Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from the Taste of Home Test Kitchen. This month, you can enjoy some flavors of spring in the Mix & Match Meal featured below. We also pulled together some handy Potluck Tips for when you’re entertaining a group. Or, if you’re looking for lighter recipes, you can find healthy selections just in time for St. Patrick’s Day. Remember that you can click on the name of any recipe below to view it in our online Recipe Finder, print it or save it to your own “recipe box.” You can also search for similar recipes using the Recipe Finder.

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• In this issue:
• Mix & Match Meal Can’t Miss
• Potluck Tips
• Taste of Home Classic Cooking
• Looking for Lighter Fare?
• Shortcuts in the Kitchen
• Meals Made Easy

Mix & Match Meal Can’t Miss

Kathy Schrecengost of Oswego, New York has always liked to try new foods. This is one of her favorite menus, but it started as just a meal that mixed together many of the recipes she liked to make. Spinach Salad with Oranges has a dressing with just the right sweet-tart balance. Orange sections are a pretty contrast to the greens, and the bacon adds a crisp accent.

Maple syrup and apple juice provide the mildly sweet marinade for Maple Teriyaki Salmon Fillets. Whether they are broiled or grilled, the fillets glaze nicely when basted.

By adding a few fine egg noodles to a rice pilaf, you can have a deliciously different side dish. Noodle Rice Pilaf is terrific with fish and also goes well with meat or poultry.

Poppy Seed Bundt Cake tastes so old-fashioned, you might be tempted not to tell anyone it starts with a mix! A hint of coconut and the tender texture make it simply scrumptious. All you need to dress it up is a dusting of powdered sugar.

SPINACH SALAD WITH ORANGES

• 1 package (10 ounces) fresh spinach, torn
• 1 can (11 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• DRESSING:
• 3 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Dash pepper
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil

In a large salad bowl, toss the spinach, oranges, mushrooms and bacon; set aside. In a blender or food processor, combine the ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, onion, salt and pepper; cover and process until smooth. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady steam. Serve with salad. Yield: 4-6 servings (about 3/4 cup dressing).

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MAPLE TERIYAKI SALMON FILLETS

• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 salmon fillets (about 2 pounds)

In a bowl, combine the first five ingredients. Remove 1/2 cup for basting; cover and refrigerate. Pour remaining marinade into a large resealable plastic bag. Add salmon; seal bag and turn to coat. Refrigerate for 1-3 hours.

Drain and discard marinade. Broil salmon 4-in. from the heat for 5 minutes. Baste with reserved marinade. Broil 10 minutes longer or until fish flakes easily with fork, basting frequently. Yield: 4 servings.

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NOODLE RICE PILAF

• 1/4 cup butter or margarine
• 1 cup long grain rice
• 1/2 cup uncooked fine egg noodles or vermicelli
• 2-3/4 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

In a saucepan, melt butter. Add the rice and noodles; cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed and rice is tender. Stir in parsley. Yield: 4 servings.

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POPPY SEED BUNDT CAKE

• 1 package (18-1/4 ounces) yellow cake mix
• 1 package (3.4 ounces) instant coconut cream pudding mix
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 3 eggs
• 2 tablespoons poppy seeds
• Confectioners’ sugar

In a mixing bowl, combine cake and pudding mixes, water, oil and eggs. Beat on low speed until moistened. Beat on medium for 2 minutes. Stir in the poppy seeds.

Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350° for 48-52 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Dust with confectioners’ sugar. Yield: 12-15 servings.

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Potluck Tips

• To save time when preparing recipes calling for large amounts of precooked potatoes, I use my pressure cooker instead of cooking them in boiling water. —Rosalie Rogers, Macomb, Michigan
• Making lots of cupcakes for a school function or ladies’ luncheon? To speed the process and cut down on the mess, I rely on my turkey baster to squeeze the batter neatly into paper cupcake liners. —Angie Stokes, Winchester, Virginia
• When I make deviled eggs, cakes with icing or anything that will stick to the lids when I transport them, I cover the food with a sheet of plastic wrap sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Food won’t stick to the sprayed wrap. —Jan Webb, Cumberland Furnace, Tennessee
• When grating blocks of cheese for a big batch of spaghetti or lasagna, I spray the grater with nonstick cooking spray. The grated cheese seems to flow right off, and there’s a lot less waste. Cleanup is a breeze, too. —Rochelle Hoover, Rapid City, South Dakota

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Taste of Home Classic Cooking

Making meals packed with home-cooked flavors is easy with the 150 recipes you’ll find in Taste of Home Classic Cooking. From "Lemon Chicken Spaghetti" to "Creamy Peanut Butter Pie," it’s packed with favorite recipes submitted by home cooks just like you. You'll get appetizers, main dishes, soups and desserts the whole family will rave about! Best of all, each recipe was tested and tasted by the Taste of Home kitchen staff, so you know they’re easy and delicious. Find Taste of Home Classic Cooking on newsstands, at a Taste of Home Cooking School in your state or from ShopTasteofHome.com.

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Looking for Lighter Fare?

The following three recipes are perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or whenever you want a lighter option for dinner.

CORNED BEEF DINNER
"This flavorful meal is a must for St. Patrick's Day but great anytime of the year," writes Michelle Rhodes of Cleveland, Ohio. While she usually cooks on the stovetop, a slow cooker makes it even easier. "It serves four nicely with enough leftover meat for Reuben sandwiches or other dishes," she adds.

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CREAMY LIME CHILLER
This frosty refresher from field editor Maria Regakis of Somerville, Massachusetts hits the spot. Neither too sweet nor too tart, this pretty pick-me-up will perk up any special occasion.

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MINT CAKE
"My sister and I liked to bake this 'cool' mint cake when we were learning to cook...and I still enjoy making it today," reports Sue Gronholz of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.

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Shortcuts in the Kitchen

• I always throw a few extra potatoes in the pan when I cook them for dinner. Then the next morning, all I have to do is cut them up with a few onions and fry quickly for perfect home fries. —David Tackett, Newark, Delaware
• I’ve found it’s a nuisance to arrange dough evenly in small tart tins. So I use an empty aspirin bottle as a press, wrapping the bottom of the bottle in 2 layers of plastic wrap to prevent sticking. The balls of dough press perfectly into the pans. —Lorraine Caland, Thunder Bay, Ontario
• When I make cinnamon raisin bread in my bread machine, I mix the raisins and cinnamon together in a bowl before adding to the machine. This keeps the raisins from clumping together. —Stacy Guerin, Hastings, New York
• I often use applesauce to replace oil when baking. But once the jar of applesauce is opened, it spoils before we can finish it. So now I keep several lunch-size snack packs on hand for baking, and there’s never any waste. —Alison Woodward Cremet, Rouen, France

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