SS Holiday Food & Toy Drive

I'm excited...the donations for the Seasoned & Stirred Holiday Food & Toy Drive have started to pour in. Our goal is to provide bags/boxes of food to at least 25 families or individuals before Christmas.

We are seeking donations of non-perishable food items, supermarket gift cards and new toys. The supermarket gift cards will help families to purchase meat and other staples. Also, depending on availability, families with children under 12 will receive a toy for each child.

We will set up in east Baltimore, corner of Jefferson Street & Montford Avenue sometime during the week ending December 24th. The exact date will be determined later. Please help us by donating canned goods, boxed foods and other non-perishable items, toys, cash, or Giant or Safeway gift cards. For cash donations, simply click the "Donate" button on the top, left sidebar of this blog. To donate food, toys and gift cards, please email me at lotusrising523[at]hotmail[dot]com for the mailing address.

"If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother." Deuteronomy 15:7 

There is NO reason anyone in this great country of ours should ever go hungry. Please stand with us as we do our part to help eradicate hunger--one soul at a time! Thank you for your assistance and happy holidays.

Food Stamp Challenge...Time for reflection and action!

The second annual Food Stamp Challenge (2011) sponsored by Maryland Hunger Solutions has ended. Over 160 people participated including a Maryland senator, several delegates, the Maryland AARP State Director and other advocates.

A few students from the University of MD participated in the challenge and blogged about their experiences. Many wrote about their concerns regarding the lack of nutritious meals, variety and the feeling of intense hunger. Click here to read the blogs.

Now that the challenge has ended, we have the perfect opportunity for reflection and action. Could you live on $4.30 a day for food and if you could, would you be able to purchase healthy options and create well-balanced meals for yourself and family? If you were in a position to help would you?

The new face of hunger? - Photo courtesy of FeedingAmerica.org

The face of hunger is changing in America. The new hungry is now the educated and middle class. Many rely on food banks or other food programs to keep food on the table. Most of us know someone who is hungry. Now is your chance to make a difference! You don't have to have a lot of money and you don't have to save everyone. Just make a commitment to do something:

• Donate food or volunteer at your local food bank
• Adopt a family or individual in your community: purchase grocery store gift cards; collect packaged food from family members and friends and give to the family; or when you cook for your family, make a little extra and share of the cooked food
• Participate in public events to raise money for the hungry (check for events in your area) 
• Write to your governor about hunger in your state and in your community
  

There are many things you can do to help. Find creative ways to give back and make a difference in your community. Enlist the help of your family, friends and colleagues--chances are many of them would jump at the opportunity to help. Feeling bad for those in need is not enough. Get involved!

Articles:

CNN Living: The new hungry: College-educated middle-class cope with food insecurity

USA Today: New breed of Americans going hungry

Other Links:
Feeding America

Contact government officials

How to write letters to your congressman

Food Research and Action Center

If you are hungry and in need of food, search for resources in your state by going to a search engine and typing in something like "hungry in (your state or city)." If you do not have internet access, call the mayor's office in your city and ask for telephone numbers for food banks and food programs in your area.

Take the Food Stamp Challenge!

The Food Stamp Challenge, sponsored by Maryland Hunger Solutions, gives participants insight into the struggle of hunger and food insecurity that many of our fellow Marylanders experience every day.  

Challenge participants will use the average federal Food Supplement benefit -- $30 per person for the week - as their budget for food for one week. They are forced to make difficult food shopping choices, and often realize how hard it is to avoid hunger, afford nutritious foods, and stay healthy.

Could you live on $4.30 a day for food? Join Maryland Hunger Solutions and Take the Food Stamp Challenge -- September 19-25, 2011.

Did you know: 8.8 million seniors face the threat of hunger? Visit AARP's "Drive to End Hunger" website and get involved. 

Hurricane & Disaster Preparedness

The east coast is preparing for the arrival of Hurricane Irene (expected to hit North Carolina sometime late Friday night). If you live along the Eastern Seaboard, please take these storm warnings seriously (especially evacuation requests) prepare yourself and your family for an emergency.

Below are links to resources for preparedness--general information on hurricanes/tropical storms, who to call for help, suggestions on foods and other items to stockpile, care of property, family, pets, etc.

General Hurricane Info (FEMA)
Emergency Management Agencies (listed by state)
American Red Cross
Quake Kare Inc.
Weather.com
Best Foods to Stockpile for an Emergency

Also, please be mindful of others in your community who may be vulnerable (elderly, sick and handicapped individuals, single moms etc.) and try to lend a hand if you can. Please take care and STAY SAFE!

Cookin' for Love - Food Aphrodisiacs

Cooking a romantic dinner for two?  Add a little extra spice to your meal (and your evening) with foods considered to be natural aphrodisiacs.  Chocolate, champagne, figs, caviar, bananas, honey, strawberries, oysters and ginseng are just a few in a long list of foods believed to help turn up the heat. Go ahead, get cookin'! :>)

Need Valentine-inspired recipes or drink ideas? Visit FoodNetwork.com or Epicurious.com.

Product Review: Infused Spreads

I love artisanal, handcrafted products because in addition to knowing exactly where they come from, you can taste the love and passion that goes into the creation of them. Today, I'm reviewing Infused Spreads, a local company specializing in the time-honored art of preserving. Inspired by traditional methods of preserving, Infused Spreads offers an impressive line of handmade fruit butters, jams, jellies, ketchup, infused vinegars and more. 

I discovered Infused Spreads at a local farmer's market. The array of products made my mouth water. It was nearly impossible to choose between the delectable-looking offerings with equally enticing names like White Pumpkin & Rosemary Fruit Butter, Cucumber Ginger Relish, and Pineapple Horseradish Vinegar. After several agonizing moments of contemplation, I purchased the Plum Lavender Jam and Sweet Potato Pie Butter.

Infused Spreads Plum Lavender Jam & Sweet Potato Pie Butter

I couldn't wait to get home to taste my new finds. I made a few quick biscuits (with Bisquick which is amazing in an of itself) and in minutes, I found myself in Heaven--alternating between indulgent bites of biscuit with the jam and the fruit butter.

The Plum Lavender Jam has a rich, bold fruity flavor--the plums fresh, ripe and juicy and the lavender prominent, sweet and herbaceous. The Sweet Potato Pie Butter was superb--tasted just like sweet potato pie--had a great consistency and just the right amount of spices. SUBLIME!!!

Emem of Infused Spreads busy with customers at the market

But, if you know me, you know I don't plan to stop at the conventional use of the jam and butter. IF I can keep these goodies away from a certain family member, who shall remain nameless, I plan to experiment--maybe use the Sweet Potato Pie Butter to make a savory pasta sauce with fresh basil and aromatic spices or use the Plum Lavender Jam to make an Asian-inspired dipping sauce for spring rolls or grilled shrimp. Hmmm, the possibilities are endless!

I didn't think to ask the owner, Emem, if she ships her products but she is very nice and approachable so if you're interested, contact her to find out. I guarantee it will totally be worth the effort. I'm giving Infused Spreads 5 hearts! ♥♥♥♥♥

Handmade Culinary Holiday Gifts

Handmade items make some of the best holiday gifts ever. If you're watching your budget but still want to give great gifts for the holidays, consider handmade treats from your kitchen!

There are many inexpensive, high volume items you can make like cookies, brownies and other bar treats, candies, sauces, spices, etc. People usually really appreciate yummy, handmade treats as gifts (be careful to give a little thought to your recipients--Auntie Ema may not appreciate peanut butter cookies if she's allergic to peanuts!).

Even when money wasn't an issue for me I loved to give handmade gifts in addition to store-bought items. For me, nothing says lovin' like something from the kitchen! This year I made gourmet popcorn in three flavors: garlic & herb, matcha/chai tea and chocolate/white chocolate drizzle w/pecans.

Garlic & Herb and Matcha & Chai Tea Gourmet Popcorn

Below is a picture of the chocolate/white chocolate drizzle popcorn w/pecans before I bagged it up. I gave this as gifts to the ladies of my book club last Saturday during our holiday party and they LOVED it. I purchased cute plastic white boxes with the word "Popcorn" written in red from the dollar store, placed a decorative plastic bag in the boxes, filled them with with popcorn and finished them with a colorful bow.

At the party I mentioned going to Harry & David while I was at the mall the day before and one of the ladies thought I bought the popcorn there. When I told her that I had made it, she got really excited and animated. Needless to say, I was thrilled that they liked the popcorn and thrilled that at least one person thought it was good enough to grace the shelves at Harry & David. {giggle}  Sorry, I don't have a picture of the finished boxes because just as I went to snap the pic, my camera battery died... 

Semi-sweet & white chocolate drizzle popcorn w/toasted pecans

...but not before I took this picture (below)--here I used decorative holiday tins to present the popcorn gift to some of my clients and friends:

Gourmet flavored popcorn presented in simple decorative tin

I made a red velvet cake (using box cake mix)  w/homemade orange buttercream frosting that I will give as a hostess gift on Christmas day. I hope she (the party hostess) cuts the cake while I'm there because I would REALLY love a piece but if she doesn't I'll just make another one--just for me. 

I am also making cookies: chocolate chunk and four variations of my favorite cookie, shortbread. I made plain, lemon, orange and had planned to make a lavender iced version but ended up making a matcha/chai tea mixture w/toasted pistachio nuts instead. The cookies are still in the fridge chilling so maybe I'll post a picture of them once they've been baked. I'll package the cookies in a variety of ways--some in decorative plastic bags, some in tins and a couple of people will receive very special holiday-themed cookie jars filled with cookies.

Update 12/29/10 - Below is the pic of the cookies. The shortbread cookies I made using an old recipe of mine and as usual, they were amazing! The chocolate chunk was a new recipe and I did not like it at all. The recipe was supposed to be for "chewy cookies" and although I followed the recipe exactly, they turned out to be deceptively beautiful little hockey pucks--painfully hard...lol. Won't be using that recipe again!

Shortbread cookies (matcha/chai spice, lemon, orange iced) and chocolate chunk

I've been having a blast creating tempting little sweet treats to give my family and friends for Christmas. I can present everyone with a little something and not have to get stressed about spending lots of money.  Next year I'll try something different...maybe I'll make some infused oils, some soup mixes or some of my "secret" spice blends.

So, whether your thing is cooking or baking, there is always something you can create that will make great, thoughtful holiday gifts. Just keep an open mind and stay creative. If you'd like recipes or packaging resources for any of the items listed above, post a comment here to let me know. Merry Christmas!!!

Pray Eat Love & The "Daniel" Fast

Last Sunday I visited Empowerment Temple church in Baltimore.  During the service I learned that the congregation was preparing for a ten-day journey of prayer, fasting and spiritual enlightenment inspired by Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, "Eat, Pray, Love." 

I loved the idea of embarking on such a journey with the entire congregation and welcomed the idea of growing spiritually while improving my health. We were instructed to read Daniel (chapters 1-3), to participate in daily prayer calls with the Pastor and to abstain from eating meat, bread and sweets for ten days.  I remember thinking, "cool, not eating meat is no big deal for me and I'll even cut out caffeine."

I am now on day seven of the ten-day fast and will admit this is one of the hardest things I've ever done. I can be extremely focused and disciplined when I need to be and although I have not touched one drop of meat, bread or sugar since last Sunday, I am climbing the walls! I dream of buffet tables laden with rotisserie chickens, broiled salmon, freshly baked breads, CHEESECAKE and huge urns filled with piping hot COFFEE!!! I am literally counting down the days and have already started planning my first meal after the fast.  

The good news is that during this fast I have gained clarity on several issues I was struggling with, I've notice a huge difference in my energy levels and I believe I've lost a couple of pounds.  I will continue to be faithful on this journey...just four more days to go.  I feel so good that I've decided to continue the fast with a friend for the next couple of months or so.  We won't fast for ten days in a row but we have committed to fasting for three days in a row every week.  NO MEAT, BREAD, SWEETS OR CAFFEINE.

We're starting our three day fast on Tuesday, October 5th--Tues, Wed & Thurs.  We will repeat this sequence every week for the next few weeks and YOU are invited to join us!  This invitation is for the fast only--without the prayers because that's something personal you can do on your own but if you want to offer a prayer or two I'm open to that as I always welcome a good prayer.  :>)  If you want in, leave a comment to this post with your email address.  I'll keep in touch with you via email for support and accountability. Worst-case scenario: you'll lose a little weight, increase your energy and improve your health through discipline and fellowship.  Let's GO!

Food Handlers and Negative Energy

I can't begin to count all the times I've gone to stores, restaurants, etc. and found food handlers slinging food around like they are taking out all of their pent-up aggressions on the food. Maybe I'm just really sensitive to this type of stuff because I love and respect food so much...

Today I went for a stroll at my favorite mall and decided to stop at the food court to get a salad.  I drooled over a dish of piled-high spinach salad loaded with red onions, roasted red peppers, pecans and grilled chicken.

Even before I placed my order, I could see the scowl on counter attendant's face a mile away.  I looked at her and then at the beautiful salad....back at her and then the salad.  Normally, I would have just walked away and got something else but those gorgeous bright green leaves were whispering to me.  I had to have them.  So, I summoned the good Twin, put a bright smile on my faced and asked as politely as I could for a large salad.  I hoped a big smile and a bit of positive energy would rub off on her but no such luck.  She grabbed a container, an obscenely large pair of tongs and proceeded to stab at the salad and slam it into my container.  A few injured spinach leaves were hanging over the sides of the container and when she noticed, she jabbed wildly at them to get them under control.  

Ok, I've had enough! To all of you angry, unconscious food handlers out there I implore you to STOP the madness now!  Don't you realize that food is a gift from God and should be treated with love and respect?  Food has feelings too!  Do you realize that by taking out your anger/displeasure on food that others have to eat, you are spreading negative energy that can effect our mood and possibly our digestion?  Do you even care?  Enough already.  If you don't like your jobs, please find new ones or at the very least, get some anger management help.  There is enough negative energy on our planet without you adding your misguided molecules of negativity to our food, drink and water supply.

To the rest of you I say...before you eat food touched by an angry food handler, make sure when you say your prayers/grace, that in addition to giving thanks for the food, you pray for protection from negative energy that could have tainted the food during the planting, harvesting, transporting, preparation or service of your food (especially if you find yourself eating late at night--it could save you from having nightmares)...lol.  :>)

Food Serendipity and Photo

I was at the supermarket a few days ago and saw some ground chicken.  I'd never cooked ground chicken before so I bought a pound--intending to recreate a chicken meatball recipe I'd seen on the 'net earlier this week.  When I started prepping the dish this morning, I changed my mind and decided to make chicken burgers instead.

I roasted a beautiful red pepper and a little onion and used them to make a sauce with low-fat mayo to top the finished burgers.  Again, I'd never cooked ground chicken before and was unsure about how to season it.  When I took the chicken out of the pack I got the idea to add some of the roasted pepper/onions but I'd used them all for the mayo so I just put a few tablespoons of the red pepper mayo in with the ground chicken--along with a few spices and some fresh thyme...

Well, while my burgers were cooking I turned on the tube and low and behold, there was an old episode of Giada at Home--the episode where she made chicken burgers with a rosemary mayonnaise--I couldn't believe it!  I'm not sure when the original episode aired but it felt really cool to create a dish that one of my favorite chefs had done and I allowed myself to fantasize that we were cooking together (guess it's true what they say...a mind is a terrible thing to waste...lol). Food serendipity!

Anyway, about the photo of my Ultimate Cluck Burger w/Roasted Red Pepper Mayo...

I believe I'm making progress on my food styling/photo-taking.  The picture turned out pretty good--if you overlook the fact that there's a little too much lettuce and the burger kept sliding off the bun (yes, there was a bottom bun...lol).  Please rate my photo (from 1 to 5 stars) and feel free to share any tips you may have to help me improve my photography skills.  Don't hold back and don't be shy.  Thanks! :>)

Want the recipe for my Ultimate Cluck Burger w/Roasted Red Pepper Mayo?  Get it here.

Family Dietary Preferences

My husband and I are polar opposites--in EVERY sense of the word (except we both love to cook).  The differences between us are palpable, albeit usually pretty funny, but meal time can be downright challenging. 

Things were going along quite smoothly until a few years ago when I decided to become health conscious.  He'd been doing all of the grocery shopping and most of the cooking--an arrangement that suited me just fine (he's an ex-chef and has mad skills in the kitchen) until I noticed we were eating red meat more often than I wanted to.  I tried requesting healthier foods and if he remembered, he would oblige me but he didn't always remember.  Consequently, I ended up making a grocery runs to get the items I wanted.  These days we buy separate groceries and cook separately. Truth be told, we enjoy our new arrangement because it allows us more freedom of choice and reduces meal frustration.

Anyway, dh recently had a "coronary episode" and now he, too, has started watching how he prepares his meals and what he eats.  I'm really sorry about the turn of events but I'm ecstatic that he is being more health conscious.  The blessings of this recent occurrence are that he survived, he's on the mend and I could get really lucky and not have to spend too much of my own money on groceries anymore.  Just so you know, that last comment came from my slightly evil twin :>).

Do you have different dietary preferences from your mate, spouse or children?  Perhaps you're a vegan, your spouse a strict carnivore and your kids won't go near anything green.  Who primarily does the shopping and cooking and how have the differences manifested themselves in your relationship/lifestyle?

Happy Valentine's Day

"Love cures people – both the ones who give it and the ones who receive it.” -- Dr. Karl Menninger

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day.  If you don't have a love interest this year, you can still make it a special day by celebrating with family and friends.  Create a casual buffet and invite family and friends over for a game or movie night.  Treat yourself to a mani/pedi or take a friend to dinner and a movie (I hear the new movie, Valentine's Day, is great!).  Whether you decide to spend the day with friends or spend the day alone, don't forget the spirit in which this holiday was intended--to lavish affection on those we love--including ourselves.