Taste of Home magazines

I didn't want to get off the subject of "Taste of Home," without showing you some of their magazines. It looks as though they have extended their line of magazines in the past year or so to include the regular "Taste of Home" magazine plus a "Simple and Delicious" and a "Healthy Cooking" magazine.

Their parent company is Reiman Publications and they focus on target marketing, which means, for potential customers like me -- they find out what people want and give it to them. I will say that their cooking publications are absolutely filled to the brim with recipes. Each issue is cover to cover recipes, photos and tips. They don't have ads in their publications but I did notice they have coupons which is a little different from the past. In the publications I picked up at the show there are hundreds of recipes, plus every one who attended received a free magazine subscription. That made the ticket a great value.

They have a website with recipes, too. You can find it here.

Working the cooking school

Every year about this time, Newnan Utilities and The Times-Herald sponsor the "Taste of Home Cooking School." It is a huge success each year in our community and is presented to a sold out crowd at The Centre for Performing Arts, in Newnan. This year Angela, the editor of Newnan-Coweta Magazine and I had the opportunity to work behind the scenes and we didn't hesitate to say, "Yes, we would love to work." You can read her account, plus more photos on ther blog.

Above, the show is about to begin and people are filing in over an hour before the start of the show. Outside the auditorium, vendors set up booths and people sign up for free drawings.

Michelle Roberts, a member of the "Taste of Home" staff travels all over the southeast, entertaining everyone while whipping up around ten dishes in front of the crowd, while handing out cooking tips and funny quips.

Above, Michelle does a last minute check before the show begins.

Local sponsors provide door prizes that are given out during the show. This year, the giveaways included a Microwave from Knox, many gifts from Newnan Utilities, a gift card from The Times-Herald and gifts from other local businesses. Roberts gives away a number of pretty cookbooks and the food that is cooked during the evening become extra prizes, given away on serving dishes. Everyone who comes is a winner because everyone automatically receives a bag full of "Taste of Home" magazines, coupons from local advertisers and samples from Viva and Ziploc.

Susan, above, was thrilled to also work behind the scenes. She is an avid baker and has attended the cooking school every year it has been held. This year, she was a part of the show. When we arrived at 8:30 am to help with preparations, we had to begin by washing dishes and then we chopped vegetables, cooked foods and measured out everything for the show. Some things we prepared entirely, other things were made while the audience watched.

We each took a tray with detailed instructions and scurried around getting ready, asking questions of Roberts to make sure we were right.

One of Angela's tasks was to make a cake to decorate during the show.

One of Taste of Home's field editors Kay Rainwater, from nearby Fayetteville attended and presented the recipe she is shown above preparing, during the show.

After many preparations were done, we took everything out of the refrigerator and then repacked it for the show.

The next thing was to get each tray ready for the show.

After a two hour break, we came back and met again to decide on tasks for the show and then we prepared our recipes and the tasks for the show.

Michelle and Angela are preparing for the show.

It all went so perfectly and even though we were all a little nervous before the show, it was easy and went off without a hitch. We worked hard and it was a long day that ended about 9:45 pm, when we had to repack all the items so Roberts could travel to her next show, but we all agreed we would be happy to do it all again.

See the photo of the "behind the scenes" group in our pretty red aprons we wore during the show on Angela's blog. We were excited to receive them as a gift.

Honey-Glazed Grilled Turkey

I only have one oven in my kitchen. This isn’t usually a problem, except for Thanksgiving Day.

A couple of years ago, my husband suggested grilling our Thanksgiving turkey to solve the oven dilemma and I nervously agreed. It was an experiment that turned into a tradition. Not only did we free up the kitchen, but the grilled turkey was tasty and even more tender than when roasted in the oven.

There are some items you will need before grilling a turkey. The most important is a meat thermometer.

The second is a foil pan with wire handles (the kind with the wire that goes underneath the pan). This adds stability when removing the hot turkey from the grill. You also will need large oven mitts, a basting brush and heavy duty aluminum foil.

It is also nice to have a small rack to place under the turkey. You can make one by covering a small metal pan or even a foil pie pan with heavy-duty aluminum foil and placing it underneath. This helps keep the turkey out of the drippings. The grill should be a four-burner covered grill, and it is helpful (but not necessary) to have a temperature gauge on the grill to make sure the temperature remains constant. One of the most important tips: always start with a full tank of gas.


If your grill has a top or warming rack, remove it for grilling the turkey. Use a foil pan with handles and prepare by inserting a covered rack or pan in the bottom of large foil pan. Pour 1/2 cup of water in the bottom of the pan. Place turkey in the pan, checking to make sure all cavities are empty (unless of course you are stuffing the turkey).

Honey-glazed Grilled Turkey

12-pound fresh or fully thawed turkey, giblets removed
1/2 cup water
Pam or other cooking spray

Basting sauce:
1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter
Cook above ingredients in a saucepan until it comes to a boil and sugars are melted. Use in the last 30 minutes to baste the turkey.

Cover with aluminum foil that is sprayed inside with cooking spray, so it won’t stick to the turkey. To prepare the grill, turn all burners on until temperature is between 300 and 325 degrees. Turn off the inside burners and put the turkey in the center of the grill. Monitor the grill to keep the temperature around 325 degrees.

Cook the turkey approximately 4 hours and check temperature after about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. The temperature should steadily rise. In the last 30 minutes of cooking, remove the foil and baste with the glaze.

Baste every 10 to 15 minutes and watch carefully that the turkey doesn’t get too brown. Remove when internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Put on a plate and garnish with greens, herbs and small pears and apples.

I don’t generally stuff the turkey because I usually make cornbread dressing, but according to the USDA, the internal temperature of a stuffed turkey must be 165 degrees.

It really is time I made my menu for Thanksgiving. Even though I am making a menu, it doesn't mean I can't made adjustments. It also is good for assigning dishes for others to bring. You can just look at the list and assign something from the list.

Sometimes I get ideas from magazines, but I will admit, my family doesn't really like it when I change things too much or experiment with this meal. I would love to have all new recipes, but they would really hate that.

This year, I will also try to incorporate things from the garden. This is just a start. I haven't decided about appetizers yet.

Grilled Turkey
Grilled Ham
Cornbread Dressing and Oyster Dressing with gravy
Green beans
Collards
Sweet potato casserole
Butter beans
Creamed corn
Pear and walnut salad
Broccoli casserole
Deviled eggs
Slaw
Cranberry sauce
Dilled pickles, Pickled hot peppers, Chow chow
Pumpkin yeast rolls
Tea and coffee
Carrot cake
Italian cream cake
Pumpkin pie
Mini cranberry tarts

This incorporates most of my family's favorites and all the traditional items.

Slim pickings

Yesterday I went to the garden, and though I didn't have much to put in my basket, I still have quite a few things left for later. There are not too many peppers left but I did find a few. I found some Italian parsley, a few pods of okra and it is hard to see, but I have some chives in the basket. I am thinking some of these things would be good in a soup and some would be really great to freeze for my Thanksgiving meal.

I am being forced to think about my Thanksgiving menu this week because I've already had some people asking what I want them to bring for our big dinner on the 26th. My answer was, "I'll let you know," but that was my cue to get on the ball and plan my menu.

I really want to include some things from my garden. Vegetables I have frozen -- like green beans, some canned items -- like pickles, hot peppers and chow-chow, and I really want to include my collard greens, above, that are growing day by day and should be really nice on Thanksgiving. They are definitely going on my menu. More on the menu later.

Butternut birthday

Yesterday was my sister's birthday and she requested a butternut squash cake. She said she had read that sometimes when you buy canned pumpkin, it is often either butternut squash or a mixture of butternut squash and pumpkin. I can see why because butternut squash is very good in pies.

I used my carrot cake recipe (as she suggested) and swapped butternut squash. It was very moist and very good. I had tried a fresh pumpkin cake in the past and I thought this one had a superior flavor.

The best thing -- the butternut squash was from our garden! It was organic and very tasty.

I had some leftover decorator's frosting from an earlier cake in my refrigerator. so I used it to write the name and draw little butternut squashes on the cake. Everyone really enjoyed it.

You can substitute carrots or pumpkin for the squash. I always prepare my vegetable in the blender. Of course there are no trans fats in this cake.

Butternut Squash Cake

To prepare butternut squash, wash, peel with a vegetable peeler, chop into small pieces and place in a blender. Cover squash with water and blend on high until it is well-chopped (it won't be a fine as carrots), then drain in a colander. When following the recipe, scoop squash into a measuring cup and mash squash down to extract water before adding to cake batter.

2 cups plain flour
1-1/2 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
3 cups butternut squash, peeled, seeds removed and blended until chopped in blender and drained (see above)
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
Cooking spray

Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Prepare three nine inch cake pans. Spray with cooking spray and line bottoms with parchment paper. Combine vegetable oil, sugar and mix well. Add eggs and mix. Add drained squash, flour, soda, salt, flavoring and cinnamon. Blend until well mixed. The batter will be pretty runny. Divide batter between three pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until done. Frost with Cream Cheese Frosting -- the recipe is below.

I always double the frosting recipe below because my family loves for me to spread it on heavy. It would be fine for me to use one or 1-1/2 recipes, but I do what my family loves.


Cream Cheese Frosting

1 eight ounce package of cream cheese
1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)
1 lb. box of Confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla flavoring
1/2 cup of walnuts, chopped

Mix cream cheese, butter and flavoring until creamy. Add Confectioners' sugar and mix on high until creamy. Add chopped walnuts. Frost cake. This creamy frosting will not harden.

Our family birthdays are done for awhile. We don't have another until the day after Christmas. I don't think I will cook another cake until Thanksgiving!

Unexpected masterpiece

To a child, a carved pumpkin is a masterpiece when it's finished. Today, four-year-old Eli and I set out to carve his Halloween pumpkin. Even though I felt there could could have been a few changes -- Eli felt it was absolutely perfect.

We decided on our design by looking thorough magazines and then gathered our tools (a sharpie and a large knife) and started the project. I drew on the design and when I turned my back, Eli drew some extra figures on the face with magic marker. Of course I thought it probably added to the overall design.

Cutting out the face make me a little nervous but Eli was very careful not to touch the knife -- only my arm that was holding the knife, so he was a big help.

The carrot nose was added and even though I thought it was the proper length, Eli decided it needed to be shortened so he bit off the end and had it for an afternoon snack. It wasn't exactly what I had envisioned, but again, Eli liked it.

Later we had to "practice" blowing out the candle over and over until I decided he had practiced enough and it was time to put the candle away for the night.

It didn't look exactly like the photos from the magazine but we both thought it was a wonderful experience. Tomorrow I wouldn't be surprised if we added some extra decorations to the pumpkin -- maybe even a new, longer nose that doesn't have a bite out of it.