It’s not an original undertaking, but certainly a satisfying and tasty one: Invite work colleagues to test-cook a set of recipes that they then bring into the office for sampling.
One result, in our case, starts on page 54 in the form of six recipes that I am here to tell you from the tasting are all exquisite. Please meet the providers of the recipes in those pages too.
And right here, let’s meet the staff of the Blue Ridge Country Test Kitchens, aka the oh-so-gracious employees of LeisureMedia360 who ran the cook-it-at-home-and-bring-it-in play to allow us to certify the excellence of the recipes.
Janette Spencer, senior art director for this magazine and co-photographer/stylist for the images, baked Jude Wood’s Pumpkin Spice Cake, of which she suggests, “you definitely should use cream-cheese icing!”
Liz Long, associate editor of this magazine and editor of sister magazine The Roanoker, baked Marilyn Lee’s Peanut Butter Pie. “I’m impressed by how easy it is to make this no-bake pie,” Long says. “Who doesn’t love light, fluffy peanut butter?”
Beth Bell, sales exec for sister magazine The Roanoker, put together Marcia Brashear’s Latkes, and was impressed that, “the recipe was made of basic staple ingredients—I had just about everything at home.”
Fellow Roanoker sales exec Jess Stoots says of Nikki Norman’s intricate Red & White Velvet Cake, “I’ve cooked a lot but never added vinegar to a cake recipe. And I cheated it down to three layers instead of four.”
Vicki Markvart, project manager for the Virginia Travel Guide and other products, enjoyed her first use of a madeline shape tin so much in making Sheila Talley’s Madeline Muffins that, “I think I’m going to make it again for the teasippers group of ladies!”
Melinda Milan, assistant controller for the company, says of Marlene Romano’s Chocolate Chip Banana and Nut Bread, “Quite an easy recipe to make once you get the bananas mashed up. After baking, I added a little kick of Evan Williams that I had mixed with confectioner’s sugar to make a glaze.”
The story above first appeared in our November / December 2023 issue.
