November 28, 2005

Allrecipes.com Offers a Sleigh Full of Christmas Solutions for Novice and Expert Cooks Alike

Site Gives a Taste of Christmas Across America, Fool-Proof Cookie-Baking Advice and Great Ideas for Holiday Entertaining All in One Location

Seattle, November 28, 2005 — Perhaps there is no busier time in the kitchen than the holiday season. Whether it’s serving a festive supper for family, baking trays full of Christmas cookies for co-workers, or creating homemade gifts for friends from the kitchen, everyone seems to get into the cooking spirit this time of year. Allrecipes.com, the world’s largest community recipe site for home cooks, recognizes the central role that food plays during the holidays and has developed a comprehensive Christmas recipe and advice collection to help everyday cooks make the season a little sweeter.

The Allrecipes.com guide to Christmas is available at the website now (www.allrecipes.com) and serves as the definitive resource for finding food and gift ideas for the holidays. The site includes solutions for the following:

• Christmas Feasts Fit for America. Whether it’s a table filled with seafood in the Pacific Northwest or traditional holiday dishes with a spicy Mexican flare from the Southwest, allrecipes.com offers Christmas meal ideas that highlight America’s true flavor. The site showcases six regional holiday menus with popular holiday favorites from New England, the South, the Midwest, the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and California.
• Let the Cookie Baking Begin! Allrecipes.com is the definitive online resource for holiday cookie baking. For cookie enthusiasts, a peek at the holiday baking section provides all the excitement of Christmas morning! The site offers thousands of the world’s best cookie recipes, cookie exchange how-tos and fool-proof baking tips. Allrecipes.com was the very first website to offer a Cookie Countdown with 25 days of the world’s best loved cookie recipes. And a section devoted to Gingerbread treats gives instructions for making cookies, people, houses—or even a whole village. For a limited time during the holidays, a free downloadable Holiday Cookie cookbook is available that includes everything needed to make and enjoy the World’s Top 10 holiday cookie recipes based on the ratings and reviews over 15 million home cooks over the past eight years.
• Holiday Entertaining Extravaganza. Whether it’s an intimate, tree-trimming party to kick off the season or a night of caroling with the entire neighborhood, Allrecipes.com has great recipes and tips for hosting a fabulous party. Entertain and still have fun with the site’s quick and easy appetizers, cozy crockpot entrees, festive cocktails and seasonal mocktails.
• Christmas Family Fun. This section is kid central. Find fun tips on how to keep them entertained—at home and on the way to grandmother’s house. There are also stay-sane tips for parents and five kid-friendly cookie recipes that are sure to become Santa’s favorites.
• ‘Tis the Season for Giving from the Kitchen. This collection includes creative gifts ideas from the kitchen such as cookies, mixes, candies, breads, bottled vinegars, preserves and chutneys, along with creative ideas for wrapping these special treats.

“We know that during the Christmas season people have a million things to do, and not enough hours during the day to get it all done,” said Jerry Gulley, editor-in-chief, Allrecipes.com. “In response to what we’ve heard from the millions of home cooks who visit our site, we’ve created a helpful resource that compiles the world’s very best Christmas recipes, ideas and advice in order to make things a little easier for the home cook between now and December 25.”

Allrecipes.com offers more than 3,000 Christmas recipes from time-tested classics to new twists on old traditions. All of the recipes have been rated and reviewed by Allrecipes.com’s audience of more than 15 million home cooks over the past eight years.

Editors Note: Jerry Gulley, editor-in-chief of Allrecipes.com and graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, is available for interviews upon request.

About Allrecipes
Allrecipes, the world’s largest social network of food and entertaining enthusiasts, receives more than 35 million annual visits from users who share and download recipes, reviews, photos, personal profiles, and meal ideas. For more than 10 years, the Seattle-based site has served as a dynamic, indispensable resource for cooks of all skill levels seeking trusted recipes, entertaining ideas, everyday and holiday meal solutions, practical cooking tips and food advice. As the fastest growing independent food Internet site, and part of the Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. food and entertainment division, Allrecipes provides insights into the kitchens and cooking passions of home cooks everywhere.