Dear $$firstname$$,

Greetings from Taste of Home! It’s February, and that means love is in the air. Show your heartfelt feelings by making the My True Love Cake, Valentine Cookie Bouquet or Hugs ’n’ Kisses Brownie for you and your sweetie.

To help prepare these desserts, refer to the chocolate tips submitted by our readers. They’ve gone through the trouble of finding out what works and what doesn’t, so you don’t have to!

And you can still keep true to your New Year’s resolutions this Valentine’s Day with our Healthy Menu for your Honey: Honey-Orange Marinated Salmon, Honey Cloverleaf Rolls and Fruit with Honey-Ginger Dressing…it’s bee-licious!

Need more reason to celebrate? Check out our Mardi Gras Menu! Bring the French Quarter to you with this easy-to-fix Creole cuisine.

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P.S. Don’t forget to check out the new Web site for Taste of Home. Now you’ll find even more information about each of your favorite recipes. For example, Honey-Orange Marinated Salmon includes links to Related Recipes and Related Tips. You can also sign in to add, save and rate recipes using "My Recipe Box." Plus, you can tell everyone about how you change, modify or prepare a recipe by using the "Add Comments" option.

• In this issue:
• Valentine’s Day Desserts
• Tips for Working with Chocolate
• Healthy Menu for your Honey
• Mardi Gras Menu

Valentine’s Day Desserts

"Like my mother and grandmother, I have a special recipe for every occasion," notes Beverly Coyde of Gasport, New York. "For Valentine’s Day—one of my favorite holidays—this beautiful My True Love Cake is an outstanding treat."

"I always try to do something special with my fair entries. This Valentine Cookie Bouquet was a blue-ribbon winner," says Marlene Gates of Sun City, Arizona. "It’s a great gift for a loved one, and makes a nice Valentine’s Day centerpiece, as well."

"When I needed a dessert in a hurry, I dressed up a brownie mix with on-hand ingredients to come up with this impressive Hugs ’n’ Kisses Brownie treat," says Kristi Van Batavia of Kansas City, Missouri.

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Tips for Working with Chocolate

• Chocolate on a Budget: When a recipe calls for melted semisweet chocolate chips, it’s cheaper to use semisweet baking chocolate squares in the same amount ounce-for-ounce. After the chocolate is melted, nobody knows what shape it was to begin with! —Camille C., Ames, Iowa
• "Seized" Chocolate: Before melting chocolate chips, be sure all equipment and utensils are completely dry. Any moisture may cause the chocolate to stiffen or "seize." Chocolate that has seized can sometimes be saved by immediately adding 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for each 6 ounces of chocolate. Slowly heat the mixture and stir until smooth. —Brenda Kropog, Camano Island, Washington
• Slow Cooker Dipping Chocolate: When I melt bulk chocolate or almond bark to coat candies, fruit or pretzels, I like to use my slow cooker. It keeps the chocolate warm for repeated dips. —C.M. Harris, Walker, Minnesota
• Chocolate Hearts: In a microwave-safe bowl or heavy saucepan, melt 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips and 1/4 teaspoon shortening; stir until smooth. Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry or plastic bag; fill with melted chocolate. Pipe overlapping 1-in. hearts onto waxed paper. Repeat to make three more sets of overlapping hearts. Let dry before removing from the waxed paper. Store in an airtight container at room temperature. Use as a garnish for desserts. —Taste of Home Test Kitchen

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Healthy Menu for your Honey

"My husband is a commercial fisherman, so we have fish quite often. This easy recipe for Honey-Orange Marinated Salmon is one of my favorites," says Sonesa Lundmark of Sitka, Alaska.

"Honeybees like to build their hives near fields of thyme," explains Eleanor Davis of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. "These lovely Honey Cloverleaf Rolls include both honey and thyme."

Fruit with Honey-Ginger Dressing is a refreshing addition to any meal. The spiced yogurt dressing is delicious over the fruit medley, writes Cheryl Perry of Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

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Mardi Gras Menu

"The guys in our family like to spoon the zesty beef filling of these Gumbo Joes over both halves of the roll and eat it with a fork," says Shirley Wranosky of Eagle River, Wisconsin. "Now that I no longer work outside of the home, I find myself in the kitchen reading recipes, cooking and baking."

"I’ve found a fast and fantastic way to turn leftover rice into a spectacular side dish. I spice it up with Creole seasoning and pepper to give it a boost of flavor, and then sprinkle it with paprika for color. Rest assured that no one will figure out this zippy Creole Rice is a ‘second-day dish,’" says Sundra Hauck of Bogalusa, Louisiana.

For a nice variety and a different look, Chrissy Fessler of Hazleton, Pennsylvania suggests adding baby corn to these delicious Cajun Vegetables.

Thanks to Janice Mitchell of Aurora, Colorado, rather than using rum and an open flame, this Bananas Foster recipe cooks up on the stovetop with equally delicious results.

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See Your Name in Print!

Send us your recipes for a chance to be published in Taste of Home or one of our sister magazines. Our Food Editors are busy reading recipes from readers like you to fill upcoming magazines. Right now we are looking for fall fare to fill our files with recipes like:

• Show-stopping Praline Pumpkin Pie
• Pork Chops with Cranberry sauce that make weeknight cooking a snap
• Comforting Root Vegetable Soup
• Quick and easy Slow Cooker Beef Stroganoff
• Flaky and tender Sage Biscuits
• Lightened-up Spiced Pear Upside Down Cake

Send your recipes today! You can also use the Submit a Recipe link on www.tasteofhome.com; be sure to check out our Contest page for special recipe contests and Contributor Guidelines.  

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