October 25, 2011

Hellooooo,

The Spotlight’s On You

By now some of you have been contacted by me or one of our editors here asking for tips and information so we can feature you on our Field Editors’ Spotlight page in the magazine.

Our goal is to highlight as many of you as possible in future issues. With 1,000 field editors, it may take us a year or two—or three—to get to everyone, but that’s the plan. You can help us out by taking a look at the Spotlight page and sending some helpful info for us to share with readers.

For instance, in the November issue, Field Editors Teena Petrus (Johnston, Pennsylvania) and Arisa Cupp (Sherwood, Oregon) provided Thanksgiving decorating ideas. Be concise (space is limited). Think seasonally.

Maybe you have a favorite flavor to stir into whipped cream to use to top pumpkin pie (or strawberry shortcake if you’re thinking spring). Or you might have discovered that freezing chunks of bananas then drizzling them with chocolate sauce makes the best snack. (I keep a stash of them in my freezer.)
Or you have a really cute decorating idea for a tabletop centerpiece for birthday celebrations.

Would love to hear from you directly at Jeanne_Ambrose@rd.com. Send your “spotlights” to me. Or any other ideas you have for stories.

How does Hawaii this winter sound?!

Discover a side of Hawaii that most people never see on a World Wide Country Tours Vacation! You will travel the backroads of this beautiful state, visit tropical farms and plantations and meet friendly residents who make their living in ways other than tourism.

You will experience a behind-the-scenes look at a tropical flower nursery, a lavender farm, a Kona coffee plantation, a Cacao plantation and the only vanilla farm in the U.S.  You’ll explore Volcanoes National Park and the only “drive-in” volcano in the world! 

Hawaii’s most celebrated landmarks Diamond Head, Waikiki Beach and the USS Arizona Memorial accent this wintertime escape—and you’ll also have plenty of time to stroll the sandy beaches of Hawaii, Maui and Oahu.

Part of our Taste of Home family, World Wide Country Tours is happy to extend its Field Editor discount of $200 per person for its 2012 “Hawaii’s Hidden Gems” tour.

For more information, visit www.countrytours.com for details. To receive your discount on this exciting wintertime tour or any WWCT tour, mention promotion code FE09.

Cookies Across America

If you love baking cookies for the holidays, gathering with friends and family and sharing with others, join Taste of Home, allrecipes.com and NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® in December to spread Christmas cheer.

The goal is to brighten the holidays for others by baking and sharing cookies.

Learn how you can participate in your local community on December 10th (Cookies Across America day) and throughout December by checking out Cookies Across America.

Scroll through that page and click on More About Cookies Across America for helpful tips and details.

And to discuss this worthwhile program with other Field Editors and share ideas, visit this thread in our Field Editor Forum.

Please note: If you click the link to the private Field Editor Forum above and get an error message on our site, make sure you’re logged-in to our site (you need to be logged in for the site to recognize you). If you’re logged-in and you still get an error, e-mail Erik your screen name and he’ll make sure your TasteofHome.com account has been granted access to the private Field Editor Forum. Erik’s e-mail is: erik_bergstrom@rd.com

Jeanne Ambrose, Editor, Taste of Home

Erik Bergstrom, Web Community Manager