Taste of Home Contest Winning
Annual Recipes 2009

Get a FREE PREVIEW & FREE GIFT! Enjoy this big, must-have cookbook packed with 350+ scrumptious recipes and tips—every single one tested, tasted and judged as blue-ribbon winners from more than 20,000 entries! All are crowd-pleasing favorites submitted by great American family cooks like you. And each one took top honors in a Taste of Home national recipe contest for ease of preparation and outstanding flavor. Whatever the occasion...whatever the meal...with Contest Winning Annual Recipes 2009 in hand, you’ll have award-winning recipes you can trust for perfect results every time you prepare them! Claim your FREE PREVIEW & FREE GIFT today!

Featured recipe:

Chocolate Pecan
Ice Cream Torte

This delectable dessert layers chocolate and butter pecan ice cream on a shortbread crust, along with chocolate candy pieces, toasted pecans and caramel topping. It never fails to impress our guests. —Kelly Arvay, Barberton, Ohio

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Mom’s Best Meals Cookbook

Get a FREE PREVIEW & FREE GIFT! Enjoy our first-ever collection of 300+ tried-and-true recipes and tips from Taste of Home readers...delicious, passed-down dishes...all-time favorites made with love by mothers and grandmothers across the country. Whether you’re searching for a special meal for an important event...a fabulous holiday feast...or simply a heart­warming Sunday dinner seasoned with love, Mom’s Best Meals has what you need. Claim your free preview and free gift now!

Featured recipe:

Chicken and Rice Dinner

My family lines up seconds of this hearty main dish from my mother-in-law, Mary Lou Baumert—a great cook! In this easy tasty recipe, the chicken bakes to a beautiful golden brown.
—Denise Baumert, Dalhart, Texas

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Meet More Members of our Staff

You'll meet Sarah Thompson in this edition of the newsletter. Get to know a few more members of the Taste of Home staff here.

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Get to Know...Sarah Thompson!

When deciding on a cookbook, many consider the book’s photography. No one knows that better than Sarah Thompson. She’s the Food Styling Manager for Taste of Home books.

“Making food look great in photographs is a quick summary of my job,” Sarah says with a smile. “My team of stylists and I make the food on book covers look so tasty that readers want to head for their kitchens.”

When on the photo set, Sarah controls what the food does as it sits under hot lights. “Time, temperature, exposure to air…these things compromise the color, texture and shape of the food,” she explains.

As such, Sarah uses equipment to perfect the shot; small scissors trim uneven edges of rolls, and surgical tweezers place sesame seeds on buns. “It’s fun working with different tools,” adds Sarah. “Sometimes, the tiniest tweak can produce a completely unique shot.

“Food photography is a team sport that includes photographers, set stylists, art directors and creative directors as well as food stylists. But we all have the same goal: To produce beautiful food photography that readers will enjoy for years.”

For some of Sarah and her team’s handy work, check out the luscious dessert on the cover of “The Best of Quick Cooking.”

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