Taste of Home December 2012-January 2013

Mrs. Holiday This cheery, chatty woman from phoenixville, pennsylvania, just clinched the title of Mrs. Holiday in our Facebook contest, won $50,000 and became part of our Taste of Home family as our new holiday ambassador. Her winning video captured the holiday spirit of loving, giving and just plain fun. Get ready for her delightful tips and ideas for Christmas, Easter, the Fourth of July and beyond! To get you in the Christmas spirit… 1. Try an appetizers party with stations around the house— a slider station, a dip station, a coffee and cocoa bar. (Find fun marshmallow swizzle sticks on page 93, too.) 2. Pretty platters, a festive tablecloth and silvery stars add sparkle to an appetizer buffet. Makes an ordinary spread extraordinary! 3. Use a brand-new fishbowl to…

Winter Wonderland Cereal Treats Melt ¼ cup butter in a large saucepan. Stir in a 10-oz. pkg. large marshmallows and 2 tsp. ground cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice until marshmallows are melted. Stir in 6 cups Rice Krispies. Use to make trees or snowmen. For trees, press into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Cut into triangles. For snowmen, cool slightly. Shape into different sized balls using greased hands; stack to make snowmen. Decorate as desired. Makes about 10 trees or 6 snowmen.…

Switchable Serveware One dish, oh so many holidays. Nora Fleming’s sectional serveware keeps you serving in season throughout the year with the help of interchangeable mini charms for every occasion. norafleming.com. $12.50-$60 Sweet Baking Cups Enjoy high tea in cake form. Fred & Friends Teacupcakes molds add enough class to your cupcakes to share with all the princesses at your kids’ tea parties. perpetualkid.com. $18 Baking Joy The new edition of the Taste of Home Baking cookbook features 780+ recipes, just in time for the sharing and caring season. shoptasteofome.com/bake. $19.99 Bacon Galore Um, yeah! Zingerman’s Bacon Club blesses your kitchen with a variety—either three or six months’ worth—of crispy goodness. zingermans.com. $99-$189 Hand Warmers Your hot chocolate mug looks as cozy as it feels when fashionably attired in a…

TOTALLY TATER BAR Start with: Mashed potatoes, Tater Tots, waffle fries, sweet potato wedges and potato skins Serve with: Dressed-up sour creams, mayos and flavored butters; homemade ketchup; crispy bacon; chopped green onions and tomatoes; crumbled and shredded cheeses or cheese sauce; sun-dried tomato and basil pestos; gravy; and salsa. TINY BITES TAPAS BAR Start with: Crostini, crackers, flatbreads Serve with: Sliced meats, such as Italian ham or thinly sliced beef or pork tenderloin; mini meatballs, shrimp and chorizo; marinated mixed olives and artichokes; sweet pickles; roasted red peppers and blanched asparagus; fancy cheeses; and homemade sauces, such as aioli or spicy tomato. SWEET & SAVORY CREPE BAR Start with: Room-temperature premade crepes Serve with: Sweet fillings such as Nutella, nuts, chocolate sauce, fresh fruit, lemon curd, whipped cream, peanut…

What she cooks: Deb Perelman steps up comfort food in her tiny New York City kitchen. Why she rocks: Her food— peach pie, lasagna bolognese, fried egg sandwich with bacon and blue cheese—is accessible and down to earth. And her photography? Droolinducing. Find it in The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, $35. With 5 million visitors a month, how do you keep up with all the comments? “I spend an hour each morning reading them, and it’s made me a better cook. Now when I’m cooking, I have all these little voices in the kitchen with me. I’ll be using white flour in something and someone in my head will ask, Can you substitute wheat flour? I’m always tuned in to what my readers are going to ask.” Have any food resolutions…

1 “My mom makes huevos rancheros every Christmas morning. It’s one of our favorite holiday traditions and is a great reason for all of us to gather as a family now that we kids are grown up.” —ALLISON CEJKA KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI 2 “Christmas morning breakfast means oyster stew, fried oysters, bacon, country ham, scrambled and fried eggs, and biscuits with homemade milk gravy. Yum yum!” —CAROLYN WADE LYNCHBURG, VIRGINIA 3 “I’m all about make-ahead breakfast casseroles on Christmas morning. Who wants to be in the kitchen cooking when there are gifts to open?” —TEDRA SOUKUP MENTOR, OHIO 4 “For Christmas, my mom used to make egg toast and orange pull-apart bread. Now that I celebrate Hanukkah, we have latkes and sufganiyot—jelly-filled doughnuts—on Sunday during the eight-day celebration.” —SHOSHANNAH DEMPSEY…