Sundays? Great! Prepare the dish by the select date above and just (1) add your soul food recipe post to your blog, (2) visit this blog or other participating blog on the specific date to add your post (and delicious photo) to the linky (3) add the linky to your post!

Here’s to soulful cooking!

African American Children Can Swim

2012-07-28T09:00:00.000-07:00

After about 2 month’s break, my girlies returned to the pool today and boy were we excited. My 3-year-old has been in lessons since she was 7-months-old, and just loves the water. My 6-year-old has been in swimming lessons since she was 4-months-old and takes every opportunity that presented to her to jump into a pool. And out 13-year-old can do a butterfly better than my husband and I put together. Yes, these African American children can swim.

My husband and I, avid swimmers (my husband was actually a lifeguard as a teen), always made it a priority to teach our children to swim. We put them in the water as soon as we could. We never had fear in throwing them in (when the teachers instructed us to). And we never took fear or whining as an excuse not to swim. We instilled a love and understanding of water from the moment they could understand. Unfortunately, we are the minority when it comes to African Americans.

The USA Swimming Foundation recently conducted a study and found that 70% of African American children don’t know how to swim vs 60% of Hispanic children and 42% of White children.

Learning to swim is more than just a fun, active option for your child. Learning to swim, in some cases, may actually help to save their life. The CDC reports that African American children between the ages of 5 and 14 have a drown rate that is three times higher than their white peers. This higher rate can be attributed to not knowing how to swim and not knowing proper water safety.

The reasons for the disparity are many including remnants of swimming pool segregation, lack of functioning pools in urban areas, lack of affordable swim lessons and the simple fact that if the parents can’t swim, their children are less likely to swim.

But the story is not all grim. The publicity of this recent study has led to the development of low-cost swimming programs for inner-city youth across the country. One of these such initiatives is the Josh Project in Toledo Ohio, an initiative was started by Wanda Butts, a mom who lost her 16-year-old son to a drowning. The program provides low cost swim lessons for kids in Ohio and to-date has helped over 1,000 kids learn to swim.

And then there are great African American swim coaches like Rudolph Henry of Chicago. Coach Henry has dedicated his life to helping African American children learn how to swim and he also happens to be the swim instructor for our two youngest girls. We appreciate Coach Henry. He is tough, and we love that. Our children have become strong confident swimmers with his guidance. His biggest lesson to us is the removal of fear. He pushes every child past their fear so they can achieve more than they knew they could.

Whether your kids are 4-months-old, or 15-years-old, it is never too late to start, or resume, swim lessons and your choices are endless. We have taken private lessons (when our baby was too young for classes), been at the Y, the park district and taken classes at several universities in our city (through their continuing studies program). Find the best environment for you and your child and go for it!

Summer Photography Tips

2012-07-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

After a rather long hiatus, I am returning to writing on my blog (yay). And no other way to jump back in than to write about one of my favorite new hobbies, photography.

I began my addiction to photography in 2006 before my first pregnancy. Committed to taking beautiful photos of my children, I took two photography classes using a manual Minolta (thank you Sue) and off I was.

Fast forward, I now shoot with a DSLR, Nikon D3000, a gracious gift from my brother (thank you Dante). I have invested in additional lenses and all kinds of accessories. I took one additional class and do a LOT of online reading. My goal every day is to become a better photographer than I was the previous.

Summer is one of my favorite times of year to shoot. Lush greenery, outside fun and plenty of sunshine make for some really great shots. Summer is almost over, but you still have plenty of time to snap some awesome summer shots.

Below are 5 thoughts on getting some memorable, and fun, summer pics.

1- Visit your favorite park. Kids light up at a park and it’s no better place to bring out their bubbling spirit. Follow the kids around with your camera as they slide, swing, run and climb and snap, snap, snap away.

2- Snap at a pool or if you live near a body of water, the beach. Nothing says summer like fun in the water. Get plenty of shots with your kids in the water, jumping and splashing. If you are savvy enough to work the setting on your camera, pump up your shooting speed so you can freeze action (including the splashing water).

3- Try sunset (or sunrise if you’re an early bird). Summer schedules are a bit more relaxed. Take advantage and stay out longer to catch the beautiful lighting that you get right before the sun sets or after it rises. Choose a great location and shoot away. Make sure to put your subject between you and the sun.

4- Blow some bubbles. Bubbles are always guaranteed fun and look whimsical and beautiful in photos. Buy a couple bottles of bubbles or even a bubble machine and watch the kids light up. You’re sure to get tons of big smiles and beautiful bubbles.

5- Eat some ice cream. Ice cream is always fun and brings tons of happiness and smiles with it. Get a few cones and have the kids go at it. Catch them licking, smiling and enjoying their favorite treat. Try different flavors (and colors) of ice cream and don’t forget to keep shooting when the ice cream starts to melt (that’s when it really gets fun).

Happy shooting!

Do you have any thoughts or tips for making the most of photography for the rest of the summer? Please share!

5 Great Getaways for Moms! - ad

2011-06-25T04:43:00.001-07:00

Being a mom means being busy and we all need deserve a breather! Click the photo above for great getaways for moms!

I don't know about you, but a get-away is a relished treat that I barely have the opportunity to take advantage of. But the truth is, we mom's sometimes need to steal a moment here and there to re-charge if nothing else. It's best for us and it's best for our families. It's okay to give yourself a treat now and then!

When is the last time you had a get-away?!

TV Programming for Kids...Qubo Gift Pack Giveaway-CLOSED

2011-04-07T20:33:00.000-07:00

I have read many the article about how TV is not the best for kids…. but my kids still watch TV anyway. I, personally, do not believe that TV will turn a child’s mind to mush. When it comes to TV programming, I try to make sure that whatever is on the TV is educational and my little cuties walk away being enlightened and smarter, not brain dead and numb.

I don’t know about you, but I watched plenty of TV when I was a child… and I think that I turned out alright. Some of my favorite shows were “The Smurfs,” “The Littles,” and what little girl didn’t look up to “Shera.” I have very fond memories of remember racing to the TV to watch these shows on Saturday mornings.

Qubo is one of those channels that offer the type of quality children’s programming that I love and remind me of my own childhood. Programming with characters that can serve as positive role models and episodes full of teachable moments. Favorite, classic programming like “The Magic School Bus,” “Babar,” and “Sheldon” are among the many shows that you can catch on Qubo.

Do you remember your childhood TV favorites? Share and enter for your chance to win the Qubo prize pack.

Qubo is giving away a Qubo prize pack to one lucky Soul Mom. The prize pack includes a Qubo-branded t-shirt, cinch pack, beach towel, silly bands of characters, notebook, jump rope, and character game/puzzle.

My little preschooler was very excited to get her gift pack. The first thing she tried was the jump rope, and she’s still working at it.

TO ENTER, answer the questions below in a comment:

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CHILDHOOD TV SHOW?

WHAT CURRENT TV SHOW DO YOU THINK OFFERS THE BEST CONTENT FOR CHILDREN?

Open to US residents only. Giveaway ends 4/22/11 at 11:59 EST.

Good luck!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T00:01:00.000-07:00

Brush-a-brush, brush those teeth!

Chuck E Cheese 5th Birthday Success!

2011-03-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today, my first born daughter turns five. She's been acting like a "big girl" for years now (yes years), but it's finally starting to feel official. Nail polish, lip gloss, tights, skirts and fancy dancing fills the air. I smile at her blossoming girlieness... I miss my cuddly baby. They all grow up one day and it's her day. Five here we come and we're celebrating with a party!

While I had initially planned to do it up big style for her 5th birthday, I gradually came off that idea and wanted to do something manageable. I didn't want a party at the house and after searching children's museums and other possible locations in the city, my husband simply recommended....Chuck E. Cheese. "Chuck E. Cheese?!," I squealed, "I CAN'T STAND Chuck E. Cheese." Of all my adult memories of Chuck E. Cheese NONE of them were particularly good (my childhood memories were of love for Chuck E. Cheese). Screaming poor-behaving kids, crowded game floor, hectic, just hectic. I didn't want my daughter's 5-year-old birthday party to be hectic.

But my husband reminded me that she loved Chuck E. Cheese. It is her party after all. I thought about it and I knew he was right. She would love it and at the end of the day, that's what really matters.

From the moment I told her she was having her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese I knew it was the right decision. She lit up with joy. She reminded me how much she loves Chuck E (the mouse). She couldn't wait to see him. She was so very excited. We bought her a very special big girl outfit, had her big sister do her nails and toes in pink polish topped in glitter, whipped up a fancy big girl hairstyle and off we went to Chuck E. Cheese to celebrate her 5th birthday with family.

The place was hectic, but my birthday girl (my birthday star) had so much fun, that it was all worth it. Some of the many highlights:

The games: I rarely saw the birthday girl during the party she was so busy running around with her cousins playing games. While the games and "rides" seem so simple to me, they seem to suit her fancy just fine.

Chuck E.: She just loves Chuck E and the moment he hit the floor she ran to him like a lost relative.

The Ticket Blaster: The machine had everyone's interest on high and she could not wait to get in. I told her to try to get the big tickets and off she went. And she did a great job, although most of the tickets ended up in her inflatable birthday crown.

Our hostess: I don't even remember her name, but she was awesome. She worked great with the kids, she kept the birthday girl happy and was always smiling. She was perfect. I could not have asked for a better hostess.

It was a great day and I knew that my birthday girl had a wonderful 5th birthday. Happy 5th birthday Miss Saada!

Thinking of a party at Chuck E. Cheese? Here are a few tips that can help it be as successful as possible. If not, give it a thought and consider the below.

1. Go early. We had a 2:30 party and that was too late. 11:00 is probably ideal. The place will be less crowded and you'll be happier.

2. When reserving space, err on the high side. Depending on how much space you reserve, you may have to pay a minimum regardless of how many people show up, but it's best to have more space than less. We reserved space for 50, while maybe half showed up. In the end we may have paid for 1 or 2 kids that didn't show and it was worth it to have the space to spread out.

3. If you can get it, reserve space by the wall with booths for the parents. Being in the middle of the floor can be pretty tight.

4. Bring coupons. Chuck E. Cheese has coupons online that can help with purchasing additional food (for the adults) and tokens. We were able to use two of our coupons while at the party.

5. Play the Ticket Blaster online game. You can win 30 tickets for each game you play. I played about 10 times before the party and brought the printouts to give to guests as they left to redeem their tickets on the way out.

Helping My Children Achieve

2011-03-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the makers of Pine-Sol® for sponsoring my writing. A study shows a clean smelling home can help children succeed, so Pine-Sol® is supporting Reading is Fundamental (RIF) this year. Click "Like" on Pine-Sol®’s Facebook page here and they will donate books to RIF!

Being a parent can be tons of fun, but it is also a lot of work. Having a little person’s life in your hands is a huge responsibility and you have to take it seriously. My husband and I always have our children’s future in mind and we do everything that we can do to help them achieve and set a foundation for a successful future.

We start with love. I believe that making sure that your child knows s/he is loved sets the foundation for positive self-esteem and positive self esteem sets the foundation for achievement and success. We shower them with kisses and hugs, we tell them we love them and we know that they believe it. Our girls are proud, confident and loved.

We stress learning. Children look to their parents to outline the road on which they travel. In our home, we work to set a road that is built on learning. We read every day. We find educational programs for our children to watch on TV. We purchase educational games and toys. We find educational websites for our children to surf on the web. We know that our children will look to TV, games and toys for entertainment and we make sure that some of the entertainment will also help them learn.

We explore their talents. Every child has a talent and some kids are lucky enough to have a few. As parents, it is our job to uncover our child’s talents and invest in their development. All of our girls have shown strength and interest in swimming from an early age and we have invested in classes to help develop their swimming abilities.

We celebrate success. There is nothing better than your child knowing that you are proud of them and what they have achieved. We reward everything that our children achieve from straight A’s and cheerleading championships to successfully reading through a book and coloring in the lines. Our children know that we see their effort and nothing makes us happier than seeing them at their best.

While there is no roadmap to guarantee that my children will achieve all that I envision for them, there are things that my husband and I do every day to help them along the way. Our goal is to give them the best start and while we feel we are doing a great job at it, we still look for new opportunities to help them every day.

Don't forget to click over to Pine-Sol®'s Facebook page to support our children's success. I was selected for this Pine-Sol® sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective, which endorses Blog With Integrity, as I do.

Dry Winter Skin Needs Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash

2011-02-28T20:56:00.000-08:00

Winter time is finally approaching its end, just a few more weeks until it’s finally Spring. I can’t wait for warm weather and trips to the park. And my skin can use some rejuvenation as well. Wintertime brings more than just frosty cheeks and snow-bitten noses. The brisk air zaps skin of needed moisture and can leave your skin quite dry and flaky. Yuck.

In desperate need of some relief from my dry wintertime skin, I was happy when the folks at Dove approached me to try their new Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash. I was super excited to see a shea butter body wash (the first one I’ve run across, although I am pretty sure others exist). Plus, Dove’s technology is perfect for winter skin, combining nourishing and moisturizing elements to help skin keeps its natural moisture during baths or showers. I was already a Dove body wash fan with my most recent favorite being the Go Fresh cool moisture body wash in cucumber and green tea scent. So needless to say, I couldn’t wait to try a new body wash described as a whipped blend of cream infused with shea butter. Yay.

I already had high expectations for Dove body wash and after three weeks of using this product, I can definitely say that this product has met my expectations. My skin, usually dull and dry from the winter, felt soft, smooth and moisturized. But my favorite thing about Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash was the scent...warm vanilla and brown sugar. Yum. It’s relaxing, calming and combined with a rich lather….your skin comes out of the shower feeling and looking much better than it went in. Plus you feel sweet and yummy. I even tried it on my preschooler and she loved it too. Skin on the little ones also need some TLC now and then.

I have to say that I am now hooked now on this product and have not stopped using it since it arrived. (Sorry Go Fresh body wash). I even think that I may give the shea butter beauty bar a try (doesn’t that sound great!) If you feel your winter skin is parched and could use some relief, I definitely recommend giving Dove’s Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash a try. You won’t be disappointed and your skin will thank you.

For more information on Dove’s products visit http://www.dove.com/.

Dove provided one 24 fl oz bottle of Dove Cream Oil Shea Butter Body Wash for this review, but it does not influence my post or my opinion of this product. My writing and my perspective is mine alone.

Baby Girl Afro Tee- Review & Giveaway- CLOSED

2011-02-21T18:34:00.000-08:00

I haven’t written anything about Black History Month this year… shame on me. But is has been on my mind. This past weekend, I attended a Black History Fair hosted by my mother-in-law, so do know that Black History Month has not been forgotten in my household!

I recently received two super cute, and oh so groovy, shirts for my girls courtesy of Region USA and I knew that the Black History fair was the perfect place for them to wear them. I love, love, love the Fro Zoe character that is used for the girls’ apparel and no better place to show that kind of girlie soul than at a celebration for Black History (with their own afro puff of course). In addition to girls’ apparel, Region USA also sells apparel for little boys and the funkiest soulful t-shirts for women.

Keyah rocks the purple Fro Zoe shirt... go'on girl

Saada the little diva strikes a pose... she works it

My toddler received the purple shirt and my 4 (nearly 5) year old preschooler got the yellow shirt to sport. Both shirts were super soft (something that is important for the clothes my children wear) and I must say… boy did they look cute!

Sister love and afro puffs... gotta love it!

They got tons of compliments on the shirts at the Black History fair… they were a bonafide hit!

If you’ve got a toddler or preschool girl and you know that they would just look oh so cute rocking a Fro Zoe shirt from Region USA, today’s your lucky day!

Region USA and The Soul Mom are giving away one size 2T purple Fro Zoe shirt AND one size 5 yellow For Zoe shirt (just like you see above) to two lucky Soul Moms!

Yellow T size 5

Check Fro Zoe's "Power to the People" fist

Purple T size 2T

Huggable!

To enter, visit Region USA website and pick your favorite tee (could be women’s or kids). Leave a comment below indicating your favorite AND the item that you’d love to win (purple 2T or yellow 5T tee). Comments close on Sunday, February 27th 11:59 EST. Open to US residents only. Winners must respond within 48 hours of being contacted or winner announcement or another winner will be selected.

Want extra entries? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave additional separate comments for each additional entry. Thanks and good luck!

FOLLOW TheSoulMom publicly via Google Friend Connect (1 entry)

LIKE TheSoulMom on Facebook (1 entry)

LIKE Region USA on Facebook (1 entry)

FOLLOW TheSoulMom on Twitter (1 entry)
TWEET about this giveaway. Tweet “Win a FREE cute afro t-shirt for your toddler or preschool girl from Region USA and @thesoulmom http://bit.ly/gpjcru #soulfulgiveaway” (1 entry)
You can tweet once a day, but remember to leave the URL to each tweet as a separate comment. You must have at least 50 followers for this entry.

ADD TheSoulMom button to your sidebar. Make sure to include your blog link and let me know where to find the button. (3 entries). Please post your comment 3 times

Region USA provided two Fro Zoe T-shirts for this giveaway and will be providing the prizes for this giveaway at no cost to me, but it does not influence my post or my opinion of this product. My writing and my perspective is mine alone.