Dear ##firstname[Friend]##,

Our April/May issue is in the mail, and it’s filled with exciting ideas for spring, including a delightful trifle bar. Set one up at your next get-together, and watch how much fun guests will have creating individual trifles, like the ones on the cover.

If you’re watching your pocketbook, you’ll love the Potluck recipes using economical ground beef and Menu Savers, featuring a delicious roast plus two recipes that make use of the leftovers.

Plus, you’ll want to try the winners of our breakfast contest (don’t miss the luscious flapjacks!), the scrumptious pizza recipes and Field Editor Joan Hallford’s Tex-Mex menu. We’re also announcing a big kitchen contest with a top prize of $1,000! So watch your mailbox!

Try Our New Recipe Search

Here’s good news: The Taste of Home Web site has a new search function that’s faster and easier than ever…and fun to use!

Visit tasteofhome.com, and you’ll see a larger Search box at the top of the page above the red navigation bar. Type in a recipe (such as tuna casserole) and click “Search.” You’ll get a results page that shows Taste of Home recipes with photos, names of the magazines they came from, prep times and ratings. You can easily sort the results to find just what you’re looking for.

On the left-hand side of the results page is a box where you can choose from Recipes, Articles, Videos and Community. Click any of these links to find related content. For example, click on “Community” to see every tuna casserole post, along with the avatar of the person who posted it, the date it was posted and which forum it was posted in. You can easily sort these results, too!

This new search makes it easier to find recipes from the magazine AND our active online community!

Our tech crew has been working on this improved search for some time, and we’re excited about the results. We think you will be, too!

Visit Our New Field Editor Forum

It’s a great time to check out our lively on-line community. We've extended the Field Editor program on-line, and several current Field Editors, plus many new volunteers, are being acknowledged with an eye-catching Field Editor “badge” similar to the one in the magazine.

Field Editors welcome new users, answer questions, and share recipes and tips on a daily basis. They also have fun “chatting” with each other in a private forum just for Field Editors. The private forum is also the place to share ideas and get up-to-the-minute information from the Taste of Home staff on needs for upcoming magazine issues.

If you’re already a registered user of the Taste of Home on-line community, send an email to Bob Ottum (Bob_Ottum@rd.com) or a PM to love2cook (Bob’s on-line nickname.) Bob will add a Field Editor badge to your on-line "siggy" and give you access to the Field Editor forum.

Not a registered user? Join now! Then contact Bob for your Field Editor badge and access to the Field Editor forum.

We look forward to seeing you soon on-line!

Future Food Topics

We want your recipes and tips! We have some terrific topics lined up for future issues of Taste of Home. Please share your best, most creative recipes (or tips) in these categories. E-mail recipes to fieldeditors@tasteofhome.com. Remember to include your name, phone number and mailing address on each recipe along with the category name. Please put “newsletter response” on the subject line. Deadline for these topics is Friday, April 24.

• Ginger. This spice flavors beverages as well as Asian and Indian cooking. We’re looking for sweet and savory recipes using fresh, powdered, crystallized, candied or pickled ginger.
• Lenten Favorites. Do you have a dish that’s a tradition with your family? Please share it with us!
• Shortcuts. Our August/September issue will be chock-full of ways to cut time in the kitchen, while still serving mouth-watering meals. If you have a shortcut or budget-minded tip you rely on, please send it in!

Cooking School Fun

Twenty-five lucky Field Editors were selected to assist in a trial run of a new program called "Life Behind the Scenes at the Taste of Home Cooking School.” The Field Editors were chosen based on their proximity to the Spring 2009 Cooking School shows.  

In the morning, they help the Culinary Specialist cut, chop and prepare the trays for the evening school. During the evening’s demonstration, the Field Editors are invited to come on stage and help the Culinary Specialist complete a recipe and tell the audience about the Field Editor experience. Each Field Editor gets to take home the dish they helped make on stage with thanks from the Cooking School.

Leann Meeds, a Field Editor from Klamath Falls, Oregon, was amazed at how much organization is needed to put on a successful show. “It was a lot of fun,” she says.

Interested in being contacted for this program? Visit tasteofhome.com, click on "Community" in the red navigation bar at the top of the page and pull down to "Forums." Then visit the private Field Editor Forum (mentioned above) and look for the thread titled "Behind the Scenes." Reply with your name, city/state and a contact phone number.

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That’s it for now! Watch for our next newsletter in April!

Best wishes,
Barbara Schuetz, Managing Editor
Bob Ottum, Web Community Manager