Happy New Year! The holidays may be over, but a new year of cooking has just begun. And this time of year is perfect for making soup. So we think you’re going to love the batch of soup recipes in the new Feb/March issue, from a quick chicken noodle to a hearty minestrone. Of course, there is much more in this “ultimate comfort food” issue, so if you don’t have your copy yet, watch the mailbox.

MIX IT UP!

Our Mixing Bowl pages have been so popular that we’ve got some fun additions coming your way, and we want your participation. If you have items that would fit any of the categories below, please submit to fieldeditors@tasteofhome.com. Please include “Mixing Bowl” on the subject line of your E-mail.

KID QUIPS: We all know kids say the darnedest things. So the next time you and the little ones are in the kitchen and something hilarious comes from the mouths of those babes, write it down and send it our way! 

OOPS!: Every cook has had at least one embarrassing moment in the kitchen, something that cracks everyone up each time you or another family member tells the story. Why not share that story with our readers?

GREAT FINDS: Do you know where to find the best garlic festival, cheese festival or strawberry festival? How about a great 1950s-style diner with wonderful food or a top-notch pumpkin farm? Let us know about your best food-related fests, restaurants and other stops you’ve come across on your travels!

TOP TIPS: We are looking for the best tips EVER! Not one of those cooking tips everybody knows, like spraying a grill top with non-stick cooking spray. But a tip you’ve discovered that’s a real time- or money-saver. The Top Tip in each issue will win a special Taste of Home prize.

CLOSE TO HOME

As the magazine says, our “Close to Home” section “celebrates the people around the Taste of Home table.” We open that section with a funny, heartwarming or nostalgic food-related story. Recent topics include a grandmother’s Christmas recollections, a Thanksgiving tradition and the joys of canning.

If you have a story to tell, send it to fieldeditors@tasteofhome.com; don’t forget to type “Close to Home” on the subject line of your E-mail.

TASTY TOUR DISCOUNT

World Wide Country Tours, part of our Taste of Home family, is happy to extend its Field Editor discount of $200 per person for its 2010 “Flavors of Maine” tour. During this festive trip, participants will visit local farmers and sample lots of delicious regional fare. One of the highlights will be a stop at Acadia National Park. Want to know more? Visit www.countrytours.com for details. To receive your discount on this exciting Maine tour or any 2010 WWCT tour, mention promotion code FE10.

FIELD EDITOR FORUM: WE NEED YOUR INPUT

Last year, Taste of Home asked our on-line users to vote for America’s Best Loved Recipe, and you crowned George Schroeder of Port Murray, NJ. His $25,000 Grand Prize-winning Chicken Penne with Gorgonzola was featured on ABC’s "Good Morning America."

As we start the pre-planning for this year’s contest, who better to ask for input than our Field Editors?! Tell us what type of contest you’d like to see: the categories, the prizes, etc. We’re looking for fresh ideas and can’t wait to hear yours!

Click here to share your ideas in the Field Editor Forum.

FIELD EDITOR FUN

For 10 years, Field Editor Kelly Kirby of Westville, Nova Scotia has been making and personalizing gingerbread men for her husband’s co-workers. “The first year there were only about 30 men, but that number has steadily grown as my husband has progressed through different positions in the company,” she writes. This past Christmas, she made cookies for 234 employees!

“We have a lot of fun with it,” Kelly says. “It takes me about 5 hours to make all the men and another 4 hours or so for us to decorate them.” Now, that’s a sweet tradition!

SPRING COOKING SCHOOLS

Planning to attend a Taste of Home Cooking School or Cooking School Made Easy this spring? Many shows are sold out, so if you don’t have tickets, please let us know. The Cooking School has a limited number of complimentary (free) tickets they’d like to share with Field Editors. If you are interested, please send an E-mail with your name, phone number and the city where the Cooking School will be to fieldeditors@tasteofhome.com. Make sure to put “Cooking School” on the subject line. (Limit 2 per person where available.)

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Have you been recognized as a Taste of Home Field Editor, like these women have? We want to hear about it! Send your story to fieldeditors@tasteofhome.com.

• “I work at the airport in Burbank, CA as a federal officer. At a terminal checkpoint, I was asked to check a passenger’s bag. As I did so, the passenger said I looked familiar. Finally, she remembered where she had seen me and let out a little scream (not a wise thing to do at an airport!). She said she recognized me from an issue of Taste of Home, in which my photo appeared next to my recipe for Butterscotch Swirl Cake. She said she’d made the cake for a family reunion and everyone loved it!”
—Marina Castle, North Hollywood, CA

• “I’ve gone to the same dentist for years, but once when I came in, the staff asked if I was the same Diane who was in Taste of Home. I told them “yes,” and everyone in the office got involved in a conversation about the magazine.”
—Diane Shipley, Mentor, OH

• “My son actually had a close encounter on my behalf. After he got laid off last year, he went to a job interview where the interviewer recognized his last name. She asked him if he was related to Glenna Tooman and he said, “Yes, she is my mother.” She had seen my name in the Taste of Home Cookbook.” —Glenna Tooman, Boise, ID

Barbara Schuetz, Editor
Erik Bergstrom, Web Community Manager