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   Web Site Puts Soulful Recipes and Tips at Fingertips to Encourage New       Traditions For Impressing Girlfriends or Bonding with Children

    MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Black-eyed peascornbread salad. Sweet potato pie smoothies. West African peanut stew.These are some of the tasty, crowd-pleasing, soul food dishes that couldgrace the table of your supper club this fall and beyond. Remixed in theBetty Crocker Kitchens, they are just a few of the more than 100 soulfulrecipes available via General Mills' (NYSE: GIS) Serving Up Soul(TM) Website. In partnership with celebrity-hostess entrepreneur B. Smith, the siteis a one-stop online shop. It offers the convenient recipes, advice, andinstructions women want to feed their passion for soul food and their needfor quick and easy cooking and entertaining tips. Beginning this month,http://www.servingupsoul.com will also feature step-by-step instructions tohelp consumers bring back the supper club tradition of gathering withfriends and family to slow down, reconnect, and "dine-in" regularly.    "Serving Up Soul is an excellent resource for anyone seekinginexpensive solutions to feed friends and family with the heritage andflavor we've grown to love," said Shirley Dolland, test kitchen manager and25-year culinary veteran responsible for developing the site's recipes. "Atthe heart of African-American food celebrations is the theme of sharing.So, we want consumers to extend the gathering, cooking, laughing, andcatching up that traditionally only happens around the holidays to all yearlong. It's something consumers say they're looking for more of, and we'rehappy to help."    A new survey* commissioned by General Mills shows that more than halfof women polled, or 57 percent, place a priority on spending quality timewith girlfriends. Additionally, seven out of 10 African-American Momssurveyed place a priority on spending quality time with their children, andtwo-thirds feel it is important to pass on soul food dishes by teachingtheir kids how to prepare them. These are just some of the reasons whyGeneral Mills is declaring 2008: "The Year of the Supper Club."    Servingupsoul.com's speed-scratch recipes offer preparation shortcutsto help beginners and experienced chefs bring their "A" games to any diningexperience. The site also offers entertaining tips from B. Smith andregisters visitors for an electronic newsletter that delivers the freshestfood advice every month. The Soul Kitchen section of the site details alist of recommended staples every kitchen should have - from a cast ironfry pan to potato masher and muffin tins -- and step-by-step instructionsfor stress-free hosting.    "Some of these recipes just might surprise your guests," said Dolland."They pair convenience prepackaged products with fresh ingredients in newways to create quick and delicious meals, snacks, and desserts that canbecome your family's new traditions."    To kick off the "return to dining-in" movement, General Mills will hosta series of community supper clubs this fall, beginning in Baltimore andBirmingham. Additionally, a collection of tips and step-by-stepinstructional fact sheets are available via http://www.servingupsoul.com.The advice will help ensure fun and stress-free gatherings -- from anextended family dinner or holiday event to a supper club with girlfriendsor an afternoon of cooking with the kids. The tips include checklists andspecific ways Moms can share the cooking experience and teach kids thefundamentals, entertaining tips, and supper club discussion topics andparty themes to help women focus on the fun instead of the anxiety aboutbeing a great hostess.    "We want to make it easy for women to host family gatherings and girls'nights out at home," said Nancy Sacco, marketing manager, General MillsMulticultural Marketing. "We've asked women what they want and created aresource that caters to those needs. Serving Up Soul is a terrific tool wecan all use to more confidently prepare and serve soulful treats. We hopeconsumers will use it to establish their own monthly supper clubtradition."    Some of the more indulgent recipes on the site include Cinnamon FriedIce Cream and Gingerbread Pancakes. For a lighter twist on a traditionaldish, consider Oven-Baked Cinnamon Catfish -- dipped in yogurt and breadedwith whole-grain cereal. Whether sharing a precious moment by preparingdinner with the kids or prepping for a supper club party for girlfriends atyour home, General Mills' Serving Up Soul Web site is the ideal destinationfor hosts and hostesses alike. The site is sponsored by some of GeneralMills' most popular brands including Honey Nut Cheerios(R), Yoplait(R),Betty Crocker Warm Delights(R), Grands! (R) Biscuits, and all HamburgerHelper(R)/Chicken Helper(R) varieties. Visit http://www.servingupsoul.comfor more information.    Other survey results include --    -- Seven out of 10 African-American women surveyed, aged 24-29, are       hesitant to play hostess because they are less confident in the       kitchen.    -- More than a third of 20-something African-American women cite macaroni       and cheese as their favorite soul food dish, while more than a third of       40-something African-American women cite greens as their #1 preference.    -- The vast majority, or 73 percent, of African-American women polled       learned to cook from their own mothers/stepmothers, and eight out of 10       mothers place a priority on spending quality time with their children,       in an effort to get to know them better as they mature or help them       develop stronger self-esteem.    About General Mills    General Mills, with annual net sales of $13.4 billion, is a leadingglobal manufacturer and marketer of consumer foods products. Based inMinneapolis, Minn., General Mills' mission is to innovate to make people'slives healthier, easier and richer around the world. Its global brandportfolio includes Betty Crocker, Pillsbury, Green Giant, Haagen-Dazs, OldEl Paso and more. It also has more than 100 U.S. consumer brands, more than30 of which generate annual retail sales in excess of $100 million. GeneralMills also is a leading supplier of baking and other food products to thefoodservice and commercial baking industries.    *The proprietary study was conducted by SurveySpot, the Internet panelof    Survey Sampling International (SSI) with 504 African-American women    between the ages of 24 and 49.

SOURCE General Mills




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