As my wife, Kathy, went back for her second bowl of the Carrot Chowder that I made, she went on and on about how delicious it was. "Carrot Chowder? This is a recipe that I never would have even tried...but I love it!"
         While she was at it, she refilled the baby's bowl for the third time. Not only was this typically picky eater scarfing it down, but he was getting it everywhere! The carrots made his face look like a pumpkin! Getting him to eat his vegetables is usually a challenge but not so with this recipe. The way that I discovered it is almost as unique as the recipe itself.
         Earlier this year, an announcement was made in church encouraging the members to participate in the upcoming caucus meetings. While no political party was endorsed, we were reminded that it is our privilege and duty to be good citizens and to participate in the electoral process and thereby uphold the freedoms that we enjoy. So, being the good church member and citizen that I am, I went.
         It was a very interesting experience. Everything seemed to move way too fast for me. People I didn't know were being nominated to positions I didn't understand. Motions were being made. People were seconding the motions. There were "Ayes" and votes and all kinds of things. If you haven't ever been to one of these meetings, I highly recommend that you go.
         What I found was that there is a small group of 'regulars' who attend all the time and make important decisions that affect you and me. I was happy to be there and have the chance to put in my two cents...until my neighbor nominated me to a position. Before I knew it, I was the Committee Chair something or another. I found out later that, basically, I am the guy that goes around door to door to get people to register and donate money; not really the position you dream about. Nevertheless, I was happy to contribute.
         As it turns out, the person in charge of organizing the door to door campaign loves to cook. Her name is Melanie Zimmerman. We struck up a conversation during one of our visits. She was intrigued with my Cook'n software. She told me about the Carrot Chowder recipe that she had created.
         She submitted it to a contest in a magazine a number of years ago and won first place. The Grand Prize included a car and an all expenses paid vacation to Hollywood. Since then, she has seen the exact same recipe win other contests. The interesting thing is that she didn't submit it. She laughed when she told me that her recipe had spread around so much that people even entered it in various contests as their own and won!
         We agreed to swap. I brought her a copy of Cook'n with Taste of Home and she gave me a copy of her recipe. I liked it so much that I decided to publish it in this month's issue of the HomeCook'n Newsletter. Be sure to download the video clip (56k | 300k) and watch Melanie prepare this delicious dish! In this issue, you'll find that Carrot Chowder recipe, helpful tips on cutting kitchen costs, kitchen tips from other HomeCook'n readers, great humor, and more.

         With lots of love,

         Daniel V. Oaks Jr.
         President