June 25, 2011

Summer's in full swing, and for many home cooks, that means taking a vacation from baking, roasting and other cooking that keeps you confined to the kitchen. But even as you retreat to fresh and easy fare, such as salads, grilled meats and veggies, and easy sandwich suppers (love those BLT's with fresh garden tomatoes!), remember to save a few minutes to sit down and share your favorite recipes with us. Here's what we're looking for:

SEND US YOUR RECIPES

Please share your favorites and any tips you might have for making them. Send them 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” along with your state abbreviation on the subject line of E-mails. Deadline is Friday, July 15.

Mom's Best: Do you have fond memories of great meals that only Mom could muster up? Please share your remembrances as well as some of the all-time best dishes Mom made for family and friends (at least five or six recipes, please).

Field Editor Favorites: If you haven't sent us your personal favorites, do it now. We'd love to spotlight you in this popular Taste of Home feature. Send us at least five or six of your best dishes. They can be a variety (salad, main course, appetizer, etc.) or have a
theme (all baking or grilling or Italian, etc.)

On the Side: We're looking for no-fuss side dishes that use only five ingredients-or less! (Salt, pepper and water do not have to be counted.) We especially love the sides that dress up a simple vegetable.

Easter Lamb: Do you serve lamb for this beloved holiday meal? Let us know how you prepare the lamb and include any tips for cooking with lamb along with your recipe.

Easter Desserts: The spring holiday inspires home cooks to serve up deliciously refreshing desserts, such as lemon pie, chilled fruit medleys, sweet mini tarts and luscious cheesecake. Please send the desserts you're always asked to make for the Easter celebration.

SPREAD THE WORD!

As we mentioned last month, we’re donating 10 cents to the USO for every person who visits our Flag Cake Recipe before July 4th (up to $100,000). If you’ve already visited, we thank you and encourage you to spread the word to your family and friends via e-mail, Facebook, or good old word-of-mouth. All they have to do is go to www.tasteofhome.com/flag-cake and we make the donation. Thank you for your help spreading the word about this special campaign!

NEW COMMUNITY FORUMS!

We recently upgraded the tasteofhome.com Community Forums, adding new features and functionality. Take a look today and start a new discussion in the private Field Editor Forum!

See the new Community Home Page here.

See the new Forum Home Page here.

To learn about what’s changed in the new Community, we encourage you to read the following post in the Taste of Home Forum Help section:  Tutorial: What is new in the new Community

CLOSE ENCOUNTERS

Have you been spotted in public as a Taste of Home Field Editor? These women have. Share your story by sending to fieldeditors@tasteofhome.com.

"Earlier this year, I received five calls in a month's time from readers in northern New York who had cooking questions. They had read about me in the magazine and felt comfortable enough to give me a call and ask their questions. We had some great conversations. It's such a pleasure to help other people out!" —Anne Merrill, Croghan, New York

Kristin Van Dyken

"My husband got a voicemail message from a woman named Marlene in Iowa who was trying to locate the woman (me) who was mentioned in the December/January issue of Taste of Home. She was trying to find me in order to get my recipe for Olle Bollen. Since my husband's name and occupation were mentioned in the article, Marlene Googled his name and found his phone number. She then called him, hoping she had the right person. She finally connected with me, and I was able to send her the recipe. Guess she really wanted it! —Kristin Van Dyken, West Richland, Washington

"I was having minor surgery, and while waiting on the operating table for the medicine to take effect, the nurse came over to me, looked down over her scrub mask and asked if I was the Charlotte Baillargeon who was a Field Editor at Taste of Home. When I said 'yes,’ we had a chat about food and recipes, which helped relieve some of my nervousness about having surgery. —Charlotte Baillargeon, Hinsdale, Massachusetts

The Taste of Home office received a letter from Edith Smith of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, who wrote, "I was reading the names for the state of Pennsylvania and found someone from my hometown named Teena Petrus. I called her about a recipe and she found a couple, printed them for me and mailed them. She was very helpful and interesting to
talk to."

Thanks to Teena, Kristin, Anne and all of you who help Taste of Home readers all year round!

A NOTE FROM BARB

In March, I celebrated my 10th anniversary at Reiman Media/Reader's Digest. Over the years, I've had some great experiences here, and one of the best was meeting so many of you, whether by telephone, letters or in person. I've been writing this newsletter for all of the nine years I've spent on Taste of Home (my first year was with Country Woman), but this will be my last.

After a decade of magazine work, I have decided to get out of this warm and cozy cocoon of an office and spread my wings as a freelance writer and editor. I'll still be doing some work for Reader's Digest, but I will also be writing about some things I love, including travel and film. My parting is bittersweet; I will miss working with you, but can't wait to head out on my new adventure. Thanks for making my life at Taste of Home so much sweeter!

MOVING?

Please remember that, if you are moving, you must do two things:

1. Contact our subscription department to make your change of address. Call 800-344-6913.

2. Send your new address to Editorial Assistant Jane Stasik at Taste of Home, 5400 S. 60th St., Greendale, WI 53129 to keep your newsletters coming. Thanks!

That’s it for this issue. Watch for your next newsletter in July!