12/8-Catherine Cassidy, Santa and Mrs. Claus, Larry Lipson

Catherine Cassidy-The Taste of Home Cookbook, New 3rd Edition

Sometimes change is not just good – it’s delicious: Taste of Home, the #1 cooking magazine in the world, announces a mouthwatering makeover of its landmark bestseller, The Taste of Home Cookbook, New 3rd Edition. And this is one extreme makeover, culinary style. Of the 1,563 recipes and variations, more than 1,200 are new favorites and modern and fresh approaches to the tried-and-true. There are also new features and tips (like a “top three tips” on each chapter divider), as well as hundreds of new photos (more than half of them stunning finished food shots). But what hasn’t changed is the source of all these recipes: Taste of Home’s editors and its legion of real home cooks that make cooking, caring, and sharing so delightful.  Simply put, The Taste of Home Cookbook, New 3rd Edition still celebrates the delight and comfort we find at the table, the connection between food and family, and the different ways we live, love, and eat. And while choosing what recipes to keep from the “best of the best” that were selected years ago for The Taste of Home Cookbook was not easy, it was necessary.


Catherine M. Cassidy is Vice President/Editor-in-Chief of the Taste of Home Media Group (http://www.tasteofhome.com/) and the main face of Taste of Home on TV, deftly demonstrating recipes from the magazines and cookbooks including “Good Morning America, “The Early Show,” and QVC. In her role as editor-in-chief, Catherine oversees the creation of all branded media, including Taste of Home, the number one cooking magazine in the world, and its web site, tasteofhome.com; special interest publications, direct response and retail cookbooks, including the best-selling Taste of Home Cookbook; and Taste of Home spin-off magazines Simple & Delicious and Healthy Cooking. She also oversees the Taste of Home Cooking Schools, which attract thousands to locations nationwide. Prior to joining Taste of Home, Catherine served as Editor-in-Chief of Prevention magazine and Prevention Special Interest Publications at Rodale, Inc. Catherine joined Rodale in 1986 as an associate editor in the book division, and was later named Executive Editor of Rodale’s Custom Publishing division. She started her career at Runner’s World and Fit magazines in Mountain View, California. She lives in Mequon, Wisconsin, with her husband and children.


Santa and Mrs. Claus

Jolly Old St. Nick invites people to help fill his sleigh for Toys For Tots

As the holiday season approaches, people children everywhere are on their best behavior with hopes of getting the gifts toys promised for those who are to good girls and boys. And as he does every year, Kris Kringle is making sure those dreams come true.

This year, Santa and Mrs. Claus are taking a break from the workshop to kick off the 2010 holiday season with a few interviews – creating a lighthearted segment opportunity for your viewers. The duo is teaming up with Coca-Cola on a national initiative to generate thousands of gifts for Toys for Tots, and they’re asking people everywhere to lend their support. People can simply visit MyCokeRewards.com  to donate points, which translates to a toy donations to children and teens in need.
 •        How things are progressing at the North Pole 
 •        Plans for Santa’s annual trip around the world on Christmas Eve;
 •        Santa’s partnership with Coca-Cola and Toys for Tots
 •        Where your viewers can turn to get toy ideas
Background: This year, Santa is starring in a new global TV commercial for Coca-Cola. Coke first commissioned Haddon Sundblom to paint the iconic current-day image of Santa Claus in 1931 for its holiday print advertisements. Sundblom continued to create new versions of Santa Claus through 1964. In the decades since, Coca-Cola advertising has featured Santa’s image based on Sundblom’s original works. 


Larry Lipson - Live from Costa Rica 

Former LA Daily News Food Columnist (50 Years) Larry Lipson is live and direct from his research Institute in Costa Rica. He will talk about wine food and the good life and will have comments From Frommer's Travel Guide: " Wine: Although some European immigrants have been experimenting with wine grape cultivation in Costa Rica, no one has succeeded. The government did sponsor an experimental effort several years ago, but eventually most of the vines were ripped out. If you see Costa Rican wine for sale, it is almost surely from imported Chilean grape juice that is then processed in Costa Rica--the quality is terrible and it is--at least so far--not worth buying except as a total novelty."