Hoffman Media Publications is tearing up the magazine world by delivering periodicals that are pretty damn amazing. Magazines that we want to hold on to and not rip up to save an odd recipe here and there. Like those desserts that folks say are too pretty to eat (yeah, I don't believe that line either) Bake from Scratch is too fantastic to destroy. 

Hoffman took the Bake from Scratch formula and applied it to their newest magazine, Cook Real Food, which I reviewed earlier this year. In the spirit of strike while the iron is hot, they have given a spiffy make-over to one of their older titles, Taste of the South. 

The old, dowdy Taste of the South magazine didn't do a thing for me. However, the new and improved style blows up my skirt. Bake has taken over the magazine world with gorgeous photographs and must-have recipes and now Taste of South has the same look. From the eye-catching cover with biscuits slathered in butter and dripping with honey, to the section featuring those biscuits with plenty of sweet and savory variations, the whole magazine looks like a winner. I have at least ten stickies on recipes that caught my attention from the Birthday biscuits from Carrie Morey author of Callie's Biscuits and Southern Traditions to a Lemon fried chicken with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and sausage gravy to an Orange marmalade twist bread that I want to make for Christmas morning.

This magazine has transformed from old sweats to the little black dress. However, those tempting Southern recipes won't help us fit into that little black dress; but it's the holidays, we don't have to worry about that until January 2nd. Hoffman Media is setting the standard of what magazines should be - beautiful, interesting, innovative and as many recipes as a standard cookbook. A sneak peek at the magazine can be found on Hoffman Media's site.

You can find the magazine at most book stores, supermarkets and online. 

Heads up the Bake from Scratch Volume 2 which shares all the recipes from the prior year's issues is available for preorder as well as Ultimate Pound Cakes which I am excited about. If you do not have Volume 1 in your collection, you need it. Trust me.