Enter the Comfort Zone with Taste of Home

GREENDALE, Wis., Feb. 2, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On newsstands February 1, 2011— Simmering sauces and stews, breads and cinnamon rolls baking on a winter morning, their heavenly aromas filling everyone in a home with anticipation. That's the stuff of comfort food: beloved recipes whose sight and smells conjure vivid memories. Comfort food nurtures our spirits, nourishes our bodies, and soothes our souls. Think of what summons these memories for you and then dig into the February/March issue of Taste of Home, the #1 food and entertaining magazine in the world. This collection of special favorites from readers spans everything from breakfast to dessert – 198 recipes and tips in all – and takes cooking, caring, and sharing to comforting new heights!

Hold the Common, Keep the Comfort with our Reinvented Classics

Whoopie pies, Jell-O, fondue, deviled eggs, shrimp cocktail… delight in the comfort of these classics while giving them a fresh new spin:

• The pie's the limit when you're "Making Whoopie… (Pies That Is)!" (page 26) Our Red Velvet, Go Bananas, Chocolate Dream, and Lemony Gingerbread versions make it impossible not to whoop it up.
• In "Fire & Ice" (20) Smokin' Hot Deviled Eggs (20) are flecked with the heat of chipotle peppers, capers, and cilantro, while Ensenada Shrimp Cocktail is a lively Southwestern makeover featuring tomatoes, serrano and jalapeno peppers.
• "Hello, Jell-O" (34) offers contemporary taste twists on an old favorite: lift your glass and toast with Molded Margaritas (tequila and all), Cool Coffee Gels, Lemonade Cheesecake Parfaits, Tropical Rainbow Dessert, and Spiced Tea Delight (with a bit of chai).
• Dunk, swirl, repeat… That's the fun of fondue, and in "Take a Dip" (22), our sweet and savory fondues include Beer & Cheese, Almond Custard, Heavenly Chocolate Marshmallow, and Golden Mustard.

Gather Your Gang for a Return to Sunday Dinner

Soups, stews, roasts, breads – our favorite comfort foods are perfect for bringing a brood together. Taste of Home helps you "Take Back the Tradition" (page 30) with a heaping helping of togetherness and a modern fresh approach to some family classics. In this issue, the addition of sausage, pizza sauce, and mozzarella in Italian Spiral Meat Loaf elevate this comfort food staple. Pair it with Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes topped with cheese and bacon and an Herbed Veggie Mix-Up of green beans, carrots, and onions. Finish with a Spiced Pear Upside-Down Cake – a fresh pear and gingerbread variation pineapple upside-down cake that will have everyone looking forward to next weekend!

Garlic and Onion: Aromatic Essentials Show Off Their Flavor Power

Yum! Our twelve garlic and onion contest winners in "The Essentials" (page 63) will make you fall in love with these prizewinning flavor boosters all over again. It starts with the grand prize winning Champion Lamb Burgers from Charlene Chambers (Ormond Beach, FL), a wonderful alternative to traditional beef burgers with their rosemary and onions. Plus Savory Cocktail Scones with roasted garlic butter, French Onion Pizza Au Gratin (a mash-up of French onion soup and pizza), and Rustic, Fig, Onion & Pear Tart.

So, cozy up to the February/March Taste of Home. From our Tomato-Herb Focaccia (page 61) and Stephanie's Slow Cooker Stew (45) cover models – a combo sure to please everyone – to cooking with a Cuban beat with Nan's Papas Rellenas and Arroz Con Leche, this issue is full of real food that every real home cook craves in winter: comfort!

LIGHTEN UP THOSE FAMILY CLASSICS

Don’t eat a plate of tasteless diet fare while your family devours the dishes you actually want to eat. At Taste of Home, the words “comfort food” and “diet” and “family” can and do work together. Check out this issue’s “No Gain and No Pain” (page 40) for a sample of our lightened-up family classics like Grilled Stuffed Pork Tenderloin from The Taste of Home Comfort Food Diet Cookbook: New Family Classics Collection. The book also has an exclusive web site with more recipes and tools to help you count calories and shed pounds (http://ComfortFoodDietCookbook.com) and a public forum to help reader’s find motivation, guidance, and community (http://www.tasteofhome.com/ComfortFoodDietForum). And check out the February issue of Taste of Home Healthy Cooking for even more great recipes!

Taste of Home is the leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking and entertaining, serving home cooks with engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made with love. Taste of Home publishes three magazines (the flagship Taste of Home—America's largest cooking magazine, with a circulation of 3.2 million—Healthy Cooking and Simple & Delicious); top-selling bookazines; newsstand specials; and popular cookbooks. Tasteofhome.com is a top destination for engaging audiences with kitchen-tested recipes, how-to techniques, cooking videos and lively community forums. Taste of Home is part of the Lifestyle Communities group within RDA (The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.). More information can be found at http://www.tasteofhome.com.

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Contact: Rebecca Silver | Taste of Home | [email protected] | 212-886-6705

SOURCE Taste of Home