Special Sub-Topic: The Real Deal Soul Food Click Here To Play: The Real Deal Soul Food

There are three types of meat that are commonly served as part of a soul food dinner. The first is an organ meat that's not pronounced the way that it is spelled. It's called chitterlings, but it's pronounced "chit-lins". They're quite tasty. What are they?

pig intestines. Chitterlings are quite tasty when properly cleaned and cooked. They're usually slow cooked in water with chopped onions, garlic, and/ or bell pepper until tender. If you have leftovers and want to try something different, you can season them, dip them in cornmeal and fry them!

Another meat commonly served as part of a soul food dinner is another pork meat. It can be plain or smoked. Watch out for the thick skin, though, especially if you're watching your cholesterol! Which meat am I referring to?

ham hocks. A tasty addition to any meal, ham hocks may be served alone or cooked with other vegetables, such as greens.

Another meat commonly served as part of a soul food dinner is chicken. How do we prepare it?

fry it. We fry our chicken, of course. Depending on your individual taste preference and your dietary needs, you may choose a health-conscious oil. However, usually, corn or vegetable oil are used.

Now that our meats are covered, let's move on to vegetables. There are usually four different vegetables to pick from or to mix and match. One is this tasty starch (carbohydrate). It can be candied, baked or even fried. What vegetable is it?

sweet potato. Our sweet potatoes are a highly nutritious addition to our meal. Of course, we try to pick the ones with the deepest orange color because they have a higher concentration of vitamins.

Another nutritious, healthy vegetable for our meal is greens. Which of the following have NOT been part of the 'traditional' soul food dinner?

kale. Kale have become a more popular and acceptable choice as more has become known about their health benefits.

Another vegetable we may choose is a curious-"looking" vegetable with a curious name. What is it?

black-eyed peas. Black-eyed peas are a curiosity. They're not really tasty, but they're supposed to be good for us! Black-eyed peas are also an essential part of a traditional "New Year's Day" meal. They're supposed to bring you good luck!

Our final vegetable alternative is another starch, which is usually a no-no. Perhaps we'll have just a little taste. Though this dish is available in convenient boxed mixes, we may prefer to prepare our own. What are we referring to?

macaroni and cheese. By making our own macaroni and cheese we can make it as creamy and cheesy as we want--or not!

Now, let's move on to our bread. Which bread is the usual accompaniment for a genuine soul food meal?

cornbread. Of course, cornbread is the usual accompaniment. It may be baked in a loaf pan (square, round or rectangular), or in muffin tins or in corn stick tins. Another alternative is the 'hot water' pancake-type patties. Maybe we might sneak a small pat of butter or margarine on it while it's hot!

Now it's time to talk about dessert! Depending on the season and our taste buds, we have two traditional alternatives. The first is a delicious, fruit-filled pastry dish, usually with a double crust. Which dessert am I describing?

peach cobbler. There's nothing like a good, old-fashioned, juicy peach cobbler to bring a delicious soul-food dinner to an end. Of course, that's assuming we have room left over for dessert!

Around Thanksgiving or Christmas time, we may prefer a more seasonal dessert. This pie makes a suitable choice. (There's just something about pies and soul-food dinners!) What is our seasonal alternative to our usual pastry dessert?

sweet potato pie. For some, nothing completes a seasonal soul-food meal like a piece of sweet potato pie!