Taste of Home Newsletter - October 2002

Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from the Taste of Home Test Kitchens! We hope you enjoy this month's newsletter, which includes a tasty menu for two, some clever kitchen shortcuts, spooky Halloween treats and more. Read on and you'll discover...

> Just the Two of Us
> Shortcuts Worth Sharing
> Sample Some Spooky Snacks
> Get into a Perfect Pickle
> Looking for Lighter Fare?
> Bulletin Board Brings Answers Fast
> Mix Up Doubly Delicious Brownies

**********

Savor a Feast of Food & Fun in Milwaukee!

IT’S COMING SOON! Taste of Home’s Cooking Expo will debut Oct. 18-19 at the Midwest Express Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. So if you live in the area or are planning a visit, pre-register now at:
http://www.tasteofhomecookingexpo.com/rd.asp?id=14
and save $2.00 OFF the regular fee.

When you do, you’ll enjoy exciting exhibits, events and prize giveaways, including:

> Enter to win a new major kitchen appliance from Sears Kenmore!
> See free cooking demos sponsored by Campbell Soup Company, Kraft Foods and Alltrista Consumer Products
> Enjoy tempting samples, like Jimmy Dean sausage, Juicy smoothies and much, much more.

Nearly 4,000 home cooks like you have already pre-registered. So don’t miss out!

**********

Just Say Cheese with Sargento

We’re proud to be part of Taste of Home’s exciting first-time Cooking Expo in Milwaukee, Wisconsin!

Visit our exhibit at booth number 434 and Just Say Cheese with Sargento!

Celebrate great taste with $1.00 off any TWO packages of SARGENTO Cheese.

To order your coupon, visit:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=172

**********

Just the Two of Us

IT'S SAID that "good things come in twos"...and this time, field editor Mildred S. of Hamlet, North Carolina shares a trio of recipes to make one great meal (for two).

Swiss Steak for Two is a tempting main dish that gets great flavor and color from tomatoes, onion and green pepper. Creamy Scalloped Potatoes is a rich, comforting side dish that has tender potato slices in a creamy sauce.

For a dressed-up dessert without much fuss, try Mildred's Baked Peaches.

SWISS STEAK FOR TWO
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound boneless round steak (1/2 inch thick)
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1 can (8 ounces) stewed tomatoes
1 medium green pepper, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced

In a resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cut steak into two pieces; place in bag and shake to coat. In a skillet over medium heat, brown steak in oil. Add tomatoes. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add green pepper, onion and remaining salt. Cover and simmer until meat is tender, about 30 minutes. Yield: 2 servings.

CREAMY SCALLOPED POTATOES
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
2 large potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion

In a small saucepan over low heat, melt butter. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until smooth and bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil; boil for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. In a greased 1-qt. baking dish, layer half of the potatoes. Add the onion and half of the sauce. Top with remaining potatoes and sauce. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Yield: 2 servings.

BAKED PEACHES
4 canned peach halves, drained
2 tablespoons chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Ice cream, optional

Place peaches with cut side up in a 1-qt. baking dish. In a small bowl, combine walnuts, brown sugar, orange peel and allspice; sprinkle over peaches. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Serve warm, topped with ice cream if desired. Yield: 2 servings.

To view a photo, visit:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=167

**********

Campbell's Cookbook Offer!

You'll find 40 delicious, easy meal ideas, complete with color photos (so you know exactly how the dish will turn out), in the latest Campbell's Kitchen cookbook. Your family will love these homemade dinners that take just minutes to prepare.

ORDER TODAY! Visit:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=164

**********

Shortcuts Worth Sharing

THIS regular feature gives readers a chance to share their favorite kitchen tips, household hints and "home remedies".

> Put a few drops of peppermint oil in your hot dishwater to make your kitchen and surrounding rooms smell wonderful. --Dora B., Woodruff, South Carolina
> Rather than trimming a frozen roast to fit your roasting pan, try this: Put a fresh roast into a plastic freezer bag, then fit it into your roasting pan and freeze. Once it's frozen, you can take it out of the pan, knowing it'll fit perfectly when you're ready to roast. --Ruth B., Feasterville, Pennsylvania
> I've found that those plastic vegetable storage bags with tiny holes are perfect for storing fresh-baked muffins. The muffins stay nice and moist and don't get sticky. --Julie I., Sebeka, Minnesota
> When you find a recipe you like better than one in a favorite cookbook, copy it onto a file card and tape it over the recipe in the book. This way, you can use the book's index to quickly find your new, improved recipe. --Karen B., Gove, Kansas
> If your recipe calls for a can of chopped tomatoes and you have a can of whole tomatoes, insert a knife into the opened can several times to cut the tomatoes. It's much easier than using the food processor or cutting each tomato with a knife on a cutting board. --Sherry G., York, Nebraska

**********

Sample Some Spooky Snacks

BOO! These spirited Halloween treats only look tricky--the recipes are so easy you can enlist help from children for some holiday fun in the kitchen.

QUICK GHOST COOKIES
Field editor Denise S. of Lusk, Wyoming spruces up store-bought cookies for the holiday. "These are a real hit with 'goblins' of all ages," she says.

1 pound white confectionery coating, cut into chunks
1 package (1 pound) Nutter Butter peanut butter cookies
Mini semisweet chocolate chips

In top of double boiler over simmering water, melt confectionery coating, stirring occasionally. Dip cookies into coating, covering completely. Set on waxed paper to cool. Brush ends with a pastry brush dipped in coating where fingers touched cookies. While coating is still warm, place two chips on each cookie for eyes. Yield: about 3 dozen.

WIGGLY PUMPKINS
Pumpkin-shaped cookie cutters form these festive finger snacks from Wall, South Dakota field editor Frances P. "My grandkids love them!" she says.

2 packages (6 ounces each) orange gelatin
2-1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup cold milk
1 package (3.4 ounces) instant vanilla pudding mix
Candy corn
Black licorice and/or gumdrops

Dissolve gelatin in water; set aside for 30 minutes. Whisk milk and pudding mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Quickly pour into gelatin; whisk until well blended. Pour into an oiled 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. pan. Chill until set. Cut into circles or use a pumpkin-shaped cookie cutter. Just before serving, add candy eyes and mouths. Yield: 14-16 servings.

HALLOWEEN LAYER CAKE
"There's nothing 'scary' about this cake," assures Karen W. of Tavistock, Ontario. "I make it every Halloween for my husband and our three children."

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup baking cocoa
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange extract
1 tablespoon grated orange peel
10 drops yellow food coloring
6 drops red food coloring

FROSTING:
3 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened
5-3/4 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons milk
8 drops yellow food coloring
6 drops red food coloring
GLAZE:
3 squares (1 ounce each) semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup whipping cream
Candy corn for garnish

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Mix well. Combine cocoa, water and vanilla; stir in 2 cups cake batter. Pour into a greased and floured 9-in. round baking pan. Add orange extract, peel and food coloring to remaining batter. Pour into two greased and floured 9-in. cake pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until cake tests done. In a mixing bowl, beat all frosting ingredients until smooth. Place one orange cake layer on a cake plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with chocolate layer; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with second orange layer. Frost the sides and top of cake. Microwave chocolate and cream on high 1-1/2 minutes or until melted, stirring once. Stir until smooth; let cool 2 minutes. Slowly pour over cake, letting glaze drizzle down sides. Garnish with candy corn. Yield: 12-16 servings.

To view a photo, visit:
http://www.tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=168

**********

Get into a Perfect Pickle

WE'RE PLEASED to present this puckery primer from Pickle Packers International with plenty of piquant pointers to ponder:

> Americans consume over 29 billion pickles each year. If all those pickles were placed end-to-end, they'd reach to the moon and back 8.25 times.
> Pickles came to the New World with Columbus, provided by our country's namesake, Amerigo Vespucci, who supplied sailors with pickles to prevent scurvy.
> Pickle juice makes a great marinade. For your next cookout, marinate chicken in sweet pickle juice for 2 hours and brush on the surplus while grilling.
> Perk up routine dinners by stirring pickles into soups or stuffing and mixing them into meat loaf or pasta.

**********

Looking for Lighter Fare?

Cool Cucumber Chicken is from Andria B. of Randolph, New Jersey. "My husband really likes chicken, so when I need a delicious dish for a picnic or barbecue, this is what I make," she says.

COOL CUCUMBER CHICKEN
4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 pound)
2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt
2 tablespoons reduced-fat mayonnaise
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Brush both sides of chicken with oil. Broil 5 in. from the heat or grill over medium coals, turning occasionally, for 10-14 minutes or until juices run clear. Meanwhile, combine remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Spoon over warm chicken; serve immediately. Or, to serve cold, spoon sauce over chicken and refrigerate several hours or overnight. Yield: 4 servings. Diabetic Exchanges: One serving equals 4 very lean meat, 1-1/2 fat, 1 vegetable; also, 256 calories, 134 mg sodium, 75 mg cholesterol, 7 gm carbohydrate, 29gm protein, 12 gm fat.

**********

Bulletin Board Brings Answers Fast

THE Taste of Home Bulletin Board is a perfect place to ask questions and share recipes and cooking tips on-line!

Friendly, helpful readers quickly respond to queries about recipes, ingredients, cooking techniques and more in this practical, easy-to-use service.

To access the Taste of Home Bulletin Board, visit:
http://bbs.reimanpub.com/RD.asp?ID=43

(Add the Bulletin Board to your browser favorites or bookmarks for quick access!)

**********

2003 Taste of Home Annual Recipes

DELIGHT your gang with family-approved "home-style" recipes from Taste of Home in our newest annual cookbook.

Ordering a copy assures you of having every family-pleasing recipe from all the issues from the previous year-all categorized into chapters and bound into a sturdy, hardcover book you will use again and again.

Home cooks like you have made each edition of Taste of Home Annual Recipes a best-seller. And with 548 delicious recipes like "Stuffed Beef Tenderloin", "Almond Wild Rice", "Cheddar Potato Soup" and "Mocha Bundt Cake", we think you'll love our newest book, too!

To order 2003 Taste of Home Annual Recipes, visit:
http://www.countrystorecatalog.com/rd.asp?id=285

**********

Lang At Home Fall Special

Shop now an get 15% off your order!

This newsletter subscriber offer ends October 10. (Suite #L1038)

Visit:
http://www.langathome.com/rd.asp?id=26

**********

Special Introductory Offer for Taste of Home Subscribers--

Get 1 year of Reader's Digest for 44% OFF the cover price!

Visit:
http://tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=173

**********

HAVE A FRIEND who enjoys good home cooking? Feel free to forward this newsletter!

This email was sent to: $$email$$

If this newsletter was forwarded to you, you can sign up for yourself at http://www.tasteofhome.com/RD.asp?ID=169

**********

TO CANCEL your newsletter at any time, visit http://www.tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=171

TO UPDATE your e-mail address and other information, please visit http://www.tasteofhome.com/RD.asp?ID=170and click on the "Maintain Your Personal Preferences" link next to the "Free Newsletters" 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 http://www.tasteofhome.com/rd.asp?id=166

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 http://www.quickcooking.com/rd.asp?id=54

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 http://www.lightandtasty.com/rd.asp?id=50

**********

BYE for now from the Taste of Home staff...see you next month!

**********

Copyright 2002 Reiman Media Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Taste of Home, P.O. Box 991, Greendale WI 53129-0991

THIS newsletter is now available in a graphical format (HTML) that includes photos with the recipes and stories. The computer code below is HTML. If your e-mail program does not support HTML, visit https://www.reimanpub.com/registration2/text.asp?email=$$email$$