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FIELD EDITOR NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 2016

Field Editor News You Can Use:

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

Hello, fellow Field Editors!

Welcome to February, the month of love and presidents (which in my house translates to kids home from school on a sugar rush). Every year I buy those yummy little chocolate hearts to plop into peanut blossoms and EVERY year my husband eats them before I get to make the cookies. The man is incorrigible, I swear. No candy is safe in my house, ever.

The other thing that always happens to me in February is I run out of time. It's silly, the month is only a couple of days shorter than all the rest, but inevitably the end of the month hides somewhere and pops out when I least expect it. One of my goals this year is to stay on top of things like my recipe reviews. I cook all the time, every day in fact, and I try to cook something new a couple of times a week, but then I never get to the computer to put the review in. Does that happen to you, too? I've started looking the recipe up on TasteofHome.com the day I make it (even if I'm making it out of the magazine) and then I don't close that page until I write my review. Even if the review is nothing more than "we loved this!" Reviews don't have to be in-depth critiques if you're short on time, they just have to be there. Just for kicks, I timed myself to see how long it took me to write a review. From the time I sat down at my desk, logged in, looked up the recipe, and wrote my review...take a guess at how long it took. I was shocked, actually: 1 minute, 15 seconds. I thought for sure it killed 5 minutes at least, but nope. So, my friends, I challenge you to do the same. Time yourself to see how long it takes to write your review and then come to the Field Editor forum to tell me your results.

Remember when I asked for your Thanksgiving secrets back in November? Those are still on the top of your to-do list. We have several pages to fill with your tips and tricks, email me and tell me how you survive the holiday. How do you make your table pretty? How do you keep the kids--big or little--occupied? Do you have special dishes you use to make the table pretty? How about an easy way to make a centerpiece? Have you been able to turn a whoops into a woo-hoo? Do you have a planning sheet to keep you on track? I need to hear your special tricks to make the holiday smooth. Send them to me by the end of February, pretty please and thank you!

We still need some sweet recipes for Joy to the Swirl. You guys were great on the savory side of all things swirly but we need to balance it out with some sweet choices. Show me what you've got by submitting here. I can't wait to see them!

One last thing, as I'm looking over your accounts I'm seeing duplicate recipe submissions and sometimes even recipes we've already published submitted for another call-out or contest. Please don't do that. Submitting the recipes multiple times just gums up the system and creates confusion. Once we've published your recipe, it's a star and no longer eligible for contests. Come up with something new. Get creative. If you're having a hard time, let me know, we'll put our heads together and kick around some ideas to get your au jus flowing again.

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

PS: Houston! We have a problem! Customer Service reached out to me today; some of you are calling to have your Field Editor subscription combined with your personal account. PLEASE don't do this. They're separate for a reason. If you have any questions about your subscription or account, email me so it can be handled appropriately. You're special to us and we have special conditions applied to your Field Editor account. When you try to make changes to that, it creates internal havoc and there's a good chance you could miss out on something good in the future. We certainly wouldn't want that, right? So right now, raise your right hand and repeat after me, "I (insert name here) promise that if in the future I have ANY questions or concerns about my Field Editor account, I will send you (sue.stetzel@tmbi.com) an email so she can fix it." Thanks, gang!

Get Cookin'

Topic 1:
Creative Slow Cooker Appetizers

Make filling for Philly sliders or pork taquitos in your crock. Maybe roll up some chicken-chile meatballs and stew them in salsa verde. Sweet could work, too: I'm drooling over the idea of caramel apple pie dip made with fresh apples. Think beyond the grape jelly meatballs and little smokies. Let's come up with something to make our guests say WOW!

Submit Recipes >

Topic 2:
Happy & Fresh Easter

Goodbye retro recipes! We're looking for brand-new spins on Easter recipes. Think a whole ham roasted with a sour cherry glaze, scalloped potato and fennel casserole, carrot chips with a creamy herb dip. And don't forget dessert: lemon custard cookie cups, strawberry cheesecake bites and mile-high rhubarb-meringue pie are right up our alley.

Submit Recipes >

Topic 3:
All Bundled Up

Get wrapping those delicious bundles! Asian-style pork dumplings, sweet potato pasties, spinach & artichoke crescent rollups.

Submit Recipes >