I love to cook. It’s a passion of mine and from what I understand, a gift. I know many women who either 1) don’t like to cook or 2) when they do cook, it just isn’t that good.
I personally don’t feel like cooking is a gift, I believe it’s all in the recipe. To be a good cook one of the first obstacles you have to overcome is learning how to pick the good recipes. That’s where Cooking Light comes in.
The Product:
I originally bought a subscription to Cooking Light Magazine for the recipes, but Cooking Light offers much much more. Cooking Light Magazine is produced in Birmingham, Alabama and is an affiliate of the Southern Living Corporation who also produces Weight Watchers and Southern Living magazine.
Cooking Light Magazine retails for $3.95 (US) an issue, but can be purchased by subscription for $20 for 11 issues. That brings the price down by 48%.
The cover of the magazine always holds beautifully prepared foods and always invites you in to the rest of the magazine. Cooking Light features much more than just recipes though; they focus on an overall healthy lifestyle. They feature exercise, beauty and food, as well as entertaining ideas, recipes and a personal profile article.
Letter from the Editor, Letters, At Your Service (contact information), Menu Suggestions and the Recipe index are offered in every Cooking Light publication.
•Many issues have a section called First Light and it focuses on books, cookbooks, general healthful information and give you some ideas on how to eat and cook lighter. The month of December tells how to eat Mexican foods lighter by using marinades, yogurt and avoiding some fats like sour cream and lard. It also gives product Cooking Light Recommends. Some times it’s shoes and other times its kitchen items and yet other times exercise equipment. They even do an epinions knockoff and rate products now and again.
•healthy attitudes is about community and relationships. Getting involved and doing good deeds, friends and family. It’s-amazing-how-good-you-feel –on-the-inside-when-you-do-something-thoughtful-on-the-outside type information.
•beautywise is always cram packed with beauty tips and info. Sometimes its about products and other times its makeovers. This month they tell you how to find the right fragrance for you by using your taste in foods and colors.
•the right stuff is all about products. They show you the product, tell about it and then tell you where you can get it. This section is usually about 6 pages long and gives you a good 8-10 products
•goodmoves talks about fitness. They sometimes focus on certain parts of your body, like your abs, and tells you some new moves to shape up. This feature has some great tips and ideas as far as physical fitness goes. I've read some really great articles about group fitness walking, stretching, yoga and even contact sports like soccer.
•eating smart gives you tips about food and how to eat healthy. They also throw in informational facts. Did you know one slice of pumpkin pie has 237% of your daily value of vitamin A? Hmm, I think I’ll have another slice.
•profile features someone or some group and tells how about overall health. Things like how hiking not only is exercise but it brings you closer to nature. Many times recipes are offered and they are all light recipes.
Throw in for good measure are tons of recipes and lots of pictures about entertaining. The photography is amazing and colorful. They try and stress that your meals can be light and still be delicious enough to serve to your pickiest of guests. Last month they gave turkey and stuffing recipes from various chefs around the country. Cajun turkey with dirty rice and herb roasted turkey and oyster stuffing were just two that were offered.
•One of my favorite sections is the lighten up article. Cooking Light features a recipe that they took and changed the ingredients to make it lighter. This month they featured tamales. Serving size 3 tamales. Calories per serving: 657 vs. 344, Fat: 46g vs. 7.4g, Percent of total calories: 64% vs. 19%.
•reader recipes are recipes from Cooking Light readers all over the country. They tell a little about themselves and their recipe. As well as their name and where they live. All the recipes include nutritional information.
•inspired vegitarian is packed with a half dozen recipes specifically for veggie lovers.
•30 minutes or less features recipes that can be cooked in less than 30 minutes, and they are usually categorized. For example, this month it’s Tex-Mex cuisine. All recipes include preparation and cook time.
•in season features a particular food item. December features Clementines. The feature tells all about the item and then gives a bunch of recipes using that item. Usually it gives an appetizer, main dish and dessert at the very least. Many times they include a couple from each category and even drinks and side items too.
•for two is exactly that…recipes just for two people rather than for families.
About half the magazine is advertising. About 100 out of 208 pages are ads. However, many of the ads are either advertising for food or cookware product. I would have to say about half of the food ads also have a recipe included. I never realized how much advertising was in Cooking Light till I just now counted them out for the epinion. I think the reason I never noticed it before is because so many of the ads do contain a recipe, and it’s just fits right into the magazine.
My Experience:
Cooking Light is my favorite magazine. As I mentioned before, I love to cook and I have found this magazine to be invaluable to my recipe collection. I make Turkey Tortilla Casserole, Broccoli Cheese and Potato soup, Buttermilk Pancakes, Chicken Quessadillas and Pound Cake on a regular basis from this magazine. And yes, I even serve it for company. My Chicken Quessadillas are requested by a number of my guests.
I have been receiving this magazine for about 8 years now, with only a 1-year hiatus in between. I decided I didn’t have the time to read it so I didn’t reorder. It only took me a few months to miss my magazine, and the $16 a year offer they sent me made me sign right back up.
I like Cooking Light because the recipes are so flavorful, however, I only use about 2-3 recipes each subscription, and some months I don’t use any. Many times the recipes have so many ingredients; I couldn’t possibly afford to make it. Other times it has such “odd” ingredients, I can’t even find them.
I try and cook at least five nights a week for my family, and sometimes that leads me to “what are we going to have to eat tonight” syndrome. That’s when I dig out my cooking light back issues. I keep all of them, and from time to time I pull them out of the closet to look for some new recipes to cook. This week its going to be Baked Potato and Bacon Soup (with real bacon, not that turkey stuff) and Two Layer Caramel Pecan Bars.
I have never ever received a subscription of Cooking Light that didn’t read, even though I don’t have time sometimes. If you enjoy cooking, or even have a hobby of collecting recipes, you won’t be disappointed by Cooking Light. The December issue alone offers 82 recipes, not including the advertisement’s recipes.
If you are trying to live a healthful lifestyle, you might want to check out Cooking Light Magazine.
Cooking Light magazine helps you cook better, look better and feel better with recipes that are easy to make and taste great. Cooking Light magazine f...More at Magazines.com
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