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FIELD EDITOR NEWSLETTER SEPTEMBER 2015

Field Editor News You Can Use:

Susan Stetzel
Field Editor Manager
Taste of Home
sue.stetzel@rd.com

Hello, fellow Field Editors!

As I'm writing this I can't help but wonder how we got to September so fast, wasn't it just March? Sheesh! For me, September is back-to-school time. That means back to routines, back to running around, chasing kids to and from this practice or that. And it means I need to plan ahead to get meals on the table and healthy lunches packed. Are you a menu planner? Our Budget Living Forum has a menu planning conversation every week. Chime in and share your plan with the rest of the gang.

A teeny bit of business to chat about this month: Many of you (myself included) are very active on social media, participating in groups and other public forums. If you have any sort of wording on your personal page or online signature indicating that you're a Field Editor, make sure that what you say and any advice you offer reflect the Taste of Home brand. It's easy to get caught up in a discussion you feel passionately about, but before you hit "send," take a minute to review whether what you say is acceptable public speech. Try asking yourself, would I say this out loud to a crowd? To my mother?

Moving on to a sweeter subject, have you used honey much in your kitchen? I love it in fruit salads or mixed with mustard for sandwiches or glazes. I haven't baked with it much, though. Have you? We'll be looking for your favorite honey recipes. Main dishes, appetizers, side dishes and sweet treats. Submit your favorite to our Hey-Honey Request here.

Newsflash! Newsflash! We've put together a contest just for you! We're looking for your best healthy recipes. You can enter as many original recipes as you can create and if one of them is chosen for the grand prize, you'll win $250. The winner of 1st prize will receive $150 and the 2nd prize winner will get $75.

Here are some recipe inspiration ideas for you:

30-Minute Main Dishes
How do you serve up healthy meals when time is short? Is it veggie-loaded one-pot pasta, saucy Cajun pork chops, ginger beef lettuce wraps or turkey sausage gnocchi? Bring on skillet chicken potpie, shrimp noodle bowls, falafel salad or any other main you can get on the table in 30 minutes or less.

Breakfast
Rise and shine with grab-and-go muffin cup omelets, Mediterranean egg burritos or key lime yogurt parfaits. Start the weekend off right with three-grain pancakes, roasted vegetable strata, chicken sausage hash or cinnamon-oat coffee cake with your cup o' joe.

Soups and Stews
Do you warm up with a bowl of lentil beef soup when the weather turns cold? Maybe it's salmon chowder, two-bean barley soup, green chili pork stew or squash bisque that keeps you cozy? We want to know!

Sides and Salads
Fresh-from-the-field grilled corn salad, shaved Brussels sprout slaw, cucumber cantaloupe salad, chard sauté and berry skewers with lime yogurt dip would all be great ways to round out a meal. Tell us how you get more fruits and veggies on your plate.

Desserts
Include fruity desserts like grilled peach cobbler, Bing cherry pavlova and towering raspberry napoleons. Get creative with holiday specialties, including Valentine's Day mousse parfaits, Easter bunny cupcakes and Fourth of July firecracker pops. Don't forget lighter versions of favorites such as almond crunch apple pie, peppermint chocolate cake and peanut butter blondie bars.

Slow Cooker
Whether it's for breakfast, lunch, dinner, sides or dessert, we want to know how you use this time-saver. Potluck garlic-chive potatoes, overnight steel-cut oatmeal, smoky pork sandwiches piled high with fresh slaw, meatball minestrone soup and pear upside-down cake are all fair game.

Because this is a super-secret, Field Editor-only contest, you'll need to choose the General Submission category, but put "Healthy Cooking FE Contest" in the notes section of the recipe. Without those words we won't be able to find your submission. Make sure to include the phrase exactly as I've written it.

Last but not least, how's it going? Are you having any trouble reviewing or submitting recipes? Be sure to send me an email if you're struggling in any way. I'm happy to help (and no, you're never a bother!).

Happy cooking, my friends!
Sue
sue.stetzel@rd.com

Get Cookin'

Topic 1:
Potluck Bars

Transform your favorite dessert into bar form for easy sharing. Think Boston cream pie bars, blueberry buckle bars, birthday cake bars. Maybe you can even turn your favorite candy into a new bar creation. The possibilities are endless! .

Submit Recipes >

Topic 2:
Light Nights

Dish up your best better-for-you weeknight dinners like chicken veggie rigatoni, curry-pepper shrimp, quick veggie stew or pumpkin sloppy joes. Turn those end-of-summer, early fall vegetables into a great meal that's healthy too. If it's a smart supper that comes together in 45 minutes or less, we want your recipe.

Submit Recipes >

Topic 3:
Back to School 30

School's in and families need dinner on the table, fast. Send new favorites that use simple, fresh ingredients and can be on the dinner table in 30 minutes. We're especially looking for beefy entrees and meatless meals like Moroccan beef tostadas, provolone mushroom strudel and chipotle steak subs. Family-friendly, hot and ready in 30 minutes or less.

Submit Recipes >

What's new?

OH, I have to tell you guys about the newest cookbook set just released! Taste of Home is launching a new EZ-Read cookbook set: two awesome books in large, easy-to-read format for one price. As someone who just had to have her bifocals bumped up three notches, I can appreciate the larger print. PLUS, these are going to make excellent gifts this holiday season. I know. I know, it's barely fall. But before you and I know it, Christmas will be here and we'll be looking for great gifts. This set should definitely be on your gift list. Plus, with two fantastic books for $19.99 and free shipping, you'll want to hurry over to Shop Taste of Home before they disappear.

One last piece of news about these books. I'm venturing into new territory to try to get you guys perks, but it's going to take some sharing on our part. The team at Shop Taste of Home created this special link for us to share with our friends and family. You can share the link via email, Facebook, Twitter, your blog or any other method you can you think of. All we're looking to do is to get folks to look at this book set. If as a result of all this sharing, we collectively inspire the sale of 100 sets of books (considering there are 400 of us—this is entirely plausible), we will EACH get a coupon for 50% at Shop Taste of Home. We're tracking the link for the month of September, so we have 30 days to reach our goal. Honestly, I think we can do it.

Please don't feel obliged to participate in this or any of our shenanigans. I'm just always on the lookout for ways our team can promote Taste of Home products and be rewarded for It.

As always, email me with any questions. I'm happy to help if I can.