Even though we’re just starting to enjoy the wonderful spring weather, thoughts at the Cooking School have already turned to fall.  In order to put together a fantastic lineup of delicious recipes, we start planning several months ahead of our first show.  Last week, each culinary specialist was assigned a recipe category to explore; breakfast/brunch, appetizer, soup/salad/side, dessert, etc.  After receiving our assignments, we hit the books!  We all spent some time looking through Taste of Home cookbooks, and searching for recipes on www.tasteofhome.com, so that we could compile a list of 5-10 recipes in each category that we thought would be great additions to our fall Cooking School.

I was given the dessert category, lucky me!  As I sat in a hotel room in Oregon, looking at recipe after recipe online, I was once again amazed at the number of yummy recipes that I was finding.  I added several to my recipe box as I searched for some possible additions to our fall show   In the end, I came up with several possibilities, and now that I’m back home, I’ll be making some of those recipes over the next few days. This is a favorite time of year for my family and friends, because they get to be my official taste-testers!

When we look for recipes to add to our show, there are several things we consider, including how it tastes, looks, and the amount of preparation required.  We also look for recipes that allow us to introduce or teach a technique or preparation method, or maybe there is an ingredient that is used in a unique way.  And of course, we want everyone to feel comfortable making it once they get home from the Cooking School!  What have been some of your favorite recipes from Cooking Schools that you have attended?  What types of recipes or techniques would you like to see at an upcoming show?