Lifestyles

By Donna Battle Pierce

BlackAmericaCooks.com

This Mother's Day Shortcake recipe is adapted from a recipe by Rufus Estes in "Good Things to Eat As Suggested by Rufus," the elegant cookbook he published in Chicago in 1911.  Before Estes grew up to be a Pullman Private Car chef, a world traveler and a cookbook author, he was a devoted son to his formerly enslaved mother.

"I was born in Murray County, Tennessee, in 1857, a slave," Estes begins in the first part of the book, "Sketch of My Life," where he describes moving 50 miles north to Nashville after the Civil War so he and his mom could be with his grandmother, while his mother still mourned the loss of two other sons who had been killed during the war.

"When summer came, I got work milking cows for some neighbors for which I got two dollars a month. I also carried hot dinners for the laborers in the fields, for which each one paid me twenty-five cents a month. All of this, of course, went to my mother…I thought I could be of better service to her and prolong her life by getting work," Estes wrote.

The rest of the trailblazing cookbook includes a full range of international delicacies, as well as simple Southern dishes, such as these  individual shortcakes, most likely based on Estes' remembered Tennessee flavors of home.

Chef's  Mother's Day Strawberry Shortcakes

1 quart (2 pints) strawberries, hulled, sliced

3/4 cup sugar

2 cups flour

2 1/2  teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1/2 cup milk

Whipped Cream

Place the strawberry slices into a medium bowl; top with 1/2 cup of sugar. Cover; refrigerate until ready to serve. (This can be done the day before)

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Add the flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl; mix together with a wooden spoon. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, eggs, melted butter and milk, stirring just until all ingredients are mixed. Use a scoop to fill paper-lined  muffin tins about three-fourths of the way full.  Bake until an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean and muffins are cooked through and beginning to brown, about 18 to 22 minutes. Transfer shortcakes to a wire rack to cool Makes 12 shortcakes.

To serve, remove cooled shortcakes from paper wrapping. Cut in half crosswise. Place the bottom in a dessert or cocktail glass. Top with sliced strawberries  Place the shortcake top over the berries. Add more berries and some of the berry juice. Top with whipped cream.  Makes 12 servings.

Note: if you are making less that 12 shortcakes, reserve ungarnished shortcakes to serve for breakfast as muffins.

Read more:  http://donnapierce.com

Lifestyles

By New America Media

PROVIDENCE, R.I.--Consider the reality of healthy aging, sexually active seniors and octogenarian lovers challenging the rules of decorum. The “Make Love Not War” flower children of the ’60s are taking the slogan seriously.

While many young people shudder at the thought of grandparents having sex, it is taking place in a wide range of settings, including single and married seniors living independently in the community to those in nursing homes.

In addition to the Hugh Hefners of the world, looking for Playboy bunnies and Barbies, there is a serious group of men and women looking for mature love and engaging in age-appropriate sex.

Read More:   http://newamericamedia.org/2013/02/make-love-not-war-generation-actively-seeks-fulfillmentand-sex.php

Did you Know?

WASHINGTON, D.C.– A major national campaign was launched last week to bridge the digital divide. Everyone On is the public service arm of Connect2Compete (C2C), a national public-private partnership that hopes to provide Internet access, digital literacy training and refurbished computers to low-income consumers.

The three-year, multimillion-dollar campaign, which C2C is doing with the Ad Council, sounds like a great idea, given how essential digital communications have become in how Americans live and work in the 21st century.

There’s just one problem—as an efficient way of providing low-cost broadband access and computers to many low-income families, C2C is targeting those whose children are eligible for the federal free and reduced-cost lunch programs. To qualify, a family must be in a low-income area and have a child on the lunch program.

That means low-income seniors, a highly vulnerable segment of the population, are being left behind.

Read More: http://newamericamedia.org/2013/03/new-digital-divide-campaign-would-leave-seniors-behind.php 

Topic of the Day

By BlackNews.com

-- Black Opinions in the Age of Obama: Results of a National Zogby Poll --

Robert L. Johnson, National Press Club
Photo credit: Noel St. John

Bethesda, MD (April 1, 2013) -- Robert L. Johnson, founder and chairman of The RLJ Companies and founder of Black Entertainment Television (BET), today announced the results of a national poll commissioned by Zogby Analytics that reveals current African American sentiment on a range of issues that include the state of national affairs, race relations, employment, and a variety of current political and social issues. Johnson announced the results of the Zogby poll during his remarks today at a National Press Club Luncheon.

"I commissioned this poll for a number of reasons," said Johnson. "First, for African Americans, this country has experienced the most historic political event and that is the election and re-election of the first African American president, Barack Obama. Because of this, I wanted to find out how African Americans today feel about Obama's presidency and equally important, if they feel that their lives are better off having lived under the first four years of Obama and the prospect of an Obama Administration for the next four years," he continued.

"Second, the country has experienced the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression and African Americans have been the hardest hit. Today, African Americans continue to have double the rate of unemployment and less access to capital, and whereas, African Americans were once the largest ethnic minority group and the dominant minority political voice, they are now confronted with the growing political influence of the Hispanic population, which may directly impact competition for jobs and minority business opportunities," he continued.

Read More http://www.blacknews.com/news/robert_l_johnson_african_american_poll_obama_presidency101.shtml 

Health

Most of us would like to live to be 100 or older, provided we could maintain a highly functional body and mind. Of course, being functional is the important thing.

Research has now shown that we can live to a ripe old age and live it in good health, provided we follow a few simple steps each day.

Each of us can live strong, healthy, vibrant, energetic lives for a long time to come. The key? Actually, there are many of them. Read on, and you may never see your dinner plate, your friends, or your sneakers the same way again.

Read more: http://blackdoctor.org/15861/how-to-live-longer-healthier/