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PAGE 6 November 2023
FAMILY FEATURES C
ooking up a successful holiday gathering calls for everyone’s favorite recipes. From the centerpiece main dish to fresh salads and appetizers, roasted sides and baked sweets, you can take seasonal get-togethers up a notch by mixing traditional classics with newfound favorites. Consider this full-fledged menu of flavor to give guests a memorable holiday experience from beginning to end and find more festive recipe ideas at Culinary.net.
The Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist Association (AMLA) has launched a new film office in partnership with the Alabama Film Commission. The North Alabama Film Commission, led by AMLA’s Membership Recruitment Coordinator Thereasa Hulgan, will market and sell the 16 county North Alabama region to the film and television industry. “The North Alabama region boasts a wealth of locations including charming historic downtowns, picturesque waterfalls, the world’s largest space museum, diverse landscapes and scenic vistas. Combine our beautiful assets with cheaper productions costs and North Alabama is positioned to be a highly sought after film location,” said AMLA President & CEO Tami Reist. The North Alabama Film Commission will help attract filming in the sixteen counties of North Alabama by serving as an information center for incentives, locations, industry directory, film guidelines, support and crew services and more. Alabama is one of the most geographically diverse states in the nation. It offers film makers everything from urban metropolitan cities to small towns and rural areas and from mountain and river valleys to beautiful gulf coast beaches. The new North Alabama Film Commission has several functions, including: • Marketing North Alabama as a premier film destination for motion picture, television and commercial productions • Supporting the Alabama Film Rebate Incentives Program • Serving as the central point of contact for film production in North Alabama • Functioning as a liaison between film companies and various municipalities in North Alabama • Providing location assistance and coordination with local crew and businesses • Developing regional film resources including a locations library, crew and supply company database and filming activity reporting and tracking. “AMLA is excited to announce the launch of a new film commission for North Alabama and I have accepted the challenge of getting this new endeavor for the region off the ground,” said Hulgan, AMLA’s membership recruitment and film services coordinator. “We are eager to bring more productions to the North Alabama region and capitalize on the economic benefits and further development that come with the multi-billion dollar film industry. The collaboration will create economic benefits for both the film and tourism industries. When filming, production companies will use local crews and businesses for their needs while filling hotels and restaurants.” A database of film locations is available on the North Alabama Film Commission’s website at www.northalabamafilm.org by scrolling down and clicking on the Locations feature image. “North Alabama has many beautiful locations waiting to be filmed and we will update the database on a continuous basis,” Hulgan said. “Filming in Alabama has steadily increased, much in part to tax rebates and incentives introduced in 2009,” added Reist. Section 41-7A-43 authorizes the Alabama Film Office to award up to $20 million each year in incentives to qualified production companies. Qualified productions include a wide variety of entertainment content, provided that some portion of the project is produced in Alabama. Qualified productions include motion pictures, soundtracks for motion pictures, documentaries, most television programming (except those exclusively for news, weather, sports or financial market reports), sound recordings, videos and music videos, commercials and video games. Alabama Film Rebate Incentives include: • Income Tax Rebate – This rebate equals 25% of certain production expenditures on the project that are incurred in Alabama plus 35% of the payroll paid to Alabama residents. The rebate may be used to offset any Alabama income tax liability of the qualified production company for the tax year during which such expenditures were paid or incurred. If the amount of the rebate exceeds the qualified production company’s Alabama income tax liability, then the excess is refundable. • State Sales, Use and Lodging Tax Exemption – A qualified production company that intends to spend certain qualified expenditures in Alabama may be entitled to receive an exemption from the state portion of sales, use, and lodgings taxes. The exemption only applies to the state portion, however – not to the local portion of those taxes. An ALDOR exemption certificate must be presented to Alabama vendors to utilize the exemption. For more information on the North Alabama Film Commission, contact Reist at (800) 648-5381 or Hulgan at (256) 523-8766 or visit www.northalabamafilm.org. Tourist Association Launches Regional Film Office This fall church scene in DeKalb County is just one of many picturesque places around Northeast Alabama. Photo By Brandon K. Pierce, Alabama Ledger
Fresh Flavors for Holiday Festivities With the festive season arriving, bring together family and friends for a delicious feast you can feel good about serving. One standout recipe is this Cornish Game Hen with Kale Sweet Potato Salad that pairs fresh, leafy kale with roasted sweet potatoes and tender Cornish game hens for a truly elegant meal. Elevate your cooking during the holidays with inspiration from Fresh Express and its more than 100 varieties of fresh, healthy and convenient ready-to-eat salads like the Sweet Kale Chopped Kit. It’s a perfect blend of a nutrient-dense salad mix of leafy kale, green cabbage, shredded broccoli and Brussels sprouts, as well as crunchy pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries, topped with a tasty poppyseed dressing. Visit FreshExpress.com to discover more fresh, easy and healthy recipes for the holiday season. Cornish Game Hen with Kale Sweet Potato Salad Prep time: 20 minutes Cook time: 1 hour, 10 minutes Servings: 4 1 package (6 ounces) stovetop stuffing 2 cups chopped apples, divided 4 Cornish game hens (20 ounces 1/2 cup butter 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon salt, plus additional, to taste, divided 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder each)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 large sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch cubes 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 package (10.9 ounces) Fresh Express Sweet Kale Chopped Kit Heat oven to 350 F. Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Add 1 cup apples and fluff stuffing with fork; cool 15 minutes. Remove anything inside hens, rinse cavity with cold water and pat dry. In small saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, garlic powder and pepper; mix well. Remove from heat. Fill cavity of each hen with apple stuffing. Place hens in 13-by-9-by-2-inch baking dish. Tie legs together and tuck wings under. Baste with butter mixture. Bake 50-60 minutes, or until thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 165 F and stuffing temperature reads 165 F. Baste with butter mixture every 15-20 minutes. In bowl, toss sweet potatoes with remaining Italian seasoning and olive oil. Arrange in single layer on sheet pan. Sprinkle with salt, to taste. Bake with hens 25 minutes, or until tender. Remove from oven and cool. Tent hens with foil and let rest 10 minutes. Place greens from salad kit in large bowl. Add remaining apples and sweet potatoes; mix well. Toss with salad dressing. Add toppings; toss to combine. Serve Cornish game hens with sweet potato kale salad.
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