Magazine circulation managers have become increasingly aggressive. Many of their campaigns try to trick me into believing that a yearly subscription offers great values. "Free—full color pages", "Free—Easy to use indexes"; "Free—easy to follow recipes". Please. Catalogs used to make up the bulk of my mail but lately, I have been deluged with pleas to subscribe. You can receive Sunset magazine for less than $10 a year. Garden Design, which targets gardeners with plenty of green to spend, is affordable. Quilting magazines can be had for the cost of a yard of material. Magazines' desperation is based on real world economic figures. Printed media is vulnerable to today's technology and may soon go the way of dime comics and Book of the Month clubs.
 
Anyways, I love magazines and would sign up for each one if I had the room. I limit myself to two, three at the most: The New Yorker is a must for me, at least one quilting magazine (although there are far too many heart/bear/flower patterns for me), and one food choice. But what to do with already-read magazines? Clipping doesn't work for me, the pieces of paper pile up for months. I keep a basket for the favorites, pass on any that are accepted, and recycle the rest.

Knowing that a visit to my dentist will include at least fifteen minutes with People Magazine—Kate Gosselin is now wearing hair extensions!--makes a cleaning or a new crown bearable. Nikki recently brought me a sackful of previously-owned magazines, passed on to her from a friend—so they're re-re-read. I stacked the pile in my basket and felt rich and idle as I thumbed through the pages. I did some serious clipping and tried two not-too-bad-for-you recipes from Food and Wine. The pork tenderloin is easy and quick; the root vegetable gratin is delicious.

Spiced pork tenderloin with honey mustard

• 3 Tbs. mustard seeds
• 1 Tbs. fennel seeds
• 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
• One 6-8 oz. tenderloin
• 1 tsp. olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1/2 cup grainy mustard
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey or agave

• 1 Red Garnet yam
• 1/2 butternut squash neck, peeled
• 1 rutabaga—1 pound, peeled and halved lengthwise
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 2 Tbs. heavy cream
• 1/3 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
• 1 Tbs. olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using a mandoline, if possible, cut vegetables into thin slices.

Oil 8x12 baking dish. Arrange half of the yam slices in the dish, overlapping them slightly; season with salt and pepper. Top with half of the rutabaga and squash, seasoning each layer. Repeat the layering. Pour chicken broth over and around the vegetables.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 1 hour or until vegetables are almost tender when pierced. Remove foil and pour the cream over the gratin. Bake for about 30 minutes longer, until liquid has thickened.

Preheat the broiler. Mix the panko with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil 3 inches from the heat for 2 minutes, until golden, rotating for even browning. Let the gratin stand for 10 minutes, then serve.