Shake Off the Winter Doldrums With Taste of Home Magazine

GREENDALE, Wis., March 18 /PRNewswire/ -- On newsstands March 30, 2010 – Winter is a long, hard ride in Greendale, headquarters of Taste of Home. Sluggish from our hibernations, the thoughts of spring veggies inspire us and brighten our days with dreams of fresh food, patio parties, and picnics. And then we take off our jackets and sweaters and…Gulp! We need some lighter fare to help shed that winter weight! The May 2010 issue of Taste of Home to the rescue: 140 family friendly recipes and tips featuring lots of light, satisfying, and seasonal dishes – none of which look or taste like dieter's fare. At Taste of Home, we know comfort food doesn't have to be fattening. It just has to be delicious and real food served up by the real home cooks who cook, care, and share with us all year long.

And Taste of Home said, "Let There Be Light" (page 50)

Renew your resolution to eat healthier and lighter with our 12 mouthwatering contest winners. No deprivation here: Our readers show you can cut fat, cholesterol, sodium, and calories without giving up taste. Start with our grand prize winning Chicken Florentine Meatballs from Diane Nemtitz of Ludington, MI. Her favorite go-to meatball recipe was ours as well: Scrumptious and tender, filled with spinach and served over spaghetti squash with a chunky tomato sauce. Then, savor our gorgeous cover model: Cover Tropical Fusion Salad with Spicy Tortilla Ribbons from runner-up Jennifer Fisher of Austin, TX – a tropical flavor explosion that has wonderful crunch and would make a great warm-weather meal. For dessert try the Sensational Tiramisu from Mary Walters of Westerville, OH – a light take on the popular dessert that is moist and creamy enough to dazzle at a dinner party. Or maybe a Strawberry-Rhubarb Meringue Pie – a sweet and tart rite of spring? Grilled Stuffed Turkey Burgers? Chicken & Vegetable Stir-Fry? You can't go wrong with this issue's delicious dozen prizewinners.

The Taste of Spring (63)

The absolute best way to shake off the winter doldrums is with a recipe featuring spring's tender seasonal vegetables prepared to perfection. Artichokes, asparagus, rhubarb, green beans… all these and more add bursts of color and flavor to any dish. And this issue has six recipes that showcase some of spring's bounty at its best. Pretty Stuffed Spring Peas feature snow peas filled with a delightful herbed cream cheese that look beautiful surrounded by fresh-picked strawberries. Sesame Green Beans are an easy, healthy Chinese-style side dish that is perfect for when you fire up the grill. Creamy Pasta Primavera is an idea vehicle for asparagus. Plus there's Rhubarb Cake with Lemon Sauce, Fish Tacos with Avocado Sauce, and Artichoke Hearts Romano too.

Bacon: Not just for breakfast anymore – and we can prove it (page 68)

America is in the midst of a "Bacon Boom." Truth is: If you eat bacon, you love it any way you can get it and the May 2010 issue of Taste of Home offers six scrumptiously smoky ways beyond breakfast's bacon and eggs. Bacon Blue Cheese Appetizer is a simple and impressive three-ingredient starter – a salty/sweet people pleaser. Bacon Scones are a buttery classic. One bite of Bacon Baklava or Chocolate Covered Bacon will confirm that bacon can be for dessert. Bacon Potato Waffles are perfect with a little sour cream and chives. And Mom's Fried Rice adds a twist to a Chinese classic.

And one last "Quick Fix" – rotisserie chicken meals in minutes (page 30)

For many of us, spring also marks the return of a calendar full of activities and events and packed schedules all of which means less time for making dinner. In "From Deli to Delicious," our readers turned store-bought rotisserie chicken into three fantastic satisfying meals that will disappear in as little time as they take to make: Greek Chicken Pasta offers bright Mediterranean flavors, Pad Thai Pizza has a slightly spicy peanut sauce and yummy toppings, and Southwest Chicken Salad is nutritious and delicious over spring greens.

Of course, that's only some of what we cooked up for this issue. Mushrooms, fennel, blueberries, and beyond… From stunning layered trifle bowl creations to top-rate cakes for a special occasion, here's to springing into a new you with Taste of Home!

A complete program to help shed those extra winter pounds for good – without depriving yourself of the things you crave – can be found in Taste of Home’s Comfort Food Diet® Cookbook (2010). Available wherever books are sold, it features a six-week meal plan and more than 400 recipes. Enjoy the first week of the plan free at TasteofHome.com (http://www.tasteofhome.com/freemenu).

About Taste of Home

Taste of Home is a 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, including 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.  Traffic on tasteofhome.com increased 166 percent, to 2 million monthly UVs, from December 2007 to December 2008.  Taste of Home is part of Food & Entertaining@RDA (The Reader's Digest Association, Inc.)  More information can be found at http://www.tasteofhome.com.

SOURCE Taste of Home