Ending Childhood Hunger One Cupcake at a Time --- Come To San Francisco's Food Blogger Bake Sale this Saturday

 
It's food blogger bake sale time again!
Once a year local groups of food bloggers band together to support Share Our Strength, an organization that works to feed hungry children here in the U.S.

For the San Francisco Bay area bloggers it is this coming Saturday at Omnivore Books at 3885A Cesar Chavez St. from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, check out the event's website.

There will be cakes, cookies, cupcakes and other treats, all baked by food bloggers and others who are not only into raising money for a good cause but displaying their amazing baking (and packaging) skills.  There will truly be some amazing goodies.

Worry not, those with food sensitivies or preferences, many of the treats will be gluten-free or vegan.
Blog Appetit (that's me) is planning vegan chai cupcakes with vanilla latte frosting and candied fennel sprinkles, but since the recipe is still under development, watch this blog for updates.

If you are a blogger or just a baker who would like to participate, it's not too late, sign up here.
If you can't contribute baked goods or can't stop by to buy, we have a website for you, too.
You can contribute here.

Live outside the Bay area and want to find (or start) a bake sale near you?  Here's a list of other locations.  Want to start your own?  Click here for the how tos.

Here's photos and information from bake sales past to give you a taste for what's to come!

World Diabetes Day Awareness -- Plus an Easy (and Healthy) Foil-Baked Steamed Fish Recipe

Today is World Diabetes Day, devoted to bringing awareness to diabetes and its impact on individuals and society.

All well and good, but why am I writing about this on a food blog?

Well, what we eat can be key to preventing and controlling this disease that affects an estimated 346 million people worldwide.

Carolyn Ketchum of the blog All Day I Dream About Food organized this food blog response to the day  and you can view her round up (and information on two giveaways, including a blue Kitchen Aid mixer), here.  You can also view the participating blogs and their posts by logging into Twitter and checking the hashtag #worlddiabetes.

She gave food bloggers the challenge of coming up with low carb, low sugar healthy foods to feature to bring awareness to disease which diet plays such an important role in prevention and or control.

For more about WDD, please check out this World Health Organization site on the day.  The WHO expects the number of diabetics worldwide to double by 2030. 

Type 2 diabetes, once called adult onset, is rising in youths perhaps because of sedentary ways and overly processed, simple carb and sugary carb-laden diets.  This is a true tragedy because with proper diet and exercise, this disease can be avoided or its impact lessened. A proper diet can also help some Type 2 diabetes sufferers avoid using insulin or other drugs to manage their disease. The disease is caused by the body's inability to effectively use the insulin it produces.

Type 1 diabetes, once called juvenile brittle, childhood-onset or insulin-dependent, is usually first seen at a young age and is "characterized by a lack of insulin production" by the pancreas, according the the WHO site.

The third type is gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy.

While I'm writing this blog post in an more or less informational, reportorial way, please know that while I do not have diabetes myself, my life has been touched in significant ways by family and friends whose lives have been changed forever by this disease.

As my contribution to the World Diabetes Day food blog round up, I've adapted a recipe for tasty fish fillets baked in individual foil packets.  The dish is very flexible, uses no added fat, is easy to clean, leaves no fishy cooking orders and very delicious.  Plus, when the packets are opened by the diners it creates quite an impact.

I've made many variations of this over the years, including other seasonings and ingredients (adding chopped orange segments works really well), but this is the basic approach.  Serve with sauteed greens (I like chard or spinach best with this dish), mashed or pureed steamed or roasted cauliflower or even quiona or a whole grain (such as brown rice).

Continue reading for my basic foil-baked steamed fish recipe.

Healthy Lentil, Potato Chowder Soups for Any Age, Nutrition Tips for Seniors Plus a Shout Out to Meals on Wheels



Lentil Soup



When I wanted to devise some recipes that would be healthful for seniors, I turned to the Alameda County Meals on Wheels program for some advice. The agency serves 3,862 seniors regular hot meals and is part of a network of Meals on Wheels organizations throughout the Bay area. Mary Louise Zernicke, a registered dietician, is an executive board member of the group and director of the Merritt College Dietary Manager Program in Oakland.

“Seniors differ in terms of physical function, behavior, cognition and emotional status, all of which may affect health,” Zernicke said. In planning meals for seniors, she said it is important to focus on physiological needs rather than physical age.

However, there are some common concerns. Zernicke said that many seniors don’t get enough fluids. Adding water, juices, non-fat milk, soup and other liquids helps.  Many seniors also don’t get enough fiber. Controlling caloric intake is important as is eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. Making dishes tasty is key.

“If you are thinking of food as medicine, make it medicine that tastes good,” Zernicke said.

Below are recipes for Zerncike’s lentil soup and my potato chowder. The lentil soup relies on balsamic vinegar for a flavor punch and the chowder has a combination of spices.  If salt consumption is a concern, be sure to use low-salt or homemade vegetable broth, no-salt added diced tomatoes and limit or skip adding salt to taste in the recipes.

For more information about Alameda County Meals on Wheels, please call (510) 777-9560 or go to www.feedingseniors.org . For information about other area Meals on Wheels programs, please go to the national website at www.mowaa.org.

Potato Chowder

Potato Chowder
Serves 6 -8

2 Tbs. canola oil
2 cups chopped onions (1/4” pieces)
1 cup chopped carrots (1/4” pieces)
1 cup chopped celery (1/4” pieces)
1 1/2 cups chopped red bell pepper (1/2” pieces)
1/4 tsp. to 1 tsp. minced, seeded jalapeño, or to taste (optional)
4 cups chopped russet or Idaho potato, peeled (1/2” pieces)
14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes with liquid
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. dried, ground oregano
1/4 tsp. ground cumin
4 cups water
1 1/2 cups non-fat milk
Salt, to taste (optional)
Diced avocado, optional

In a large pot over medium heat, add oil and sauté onions until soft. Add carrots, celery, bell pepper and jalapeño (if using). Sauté for a minute. Add potatoes, tomatoes with liquid, black pepper, oregano, cumin and water. Stir well, bring to a simmer, cover and cook about 20 minutes until potatoes are just starting to get soft. Add milk, return to simmer, cover and cook about 20-25 minutes more being careful not to let the soup boil. Stir occasionally until vegetables are cooked through. Taste and correct seasoning, adding salt if desired. Ladle into bowls and top with diced avocado if using.

Mary Louise Zernicke’s Lentil Soup
Serves 4-6

1 cup dried, brown lentils
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 cups diced onion
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 cup (about 2 stalks) chopped celery, including leaves
1 cup sliced carrots
4 cups vegetable broth or stock
14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes with liquid
1 bay leaf
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper, to taste

Put lentils in a bowl, cover with water and allow to sit overnight. Over medium heat, heat oil in a large soup pot and cook onions. Add garlic and celery. Once celery begins to soften, add carrots, vegetable broth, tomatoes with liquid and bay leaf. Drain lentils. Add lentils to soup. Simmer covered, stirring occasionally, for 30-40 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. Remove bay leaf. Stir in vinegar and add salt and pepper as desired.
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A version of this article appeared in the j. weekly.

Pssst! Wanna Buy This Cake? --- Come to the Share Our Strength Bake Sale on 4/28 and Help End Childhood Hunger

I'll be offering up slices (or mini bundt cakes, haven't decided yet) of this luscious, vegan coconut-lemon bundt cakes at the up coming Save Our Strength San Francisco Food Bloggers Bake Sale to benefit Share Our Strength's efforts to end childhood hunger.

(Don't live in the Bay area?  Share our Strength bakes sales are being held across the U.S.  Check the organization's bake sale finder for one near you.)

The event will be outside Omnivore Books, 3885a Cesar Chavez Street (at Church Street), San Francisco, on Saturday, April 28, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Prices for goodies start at just $1.  You can expect everything from homemade caramel corn to amazing cupcakes to incredible home-baked breads. Some will be plain, many fancy, but all will be delicious. There will be vegan and gluten-free goodies, too.

Come early for best selection, but organizers expect to have goodies available all through the event.  An added inducement - famed chocolate expert Alice Medrich will be at the bookstore for a free and open to the public appearance and book signing at 3 p.m.

For more information on my bundt cake (including a link to the recipe), please click here.

For more info click here

Here's a list of  participating bloggers for this year's bake sale.
Please check them out.

ailovebaking

Bake for Change

Bake your Heart Out

Cake Sharing

Chef Kittie

Blog Appetit

Dessert First

Desserts for Breakfast

Dining with Dusty

Dulcinea Bakeshop

Eat the Love

Honey & Hero

I'd Have Baked a Cake

Kitchen Salt

La Vie En Route

Mad Dough

Magpies Bakery

Namthip

Original Cinn

Pastry Angie

Penni Wisner

Piece of Cake

Scott and Howard

She Eats Well

Suzie Sweet Tooth

The Flirty Blog

The iPie Store

With Style And Grace

Two Thumbs Up for Meals on Wheels Five-Star Night this April 27



Host Narsai David (center) and participating chefs

 I am a big support of Alameda County Meals on Wheels and its wonderful fundraiser - Five-Star Night. Check out the local restuarants that will be providing the food as well as the menu.

 (FYI - my support for the dinner has absolutely NOTHING to do with my husband and I winning some fabulous raffle prizes at the dinner.)

Here is a copy of their news release on the event. I will post more about Meals on Wheels and the benefit soon.  Hope you will support this great organization in whatever you can.  Don't live in Alameda County? Find your local Meals on Wheels at http://www.mowaa.org/

“Five Star Night” Alameda County Meals On Wheels Benefit Set for April 27

Five Star Night, the 25th annual fundraiser for Alameda County Meals on Wheels, takes place on Friday, April 27 beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland, CA. The $250.00 four course dinner (including a sumptuous dessert buffet), under the guidance of Narsai David and Ellen Tussman, will be created by 14 of the Bay Area’s finest chefs. The event includes a champagne and fine wine reception with hors d’oeuvres, plus silent and live auctions, a gala dinner and dancing. The evening's special guest will be Julie Haener, the co-anchor of KTVU-TV's top-rated Bay Area newscast.

For tickets or more information, call 510.777.9560 or visit http://www.feedingseniors.org/.

Participating restaurants and food companies will be adesso/dopo, Bay Wolf, Bocanova, Grace Street Catering, Italian Colors, La Farine, Lalime’s, Market Hall Bakery, Marica, Mua, Telegraph, Ozumo, Picante and Semifreddi’s.

Funds raised at Five Star Night are distributed to Meals on Wheels programs throughout Alameda County to provide freshly prepared warm meals for thousands of homebound seniors.

The Scottish Rite Center is located at 1547 Lakeside Drive in Oakland, CA.

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photo credit: Alameda County Meals on Wheels

Hunger Challenge 2011 - Update

This has been the most difficult Hunger Challenge yet for me.  Partly it's that I'm on a special diet for health reasons which limits my food choices, partly because I've just been so busy I haven't had time to plan, shop, write down menus and recipes and journal the way I have for previous Hunger Challenges.  Then it struck me, that's how it is to live on a food stamp budget all the time. 

There is a certain artifice to participating in a food challenge.  We participants can set aside the week or (other period of time),  obsessing over planning, getting the best deals, figuring out how to get the most bang for our food bucks with clever recipes, all with access to a full range of cooking supplies and equipment.

If you are limited in your resources in terms of money, time, access to a variety of food sources, etc., you could never focus on maximizing your weekly food budget like a Hunger Challenge participant might, you are too busy just trying to stay fed and keeping your family fed.  Add into it a health concern and its like having a full time job.

Having said all that I do wish I had done a better job of recording everything this Hunger Challenge.  I do have a lot of recipes and menus from previous years (See info here) that could be helpful in understanding some of the background of what I'm writing about now.

For now, here's a quickie outline of a typical Hunger Challenge day for me.

Breakfast -- oatmeal, banana, tea,  calcium fortified soy milk -- estimated cost about 85 cents
Snack (2 times a day) carrot, banana or similar -- about 25 cents each plus 1 cup of tea or iced tea- about 5 cents  (about 55 cents total) OR cup of tea with 1/2 cup calcium fortified soy milk (about 45 cents) and 1 carrot or banana (total of 65 cents).
Lunch -- Dinner leftovers - about $1.60
Dinner-- Vegetable stir fry with tofu, rice or pasta - about $1.60

Daily total -- Just under the $4.72 a day budget, which does not include any produce I would have received as a client of the San Francisco Food Bank.  Factoring that in might have reduced the cost for my lunch and dinner and or would have added additional food and variety to my day (yeah!).

For more information about the Hunger Challenge now going on through the SF Food Bank, please click here.  Read the Hunger Challenge blog for information on what bloggers and other participants are experiencing during the challenge. For info on the food bank itself, go here.

With new federal studies showing poverty in America at an all time high since the government began tracking and reports of hunger in America growing as well as reliance of food banks increasing, I hope that even if you don't live in the Bay area, you'll check out what you can do to help combat hunger in your community at Feeding America.

Here's a few of the other bloggers who are participating in this year's Hunger Challenge.  I hope you'll take a few minutes and read about their experiences as well.

I'll post more of the links over the next few days:

http://www.tootimidandsqueamish.com/
http://abetterfate.blogspot.com/
http://spoonfulofsomething.blogspot.com/
http://balancedhealthylifestyles.blogspot.com/
http://www.beenthereatethat.com/blog
http://bisononadiet.blogspot.com/
http://www.butterdate.blogspot.com/
http://www.sally-giggle.blogspot.com/
http://abadchris.tumblr.com/
http://consumingpr.com/
http://cookinfordummbies.wordpress.com/
http://cookingwithamy.blogspot.com/
http://mydistractions.wordpress.com/
http://my-r-year.blogspot.com/
http://sandramort.livejournal.com/

8 Ways to Serve Latkes -- Plus a Zippy Cranberry Pot Roast Recipe

Mixed latkes with spiced and regular
applesauce and salad with goat cheese.

We are at the halfway point of Chanukah and I thought some of you out there might need some fresh ideas on how to serve the traditional potato pancakes.  So, check out my ideas to light up latkes for the remaining nights of the holiday and as a special present at the end, my favorite pot roast recipe to go with them.  Don't save this Zippy Cranberry Pot Roast just for Chanukah (or Hanukkah) it's great for any meal and the leftovers are wonderful.

So here are eight ways to enjoy your potato pancakes. (Need a recipe for latkes, check out shortcut latkes here and my traditional recipe here.

1. With spiced applesauce. Warm homemade unsweetened, chunky applesauce and for each 2 cups of sauce, add 1 tsp. cinnamon, ½ tsp. allspice and a pinch of ground cloves. Add brown sugar to taste if desired. Simmer until spices have blended. Taste and add more of the spices if you want a stronger flavor. Serve warm atop latkes with sour cream or yogurt.

2. With a side of red cabbage and apples. Peel, core and thinly slice a large tart, firm apple. Sauté in butter or oil until softened. Drain a jar of purchased pickled red cabbage and toss with the apples. Heat through. Taste. Add a tsp. of sugar and or a Tbs. of apple cider vinegar if needed to make sweet and sour to your liking. Taste again and adjust as needed.

3. Sprinkled with sugar. While I had not heard about this tradition until recently, I researched it and for many people it wouldn’t be Chanukah without sugar on their potato pancakes.

4. With an egg on top. A recent acquaintance told me how delicious a freshly poached or fried egg is served on top of a crispy latke. Nice for breakfast or a light entrée. Top with a sprinkle of chopped green onions or chives, a pinch of sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Serve on a bed of frisee lettuce for a really gourmet brunch.

5. Crumbled as a soup topping. I like to scatter bits of leftover latkes on top of a sweet potato, butternut squash or red lentil and tomato soup. Combine ½ tsp. curry powder (or more to taste) with a cup of Greek-style yogurt, stir well and garnish the soup with dollops of this as well. (Or skip the soup and try serving the latkes with mango chutney and the curried yogurt topping.)

6. Bite size as a base for appetizer toppings ranging from bits of smoked salmon or a pinch salmon roe atop a dab of sour cream to hummus topped with chopped green olives or bits of preserved lemon (available in jars at some markets).

7. As a foil for a spicy sauce. Try squirting a little Sriracha chili paste sauce or other hot sauce on your latke, serving with some fresh salsa or eating with a sweet and spicy fruit sauce such as this one from “Cooking Jewish” by Judy Bart Kancigor (Workman). Combine in a medium sauce pan 1-16 oz. can pitted black cherries (slice first) plus the liquid from the can, ¾ cup of raisins, 1 cup white wine, 2-24 oz. bottles of Heinz or other chili sauce and 1/3 cup of dark brown sugar. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally until reduced down and thick, about 20 minutes.

8. As a side dish to my favorite pot roast recipe with cranberries. 
Zippy Cranberry Pot Roast
Serves 8

Adapted from “The Jewish Holiday Cookbook” by Gloria Kaufer Greene (Times Books).

I wish I could take credit for this recipe. It’s easy and delicious and is a perfect partner to crispy fried potato latkes. I’ve made it with all sorts of cuts of meat, prepared it in the pressure cooker, and even cooked it ahead, frozen the sliced meat in the sauce and reheated it and this recipe has never failed to be anything but wonderful. The rich meat, spicy horseradish and tangy cranberries all really complement the latkes. This pot roast is also good over egg noodles. Be sure you keep cooking the meat until it gets really tender. My family likes when it is falling-apart soft.

1-15 oz. can of plain tomato sauce
1-14 to 16 oz. can of whole cranberry sauce
1 Tbs. prepared horseradish
1 tsp. powdered mustard
3 Tbs. apple cider vinegar
¼ cup red wine
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
3 lbs. boneless chuck roast

Combine tomato sauce, cranberry sauce, horseradish, mustard, vinegar, wine or juice and oil in a large Dutch oven or other pot. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat. Lower heat until just simmering and cook for 5 minutes. Trim all excess fat from the roast and add to pot. Turn in sauce to cover. Cover pot and simmer over low heat, basting meat and turning occasionally. Cook for 2 to 4 hours or until the meat is very tender and no longer chewy. Remove meat from sauce. Leave pot uncovered and raise heat to medium high and cook down the sauce, stirring occasionally until it is as thick as you’d like. Cut meat into thick slices across the grain. Spoon some of the sauce over the meat on the serving platter and put the rest in a bowl to serve alongside.

How do you like to serve your latkes?  Please leave your ideas and any links in the comments section. Thanks!
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About the photo: Latkes, latkes everywhere at a recent latke tasting party.
A version of this article appeared previously in the Temple Beth Abraham Omer.

Tonight's the Night for Dine Out for Meals on Wheels

I'm looking forward to eating at Italian Colors tonight, which will be donating 10 percent of its proceeds to the Alameda County Meals on Wheels. Other Bay area restaurants will be doing the same.  It's not too late to join in.  Here's my post with more information. Or go to http://www.dineoutnow.org/ for more info.

Dine Out for Meals on Wheels and Help Feed Bay Area Seniors

Meals on Wheels organizations from the seven Bay area counties have teamed up with more than 80 partner restaurants to stage the first annual “Bay Area Dine Out for Meals on Wheels” on Tuesday, November 9th.  A portion of that evening’s proceeds from participating restaurants will be donated to local Meals on Wheels organizations which are providing nearly three million meals each year to more than 8,500 seniors in daily need of a hot, nutritious meal, a wellness check and companionship.

Restaurants throughout San Francisco and Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, and Solano counties are participating.  Go to http://www.dineoutnow.org/ to see the complete list of participating restaurants.  Use that link to also directly donate to Meals on Wheels or request that your favorite restaurant participate in the event. (The site also offers links to the participating restaurants so you can check out menus and hours.)

Among the list of participating restaurants is a number in San Francisco and Alameda County that I have been to and enjoy.  In San Francisco, these include the Grand Cafe, Gaylord's and The Elite Cafe.  You can see the other participating SF restaurants here.  In Alameda County, I've eaten at Ajanta, Dopo, Italian Colors and Speisekammer.  You can see the complete list here. There are plenty of  of other offerings throughout the Bay area.
For more information, call (888) 716-3669 and or email info@dineoutnow.org

If you know someone who would benefit from being a Meals on Wheels client in the Bay area or elsewhere in the U.S. or would like to support your local area Meals on Wheels, please click here to find an agency near you.

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Graphic credit:  Dine Out Now 

Recipes & Menus for Eating Organic on $4 a Day (Part 2) - Hunger Challenge 2010

Four dollars a day per person is a tough food budget for anyone, but if for health or other reasons you are committed to eating all organic it can be a daunting experience.  As part of my participating in Hunger Challenge 2010 and spending only $4 a day/person on meals (similar to what someone on food stamps would receive), I decided to plan an "all organic day" to see if I could do so.  The answer, was yes, one could eat 100 percent organic, but not without a lot of time shopping and cooking.  While there was definitely enough to eat and I was able to create a relatively nutritious meal plan for the day, I kept thinking if I could have only bought some ingredients non-organic I would have had more food (and definitely more chicken) in my day. Another compromise was relying on frozen and canned produce to keep down costs. Even within those constraints I tried to work in fruit, vegetables, fiber, calcium and a little variety.

For Part 1 and more background on the Hunger Challenge, please click here. For what else I've posted on Hunger Challenge 2010 and links, please click here.

Here's my menu plan and costs with some recipe suggestions.  All foods used were certified 100 percent organic and were purchased at Whole Foods. (For more on Whole Foods and how to shop for healthy food on the cheap, check out the post on my budget shopping tour.) 

Note: Menu plan was based on 4 servings.  (So that's leftovers for 1 or a complete meal for a family of 4).  Everything was organic.  My per person total for the day came out to $3.90. Since I like strong flavors, I would have used that "extra" 10 cents to add some more spice to the corn soup and or the pasta sauce.  I utilized "fractionalized" costs on ingredients that I did not use up in total in a recipe.  Some are pantry staples, others would be used in other meals on another day (such as the leftover pasta sauce and pasta).

See below the menu and recipes for my lessons learned.

Breakfast   -- Oatmeal with Fruit and Yogurt -- 75 cents a serving:
Rolled oats (per serving: 1/2 cup oats in 1 cup boiling water with dash of salt, cook, stirring for about five minutes) served with sliced apple, a drizzle of honey and 2 Tbs. of yogurt per person.

Lunch -- Corn Soup with Bread -- $1.25 a serving
My Hunger Challenge Corn Soup might have been a little less expensive with fresh corn since it's in season, but I wanted to make it a quicker meal.  Serve with 1 slice per person of whole wheat bread.

Hunger Challenge Corn Soup
Serves 4

In hindsight, if I had cut out the chicken in the pasta sauce and used beans, I would have put some of the savings into amping up this soup, which but could use some more vegetables or some beans.
1 Tbs. oil
1/2 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. paprika or chili powder (optional)
1 carrot, chopped
4 cups water
1 vegetarian or chicken bullion cube
15-oz. can of corn, drained
8 oz. frozen spinach (1/2 bag, reserve rest for another use)
7 oz. diced tomatoes (1/2 can, reserve rest for another use)
Salt and pepper to taste

Heat oil in bottom of soup pot, brown onions and garlic. And optional paprika or chili powder and carrots.  Saute for a few minutes. Add water. Bring to simmer. Add bullion cube, stirring until dissolved.  Add corn, spinach and tomatoes. Add salt and pepper. Cook until carrots are cooked through. Taste and correct seasonings. If desired, puree part of the soup for a creamy texture.

Snack: -- 1/2 cup per person of non-fat yogurt --- 40 cents per serving

Dinner -- Pasta with Sauce and Bread OR Half of an Apple -- $1.50
This meal was the hardest, I kept having to take out fresh veggies (such as steamed broccoli or a green salad) and reducing the portion of chicken because of the cost of organic meat.  Another way to go would have been to skip the meat and use 2 cups of cooked white beans with bulk beans that would have cost a total of  56 cents, a savings of $1.19 over using just the 1/4 pound of chicken in the pasta sauce. I also could have skipped the bread or apple and used a bit more chicken in the recipe. 

Pasta with Peppers, Onions and a Hint of Chicken
Serves 4

Pick a pasta sauce with strong seasoning to help flavor the sauce without having to add other herbs or spices.
If you are not going to serve the sliced bread or half of an apple (either with the meal or as an additional snack), you can add an additional chicken or a side of steamed carrots and stay on budget.

1/4 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 small thigh)
1 Tbs. oil
8 oz.  frozen red and green pepper and onion mix (1/2 bag, reserve rest for another use)
7 oz diced tomatoes with liquid (reserved from soup recipe)
1 cup pasta sauce (from 25oz. jar, reserve rest for another use)
Salt and pepper to taste
4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta

Chop chicken very fine.  Heat oil over medium high heat in a deep fry pan or wide pot. Saute, stirring until chicken is browned, breaking up any clumps.  Add pepper and onion mix, and stir until beginning to defrost. Add tomatoes with their liquid, and pasta sauce.  Lower heat to simmer, and cook covered, stirring until the vegetables and sauce are heated through.  Serve over pasta. (If using beans, leave out the oil and chicken and add 2 cups cooked beans when you add pasta sauce.)

Lessons learned:  I think if I had kept the day vegetarian I would have been able to have more food and more choices (and a more filling lunch), which would have been very much appreciated.  Another tact would be to decide which foods were the most important to have kept organic and just looked for high quality alternatives that were not necessarily organic.  I was determined to shop in one place (Whole Foods in this case), because many food stamp recipients don't have the wherewithal to go from store to store looking for bargains.  One place to look might have been local farmer's markets.  Another here in the West is The Grocery Outlet chain, which sometimes has organic canned and packaged goods for very low prices. Overall, though, I thought that Whole Foods was a good choice for accessible one-stop organic shopping, although locally I have several independent food stores that offer good choices. Many regular chain markets now offer some organic choices as well.

Eating Organic on $4 a Day -- Hunger Challenge 2010 (Part 1)

During past Hunger Challenges,* I have read posts from participating food bloggers about having to forgo organic food in order to eat a varied and filling diet on $4 a day. I thought it would be interesting to try and devise a Hunger Challenge $4 a person a day menu using only organic ingredients.

While organic products and produce are available much more widely now (even some items at my favorite discount grocer, The Grocery Outlet), for many people in the Bay area the widest variety of organic produce, meat, dairy, processed foods and more is Whole Foods. To get a good idea of how to accomplish this, I got a “budget shopping” tour from Oakland, CA, Whole Foods marketing team member Perri Kramer. Read more about that here.

While everything on my shopping list and my menu for the day was organic, it didn’t come without other compromises. My meals were mostly vegetarian and my dinner dish could be called more pasta flavored with chicken then pasta with chicken. I did need to opt for frozen organic vegetables to keep costs down and relied heavily on in-store specials to make up my menu (which meant shopping took even longer since mid-shopping trip I had to alter the menu to fit the specials).

While eating 100 percent organic was doable on $4 a day, I couldn’t have done it on $3, which was the “regular” California allotment for food stamps. A temporary $1 a day increase is due to expire this December 31st. Even without the organic restraint, fitting in fruits and vegetables was very difficult in 2008 when I did the challenge on $3 and that extra dollar a day is very meaningful to those who depend on the program. If you would like to see this funding extended, please contact your member of Congress and let them know how important you think it is.

To be truthful, it’s late and I’m tired. Catch up with rest of the story with Part 2 and my Eating Organic on $4 a Day menu and recipe.

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*The Hunger Challenge is being sponsored by the San Francisco Food Bank to increase awareness of hunger in the Bay area and elsewhere. This is the third year of the challenge. It has not only raised awareness but also funds and literally tons of food for local food banks. This year 25 five food bloggers are living as if they were on food stamps for a week, with a total food budget of only $4 a person a day and blogging about their experiences. Links to all the participating blogs can be found at http://www.hungerchallenge.blogspot.com./ You can see what else I’ve written about the Hunger Challenge this year here.

About the photo: Overview of Oakland, CA, Whole Foods

Kosher on $4 a Day -- Hunger Challenge 2010 and a Stuffed Cabbage Roll Recipe

It’s tough to eat on the $4 a day a person the food stamp program allows and even tougher if you have religious or health constraints. So I thought as part of my 2010 Hunger Challenge experience I would try a sample day where all I would consume would be kosher (according to Jewish dietary laws) and another where everything was organic. Here’s a bit about my experience of trying to keep kosher on $4 a day.

(A brief recap – the Hunger Challenge is sponsored by the San Francisco Food Bank to increase awareness of hunger and related issues in our community by having bloggers and others live on a “food stamp budget” of $4 per day per person for food.).

These constraints can be costly and time consuming. For example, the kosher ground beef I bought for the recipe below was $5.99 a pound. The same grade of ground beef without being butchered and handled in the prescribed religious manner was about $2.29 a pound. Also, any processed food has to be certified and labeled kosher, meaning it does not contain any prohibited food items (such as pork or shellfish) and does not mix meat and milk products. Such certification limits choices and can add to the cost as well. I kept costs down by shopping discount food stores spending about double the amount of time I normally would comparing prices and reading packaging to make sure my choices were properly certified.

I bought quick oats certified kosher in bulk and having that for breakfast with a small piece of fruit and a dollop of yogurt also helped keep my overall food costs down. For lunch I had a large bowl of vegetable soup with a slice of bread, but a serving of my Hunger Challenge Chili (cut the recipe in half and use only ½ pound of ground beef) over some rice or a baked potato would have worked well. I snacked on some carrots and celery stalks dipped in yogurt.

Since we are in the middle of celebrating the Jewish holidays this fall, I thought I would break some of the rules I make for myself when it comes to the Hunger Challenge. I generally develop easy, relatively quick-to-make entrees, but I wanted to make something special for a holiday dinner. This Hunger Challenge Stuffed Cabbage will take a little more time but can be made ahead and reheated. Serve it to a group of guests or enjoy it for several meals.

I had to change the recipe to reduce meat and seasonings to trim costs. My cost for the food used was $1.05 a serving, which means I could serve the stuffed cabbage rolls with mashed potatoes or rice and steamed carrots on the side and still come in at about $1.25 a person for this meal.

Hunger Challenge Stuffed Cabbage Rolls
Serves 8

1 cup long grain rice
½ cup raisins
1 large green cabbage
2 Tbs. oil
1 small onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 carrots, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ cup chopped mushrooms
½ lb. ground beef, 15 percent fat or less
¼ tsp. and 1/8 tsp. salt
½ tsp. ground black pepper
Dash hot pepper sauce
1-28 oz. can crushed tomatoes, divided
1-15 oz. can tomato sauce
¼ tsp sugar
1 Tbs. apple cider vinegar

Make rice according to package directions. Leave covered and set aside.

Soak the raisins in ½ cup of hot water. Core the cabbage and pull off 16 leaves plus extras if they are small. Submerge the leaves in a large pot of boiling water and cook covered until tender about 4 minutes. Drain and cool. Chop remaining cabbage. Keep 3 cups and reserve the rest for another use. (Perhaps this 12-Serving Vegetable Soup from Hunger Challenge 2008)

In a large sauté pan, heat oil. Fry onions until golden, add garlic. Sauté and add 3 cups of chopped cabbage, carrots and celery. Sauté until softened. Add mushrooms, sauté for 3 minutes, add beef, browning and breaking up any clumps. Add ¼ tsp salt, pepper and hot sauce. Add ½ can of crushed tomatoes. Combine well. Fluff rice. Mix well with meat mixture. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread ½ cup of the tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9” x 13” baking pan. Place a heaping ¼ cup of filling in the middle of a cabbage leaf. (Overlap two leaves if small.) Fold over the two shorter sides of the leaf. Fold over one of the longer sides, then the other. Place folded side down in the baking pan. Repeat.

Combine remaining tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes in a sauce pan, add drained raisins, 1/8th tsp of salt and the sugar. Heat through. Add 1 Tbs. of vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning to as needed. Spread sauce over top of rolls. Bake until heated through, approximately 40-45 minutes. Can be made ahead and reheated.

If you would like information on how to help in your area, please go to Feeding America to find a food bank near you. For more information on the San Francisco Food Bank, click here. To get the latest on the Hunger Challenge, go here.

This recipe and part of this article first appeared in the j. weekly. You can see the original column here.

Hunger Challenge 2010 -- Kick Off

Today is the kick off for the third San Francisco Food Bank Hunger Challenge. Twenty five bloggers (as well as others in the community) are spending just $4 a day per person for all their food and beverages for seven days to get a feel for what it is like to subsist on food stamps (which are now called SNAP).

Some will be blogging about how they cope with the limitations of such a budget, others will be writing about hunger in the Bay area and elsewhere.  Some will be creating menus, recipes and shopping tips that the food bank can share with their clients to help make existing on such a budget as filling, healthy and easy as possible. Many of the participants will be posting on Facebook and Twitter as well.

The Hunger Challenge participants have also helped to raise awareness, literally tons of food donations and cash contributions not just for the San Francisco Food Bank, but for food banks across the Bay area.

You can learn more about the Hunger Challenge at http://www.hungerchallenge.blogspot.com/ and get all the links and the Twitter handles to follow along.  Or if you'd like to sign up and give the Hunger Challenge a try (even for a day or two), you can also sign up there.  You don't need a blog or even a Facebook or Twitter account to join in, but if you do have one or more of those, please help spread the word about the importance of food banks (the SFFB estimates 150,000 San Franciscans a day face hunger) and the need for continued and improved funding for programs such as food stamps.

This is the third year that I've participated.  You can see everything I posted on the 2008  challenge here, including shopping lists, daily menus, meal planning tips and more.  In 2008, we only had $3 a person a day to work with, so filling up my family of four and keeping the food nutritious was even more challenging. (The extra dollar a day really makes a difference, but it is just a temporary change and is due to expire.) I think the Hunger Challenge Chili was my favorite recipe from that year. I also feel that what I wrote in my wrap up/recommendations for change post still sums my experience and what I learned and what I would like to see change to make it easier for Food Bank clients and those on food stamps to feed themselves and their families as well as possible.

You can read about my 2009 experience here.  In 2009 we were able to use $4 a day per person. Like the year before, I also planned out a weekly meal plan, gave shopping trips, shared about my experiences and developed recipes.  Probably my favorite from 2009 was the Hunger Challenge Cassoulet (a bean and sausage stew).  I summed up my reactions here.

This year, I'm going about the challenge a bit differently. I'm figuring out the cost of each meal and keeping it to about $1.25 or less per person.  I'm developing menus day by day rather than by the week to highlight the different needs of different communities -- for example: organic, kosher, ethnic and others.  Each has its positives and negatives and I look forward to sharing them (and the recipes) with you.

Please look for my daily Hunger Challenge update.  If you have any experiences with food banks, food stamps or budget meals you'd like to share, please feel free to leave a comment.

If you would like information on how to help in your area, please go to Feeding America to find a food bank.  For more information on the San Francisco Food Bank, click here.

Filipino Cooking Class at Oakland Asian Cultural Center

I've taken two Filipino cooking classes from the Asian Seasonal Cooking Class series at Oakland Asian Cultural Center.

This slide show and recipes are from the first, which was last November. Watch for a more complete write up and photos from the more recent class this past May. In the meantime, if you live in Oakland, the OACC is fighting for its programming which is threatened by severe cuts by one of its major funders, the Oakland (CA) City Council. Please email your city council member and let him or her know you support the work of the OACC in preserving and transmitting local Asian cultures. For more on the OACC, click here. For info on how to contact your city council representative, contact Jennifer Chu, Development Coordinator, at jchu@oacc.cc.

If you want to learn more about why I, a Jew of Russian-German heritage, regard this Asian American organization as important, please read this post.

Back to the cooking class. We made a classic comfort food dish from the Philippines -- arroz caldo or lugo or lugaw -- a rice soup a little like Chinese jook or congee but with sweet (glutinous) rice. The soup had a rich, full flavor from the chicken stock, with lots of other flavorings and seasonings. Here is a link to the pdf with all the info on that workshop and the recipe. The workshop was led by Herna Cruz-Louie, the Executive Director and Co-Founder for American Center of Philippine Arts. The recipe below is hers and used with her permission and with her directions and notes.

LUGAW (LUGAO) / ARROZ CALDO
Serves 4-6

INGREDIENTS:

- Small whole chicken (orThighs and Wings)
- Fried Tofu
- Celery
- Garlic
- Onions
- Ginger
- Kosher Salt
- Whole Black Peppercorns
- Canola Oil
- Sweet (Glutinous) Rice
- Fish Sauce
- Scallions

CHICKEN BROTH:

- Small Whole Chicken or Thighs and Wings ( about 3 /2 lb..)
- 2 Celery Stalks
- 1 head of garlic, cloves separated and peeled
- 1 medium onion, quartered
- 2 teaspoons of kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorn

Combine all of the ingredients with 10 cups of water in a large pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is tender (about 30 minutes).
**Prep all your ingredients for the Lugaw while you wait!**

Transfer chicken pieces with tongs to a plate to cool. Strain the broth through a mesh strainer into another large saucepan and bring back to a slight simmer over low to medium heat. Continue to simmer, adjusting the heat if necessary while we cook the Lugaw.

When the chicken has cooled, remove the skin and use your fingers to remove meat from the bones and shred the chicken.

**LUGAW:

- 3 tablespoons of canola oil
- 2 heads of garlic (cloves peeled and crushed)
- 1 fresh ginger, 2-inch piece (peeled and julienned)
- 1 medium-sized onion, diced
- 1 cup of sweet (glutinous) rice
- 8-10 cups of homemade chicken broth (to preference)
- fish sauce (to taste)
- 1 cup of fried tofu
- fresh ground pepper (to taste)
- 5 scallions, sliced for garnish

Warm 3 tablespoons of canola oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add crushed garlic cloves (1 head of garlic) and cook in the oil until golden brown and crisp. Transfer the garlic out of the saucepan and onto a paper towel lined plate or bowl to drain.

Using the oil left in the pan, add the peeled and julienned ginger, diced onions and the remainder of the crushed garlic cloves to the pan and saute until the onion is translucent. Add 1 cup of sweet rice and saute until the rice is evenly coated with oil. Add 1 cup of warm chicken broth and stir until most of the broth is absorbed. Continue adding a cup of chicken broth at a time, stirring frequently, until the rice begins to break down. This will take 30-45 minutes. Add less broth for a thicker consistency.

Stir in the shredded chicken, fried tofu, 2-3 tablespoons of fish sauce (to taste) and black pepper (to taste). Ladle the Lugaw into individual serving bowls and top off each bowl with sliced scallions and Fried Garlic.

Good Enough to Eat -- Bake Sale Photos

At last, some of my photos from the Share Our Strength Bake Sale last month. Click here for more info on the event. I contributed the vanilla baby pound cakes with vanilla cognac syrup from Rose Levy Beranbaum's new cookbook Rose's Heavenly Cakes.

More on Rose's Heavenly Cakes later. Again, thank you to all the participating food bloggers (see below) and, especially, organizer Anita Chu of Dessert First. Here's Anita's recap of the event.

The San Francisco bake sale was one of 23 in the country that weekend which raised a total of $16,500 for the program to combat childhood hunger. Our bake sale raised $1,650 of that!

From Anita, here's the list of the participating bloggers:

Allison: http://bakeyourheartout.wordpress.com/
Annelies: http://anneliesz.tumblr.com/
Daphne: http://www.cookingsf.com/
Faith: http://www.clickblogappetit.blogspot.com/
Irwin: http://www.eatthelove.com/
Katie: http://www.idhavebakedacake.blogspot.com/
Kerrie: http://www.cookingsf.com/
Lisa: http://lisa-is-bossy.blogspot.com/
Liz: http://www.delvious.com/
Marisol : http://www.onedomesticateddiva.com/
Nina: ninascupcakes@blogspot.com
Pat: ringalings.blogspot.com
Penni: http://www.penniwisner.com/
Rachel: http://scratch.typepad.com/
Sam: http://becksposhnosh.blogspot.com/
Shauna: http://pieceofcakeblog.blogspot.com/
Shelly: anopencupboard.com
Stephanie: dessertsforbreakfast.blogspot.com

Support Alameda Meals on Wheels -- Tickets for Five-Star Night Still Available

Never has doing good tasted so great.

Help Alameda County's Meals on Wheels program help feed homebound seniors in our community and have a "Five-Star Night" at the same time by joining the organizaton's annual fundraising dinner on Friday, April 23rd in Oakland, CA. (Tickets are still available as of this post, click here to purchase.)

(Can't make the event? You can still donate here. Or contact the organization to sign up to help deliver meals.)

The organization counts on fundraising efforts such as this to cover half of the $1,440 cost to feed a senior for a year. More than 2,200 meals are delivered every day. This year's gala is expected to provide some 25,000 meals.

Five-Star Night features a champagne and fine wine reception, silent and live auctions, gala dinner, and entertainment. The four-course dinner, under the guidance of Narsai David and Ellen Tussman, will be created by 15 of the Bay Area’s finest chefs, all of whom donate their time and services to help reach this year’s fundraising goal of $150,000. They include classics such as Bay Wolf to newcomers such as Bocanova. For a full list, please see below.

If you know of someone living in Alameda County (CA), who would benefit from Meals on Wheels, please click here to find out about eligibility and how to apply.

On the menu this year (listed by course with donating provider):

Hors d’oeuvres

Arancini: Deep-Fried Rice Balls Filled with Pork Ragu
ADESSO/DOPO

Muscovy Duck Breast Crostini with Mezgaldi Onions
CITRON

Pear and Blue Cheese Croque Monsieur
GRACE STREET CATERING

Spiedini of Castelvetrano Olives, House-Pulled Mozzarella and Marinated Artichoke
MARZANO/GARIBALDI’S

Mini Corn Quesadillas with Huitlacoche
Mini Sopes Yucatecan-Style with Cochinita Pibil: Slow Roasted Pork in Achiote, Citrus Juices, Garlic, Oregano and CuminServed with Pickled Red Onions
Sopa Verde served in Demi-Tasse Cups
PICANTE

Amuse Bouche

Sea Bass Ceviche with Aji Amarillo: Yellow Peppers, Lime, Garlic and Olive Oil, Served on Endive Leaf
BOCANOVA

First Course

Shaved Artichoke, Fennel and Mushroom Salad with Truffle Oil Vinaigrette
BAY WOLF

Second Course

Seared Bay Sea Scallop, Served on Parsnip Puree with Wild Mushroom-Smoked Bacon Vinaigrette
LALIME’S

Third Course

Daube-braised Lamb CheeksGarnished with Carrot and Chioggia Beet Brunoise,and Rack of Lamb with Shallot, Parsley and Meyer Lemon Gremolata, served with Asparagus and Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Chives
MUA

Dessert

Georgia Pecan Pie served with buttermilk ice cream and Michter’s Rye Butterscotch sauce
PICAN

Pavlova: Meringue Shell Filled with Lemon Curdand Whipped Cream, Topped with Assorted Berries
MARKET HALL BAKERY

Bizou Au Chocolate: Almond Macaroon Sandwiches filled with Chocolate Ganache
LA FARINE

Mini-Brownies and Blondies
BAKESALE BETTY

Assorted Chocolate Truffles
LYLA’S CHOCOLATES


Update: 4/27/10 -- The event raised more than $145,000, a record. On a personal note: Gary and I won the raffle and are happily nibbling on all the goodies, contemplating drinking the case of wine and scheduling ourselves to use all the restaurant and other gift certificates we won.
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About the photo: The chefs of Five Star Night 2010, from the Alameda County Meals on Wheels website, photo by Eliot Khuner

Buy a Cupcake, Help End Hunger (and Not Just Your Own)

Here's info on the upcoming bake sale:



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Can't read the details? Click on the image to enlarge it.

Oakland Asian Cultural Center Needs Your Support

The Oakland Asian Cultural Center is a true treasure. Go on a Saturday and take an Asian home cooking class or learn how to carve elaborate vegetable garnishes, look at the walls with its testament to the rich pan-Asian heritage we have in Oakland, hear the kids practice their Chinese zither music, listen to the boom of the Korean drums or witness the grace, beauty and strength of Philippine folk dance or Shaolin Kung Fu. Or maybe attend a lecture, reading or performance. It is a multi-function, multi-interest kind of place. It also supports the businesses and residents of Oakland's Chinatown.

It is a living conduit of tradition, skills, knowledge and history between generations and between cultures Asian and not.

I first discovered the OACC for its food heritage and traditions cooking class. As we cooked the foods of Tibet, Vietnam, Mongolia, Korea, China, Thailand, India, the Philippines and more we were learning from someone from that culture about not just tastes and techniques but the place these foods hold in the culture. (Thanks to the Alliance for California Traditional Arts for co-sponsoring these classes).

Now, the OACC is in danger of losing half of its $80,000 grant from the city of Oakland in programming money.

We are in danger of losing a resource that really can not be replaced. Go the website, take a look at the class and programming list. Join a class, see a performance, send in a contribution and please send an email to an Oakland city council member and ask him or her to continue OACC's support. (OACC reassures me that even if you are not an Oakland resident, your support can make a difference in retaining the funding.)

Please attend the April 1 City Council meeting where the cut will be discussed. For other ways to help (including info on how to send an email to the city council with your support) the OACC and its programming and services, please click here or contact Jennifer Chu, Development Coordinator, at jchu@oacc.cc

On a personal note, I'm not Asian-American, I'm a German-Russian Jew. But I've been able to gift my sons the gift of knowing at least the traditions of their Jewish heritage through Jewish programming. I look at this as akin to that.

I also believe that its by sharing cultures, acknowledging differences, understanding similarities and enjoying the process of sharing that we grew as people and a nation. To me, that's one of the most important things OACC offers. I hope you'll join me in making sure all that OACC does is not snuffed out.

Update 4/5/10: OACC thanks all for support. They expect to know more within a few weeks.
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About the photo: Some ingredients from the Filipino cooking class. You can see write ups, photos and slideshows of some of the classes here.

East Bay Community Benefit to help Haiti at Oliveto Restaurant

Directly from Oliveto Restaurant:

East Bay Community Benefit to help Haiti at Oliveto Restaurant
Saturday, January 30, 2010 11:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

Adelmise Warner, a St. Teresa School parent, recently asked us if we would host a fundraiser to benefit Haiti earthquake victims. We agreed, and immediately started fielding offers of donations from cafe regulars to pig farmers. We've been moved by the outpouring, and the event hasn't even happened yet!

There will be an auction, a silent auction, and a raffle.
Guest auctioneer will be Don Perata, and Jean Quan will also be on hand to help with the silent auction. Feature guest speakers include: Blaine Bookey, Bureau des Avocats Internationaux (BAI) Legal Fellow and Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti (IJDH) Development Director Walter Riley, prominent Civil Rights Attorney in Oakland and Chair of the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund in Berkeley.

There will be an ongoing slide show, Haitian music and great food, some of it donated by one of our farmers. Mark Pasternak of Devil's Gulch Ranch was in Haiti at the time of the earthquake on a humanitarian agricultural mission with his family. He's given part of one of his very fine, large hogs and Chef Canales will be making polpettoni.

Contributions for admission will be made to the American Red Cross (Bay Area), and will be for $25 - $300+.

Questions? Contact Adelmise Warner at 415-378-6613 or adelmisew@yahoo.com
RSVP by contacting Clare Nisbett at 510-547-5356 or clare@oliveto.com

Menu for Hope VI -- Help the World Food Programme and a Chance to Publish Your Own Cookbook

Update: Menu for Hope extended to December 31.

Every year, Food Bloggers from all over the world join together for a fundraising campaign. We call it 'Menu for Hope'. For the past three years, we've raised nearly $250K in support of the UN World Food Programme. (As of 12/27, we've raised more than $53,000 for the programme this year and there is still time to participate. )

From Pim the Menu for Hope organizer: "This year, Menu for Hope ... is highlighting the new initiative Purchase for Progress (P4P). P4P enables smallholder and low-income farmers to supply food to WFP’s global operation, helping farmers improves their practices and putting more cash directly into their pockets in return for their crops."

The way this fundraiser works is that you make a donation and get to choose a bid item for every $10 donated. At the end of the drive, a "winner" is selected from those who have selected that particular bid item and the offering is yours.

The bid item Blog Appetit will be offering is a $50 gift certificate to blurb.com. At blurb.com you can create you own cookbook (or photo or other book) with the site's free software. Depending on the number of photos, size, binding, cover and paper, the gift certificate should be enough for you to buy one or more copies of your own book. Then you can direct others to blurb.com so they can purchase copies of your new book! (Alternatively, you can use the gift certificate to buy others books from the site.)

As an added bonus, I will be glad to help copy edit your new book. I'm an ex-newspaper copy editor and have taken classes in copyediting cookbooks. That's something the winner of this bid item can work out with me.

The bid item number for this donation is UW10. You'll need this number when you go to the donation site (see below).

Here's the list of bid items from West of the Mississippi food bloggers at Gluten-Free Girl, the West Coast coordinator. Here is the master list of bid items from Chez Pim, the founder and organizer of Menu for Hope.

Here's the rules from Pim:

To Donate and Enter the Menu for Hope Raffle, here's what you need to do:
1. Choose a bid item or bid items of your choice from our Menu for Hope main bid item list. (Note: background on all this is at http://www.chezpim.com/blogs/2009/12/mfh6main.html. The bid list is here.)
2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.
3. Please specify which bid item you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item, and please use the bid item code.
Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02 - 2xEU01, 3xEU02. 4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.
Check back on Chez Pim on Monday, January 18 for the results of the raffle.

Please be sure to come back later tonight for the updated post.
Thanks,
Faith