Taste of Home Newsletter - May 2001 Dear $$firstname$$, Greetings from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which combines delicious recipes, handy hints and a heartwarming recollection. Read on and you'll discover... > A Complete Meal in Minutes > Shortcuts Worth Sharing > Scribbles Are Precious > Singling Out Good Food > Bake Bread with the Best ********** A Complete Meal in Minutes THE complete-meal menu below is made up of favorite fast-to-fix dishes sent in by subscribers across the country and combined in our Test Kitchen. You can have everything ready to serve in only half an hour! To view a photo, visit: http://www.tasteofhome.com/newsletters/thnl5.01.01p1.htm > Hamburger Spanish Rice is a favorite busy-day dish for Bernice M. of Marshfield, Missouri. "Even though we're retired, I often work on crafts or paint right up to mealtime," says Bernice. > Wilted Lettuce Salad comes from Alberta M. of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. This appetizing salad looks and tastes great! > Quick Biscuits from Diane H. of Niceville, Florida make a satisfying accompaniment to the meal. "I never made biscuits until I tried this two-ingredient recipe," Diane says. "Now my husband wants biscuits all the time!" > Ambrosia Pudding is a speedy and special way to round out this menu. "Serving this in a parfait glass showcases the layers," notes Debbie J. of California, Maryland. HAMBURGER SPANISH RICE 1 pound lean ground beef 1 medium onion, chopped 1/2 medium green pepper, chopped 1 cup uncooked instant rice 1 can (15 ounces) tomato sauce 3/4 cup hot water 1 teaspoon prepared mustard 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon sugar In a skillet, brown beef, onion, green pepper and rice. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender. Yield: 4-6 servings. WILTED LETTUCE SALAD 8 cups torn leaf lettuce or spinach 1/4 cup sliced green onions Pepper to taste 3 bacon strips, diced 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 hard-cooked egg, chopped Place lettuce or spinach and onions in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with pepper; set aside. In a large skillet, cook bacon until crisp. Do not drain off drippings. Stir in vinegar, lemon juice, sugar and salt. Pour over lettuce and toss gently until well coated. Top with hard-cooked egg. Serve immediately. Yield: 6 servings. QUICK BISCUITS 2 cups self-rising flour* 1 cup whipping cream In a large bowl, combine the flour and cream. Turn out onto a floured surface; knead for 5 minutes or until no longer sticky. On a floured surface, roll dough to a 1/2-in. thickness. Cut into 3-in. biscuits. Place on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Yield: 9 biscuits. *Editor's Note: If you don't have self-rising flour, add 1 tablespoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt to 2 cups all-purpose flour. AMBROSIA PUDDING 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix 2 cups cold milk 1/4 cup honey 2 teaspoons grated orange peel 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup whipping cream, whipped 1 medium firm banana, sliced 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin orange sections, drained 1/4 cup flaked coconut 1/4 cup sliced almonds In a bowl, blend pudding and milk according to package directions. Add honey, orange peel and vanilla. Fold in the whipped cream. In individual dessert dishes, layer half of the pudding, banana slices, orange sections, coconut and almonds. Repeat the layers. Chill. Yield: 4-6 servings. To view a photo of the meal above, visit: http://www.tasteofhome.com/newsletters/thnl5.01.01p1.htm ********** Shortcuts Worth Sharing THIS regular feature gives readers a chance to share their favorite kitchen tips, household hints and "home remedies". > To prevent apple pies from getting juicy or soggy on the bottom, crush a few cornflakes and sprinkle over the bottom crust before adding the apples. --Barb P., Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin > I always wash and freeze my parsley. It chops easier after it's frozen, and thaws quickly after it's chopped. --Norma V., Gettysburg, Pennsylvania > You can get more juice out of a lemon by letting it reach room temperature before squeezing it. --Leila M., Arlington, South Dakota > After opening a large package of bacon and using only a few slices, place the other pieces side by side on a cookie sheet and freeze. Store frozen slices in a plastic zipper-type freezer bag and remove and thaw as needed. --Virginia C., Hamilton, Ohio > To keep hard-cooked eggs from cracking and keep poached eggs compact, add 1 tablespoon of vinegar to the water. --Bernice S., Sturgeon Lake, Minnesota ********** Scribbles Are Precious CAROL F. of Richard, Saskatchewan was jotting some notes in a recipe file recently when she paused to ponder whether her recipes and notes might someday be family heirlooms. "My mom's handwritten recipes, along with her comments like 'great flavor' and 'Dad's favorite', are among my most treasured possessions," says this thoughtful cook. "I'm sorry now that I didn't pay more attention when Mom was sharing her cooking skills. She's gone now, and I've learned on my own with the help of her old notebooks. "Now I'm keeping my own recipe notebooks with my comments for someone to enjoy in the future." ********** Singling Out Good Food... DINING ALONE? Try this satisfying single-serving salad from Anne S. of Lake Charles, Louisiana. To view a photo, visit: http://www.tasteofhome.com/newsletters/thnl5.01.01p2.htm APPLE CHICKEN SALAD 1 medium apple, cored and chopped 1 cup diced cooked chicken 2 to 4 tablespoons mayonnaise 2 tablespoons diced green pepper 1 teaspoon chopped pimiento Dash dried rosemary, crushed Dash lemon-pepper seasoning Lettuce leaf In a small bowl, combine first seven ingredients. Chill until ready to serve. Place lettuce leaf on a serving plate and top with the chilled chicken salad. Yield: 1 serving. ********** HAVE A FRIEND who enjoys good home cooking? Feel free to forward this newsletter! If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up for yourself at http://www.tasteofhome.com ********** Bake Bread with the Best! TREAT YOUR FAMILY to the most heavenly, fresh-baked aromas and tastes ever to fill a country kitchen! It's easy with the 247 recipes in our Best of Country Breads book. You get a huge variety of warm-from-the-oven flavors, including "Frosted Cinnamon-Raisin Biscuits", "Herbed Whole Wheat Bread", "Rye Horns", "Quick Calzones" and "Bacon Onion Breadsticks". In their search for the best breads in the country, our food staff sifted through thousands of recipes shared by readers. They narrowed their hunt down to 247 of the most scrumptious breads imaginable, and put them all in this big, photo-packed, 116-page cookbook. It even includes the grand-prize winning recipe for "Golden Sesame Braid", plus yeast breads, quick breads, muffins, rolls, biscuits, scones, doughnuts, breadsticks and more. Over 50 color photos. Hardcover, 8-3/8" x 11-1/8". Best of all, you can order Best of Country Breads for only $12.99--$3.00 OFF the regular price! To order, visit http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/default.asp?refurl=NT001. You'll find Best of Country Breads and more cookbooks full of easy, home-style recipes in Country Store's Cookbooks department! You'll also find handy kitchen gadgets and time-saving appliances, plus plenty of country-style home decor, dinnerware and accessories to make your home sparkle. Remember, everything at Country Store is backed by our 100% Money-Back Guarantee! To order for just $12.99, visit http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/default.asp?refurl=NT001 and click on the "Cookbooks" link. ********** TO CANCEL your newsletter at any time, visit http://reimanpub.com/registration1/NewsletterUnsubscribe.asp?Newsletter=TOH TO UPDATE your e-mail address and other information, please visit http://www.tasteofhome.com and click on the "Maintain Your Personal Preferences" link. You'll need your current e-mail address and password to log-in. If you've forgotten your password or never selected one, there is a link to have it e-mailed to you. HAVING PROBLEMS linking to our Web site? If clicking a link doesn't work, you can simply highlight and copy the link, then paste it into your browser's address field. ********** THIS NEWSLETTER is from the editors of America's most popular food magazines... Taste of Home magazine takes a commonsense approach to family-pleasing meals with over 85 practical recipes in every issue. It's America's No. 1 cooking magazine! To subscribe or give a gift on-line, visit https://commerce.cdsfulfillment.com/TOH/subscriptions.cgi?IN_code=IB0NLT Quick Cooking features speedy recipes (over 100 in each issue!) that help you put nutritious and tasty meals on the table FAST! Plus you'll get proven cooking hints, kitchen shortcuts and more! To subscribe or give a gift on-line, visit https://commerce.cdsfulfillment.com/QCK/subscriptions.cgi?IN_code=IB0NLK Light & Tasty is a completely different kind of magazine that lets you enjoy all the foods you love--lighter! Every luscious recipe (75 or more!) is lower in fat, salt, calories or cholesterol. Plus, each scrumptious, slimmed-down dish has been approved by a Registered Dietitian. You'll be amazed that low-fat food can taste so good! To subscribe or give a gift on-line, visit https://commerce.cdsfulfillment.com/LNT/subscriptions.cgi?IN_code=IB0NLL ********** BYE for now from the Taste of Home staff...see you next month! ********** Copyright 2001 Reiman Publications. All rights reserved.