Every once in awhile, C & C will take on a food stylist job. It’s super easy money and you get to be all creative. So, when I got a call last week for a job on Friday, I thought “No biggie. Bake a bunch of cookies and throw some Fall colors around.” The job itself turned out to be fairly easy, time consuming, but easy. It was for a Magazine called Taste Of Home. They had just put out a new Cookbook. My hubby (the real chef) and I were joking the entire time we were baking the 16 DOZEN Chunky Chocolate Cookies, the Praline Pumpkin Pies, and the White Chocolate Fruit Tarts. Every recipe we were making (for media promos) had been sent into Taste Of Home from the magazines subscribers. Taste Of Home, then in turn, decided to publish this cookbook, Taste Of Home Baking Book. Our jokes consisted of “Becky Homecky”, “Have a Crap-Ola pie”, etc. Most recipes were simplistic that even the beginner could take it on, others were a tad more intricate, none would be considered too challenging for a seasoned professional.

The next day, we headed out with the Tahoe filled to the brim with baked goods. We picked up our Media-Face Lady (a very, very nice woman by the name of Diane Werner) and headed off for various media outlets. One stop was with my buddy, Jeff Houck (the man I personally believe should have won the Best Food Writer). He would be doing a Podcast with Diane about the cookbook. We all crammed into this little voice studio and listened while Jeff interviewed. Jeff highlighted how all recipes had come from everyday people and that each recipe showed the love that it had been created with. That’s when it dawned on Greg and I. Every recipe in this cookbook had come from the hearts of everyday cooks. Recipes cherished in their families, some new, some very old. He showcased how authentically awesome Taste Of Home magazine is and how devoted they are to the everyday cook.

Sometimes, working as a professional in the food industry, you forget that not everyone knows how to make a tomato confit or a duxelle.

I recommend beginners and seasoned professionals alike buy the Taste Of Home Baking Book, even if you don’t like to bake.

There are some really cool recipes, like Tampa’s own Dutch Apple Pie sent in by Eugenia McQueen, Old Fashioned Whoopie Pies, and Sausage Calzones (hey, it’s not just cookies!).

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