The Fundraising Factory - Archive for the ‘Fantastic Food’ Category

Chocolate “Salami” Dessert

Sunday, July 15th, 2012

At my fundraiser brunch to benefit the Maine Cancer Foundation I promised I would let you in on a few of the recipes and also the results of my fundraising efforts.  It’s probably not the best idea to experiment with new recipes on guests but I have been known to be a risk taker and rule breaker.  Is anyone thinking Pat Benatar right now?  No, Okay.  Anyway, I tried a few new recipes out on my friends/guests and this one was definitely a hit so I knew I needed to share it with you.   By the way I raised a few thousand dollars from that brunch.  Now that’s some sweet!  If you are interested in how I did that just click this link.  I am not finished fundraising for MCF yet but you can be sure that I will let you know the final tally when I am done.

Meanwhile, here is the recipe for this cute little finger dessert.  What you will love about this besides for the fact it’s chocolate is that it is super easy to make and can be done a day in advance.

 

Chocolate “Salami” for Fundraising Brunch

What you need:

1 (12 oz.) pkg. semisweet chocolate chips. I used Godiva but Hersey’s will do just fine.

1 1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, sliced into 6 to 8 pieces

2 Cups (1/4 of a 12 oz. pkg) vanilla wafer cookies crushed into crumbs 1/3 Cup sliced almonds. I bet you could try walnuts and also add dried fruits cut up into small peices as well if you wanted to get a little creative. I am thinking dries cherries would be good. I mean chocolate and cherries. That’s a YES!

raspberries and mint for garnish

What you do:

1. Melt the chocolate using a double boiler or a metal bowl or saucepan that will rest on top of another sauce pan.  Fill the bottom pan half way with water.  Put the chocolate and butter in the top pan.  Heat the water over med/low so the water is barely steaming.  After about 1 minute, gently stir the chocolate and butter.  Every minute or so stir.  Once about 80 percent is melted remove from heat and continue stirring until the mixture is melted and smooth.  It should be just warm to the touch.

Add the vanilla, cookie crumbs, almonds.  If you went the creative route now would be the time to add dried fruits.

2. Put the pan in the freezer until the mixture is slightly firm.

3. Spray a large sheet of plastic wrap with vegetable cooking spray.  Spread the mixture evenly along one long side.  Roll to form a log shape about 21/2 to 3 inches in diameter and 10 to 12 inches long.  Place the log in the freezer for at least an hour until firm or overnight for use the next day.

4. Remove the log from the freezer about 2 hrs before plating and cut into 1/2 inch slices.  Garnish with raspberries and mint.

5. Watch them disappear!

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Quinoa Summer Salad – Vegan and Gluten-Free

Thursday, May 31st, 2012

These days everyone seems to be on a different diet.  This is a vegan-gluten free dish I made for my recent fundraising brunch.  You don’t have to be vegan to love this salad.  It’s so simple to make, incredibly healthy and wildy delicious.

What you need:

1 clove of garlic, peeled
2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked quinoa
A sprinkling of sweet grape tomatoes- I use both yellow for sweetness and red for color
1 carrot, grated
4 scallions, sliced (white and light green parts)
1/4 cup Kalamata olives chopped. I have substituted Greek but used less since the flavor is so much stronger.
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds or pinenuts
Sea salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil leaves
1-2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice of 1-2 lemons or limes.

What you do:

Rub the clove of raw garlic inside a non metal salad bowl.

While the cooked quinoa is still warm spoon it into a bowl and fluff with a fork.

Halve the grape tomatoes and add them to the bowl. Add in the grated carrot, sliced scallions, Kalamata olives, and toasted slivered nuts. Toss lightly to combine.

Season with sea salt and ground pepper. Add the chopped fresh herbs. Drizzle the salad with extra virgin olive oil- enough to moisten. Toss again. Squeeze a lemon or a lime all over the salad and give it one final toss.

Cover and chill until at least one hour before serving. Serving chilled can stifle flavors so I prefer to serve at room temperature.

Before serving, adjust seasonings if needed.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Enjoy!

 

 

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Fundraising – One Person at a Time

Friday, May 25th, 2012

Recently someone asked me if I had any ideas about how they could run their own personal fundraising campaign.  Of course I do because this is something I am in fact doing right now.  Non-Profits take note – this might be an idea you could share with your potential donors as well.

So, here’s my own ‘one person’ show fundraising plan.

This year I am in Maine’s Tri for a Cure event that benefits the Maine Cancer Foundation.  It’s a swim, bike, run triathalon.  Besides having to get into shape, I mean get into training mode, I also have a responsibility to fundraise for this charity event.

Cash Mobs – have you heard of them?

  • A variant of crowd funding, cash mobs entail rallying people to a local business to have a good time and spend some money.  Here’s how I am capitalizing on this concept.  I held a fundraising brunch in my home to kick off my efforts.  I invited lots of people from all walks of my life.  I prepared all kinds of great foods (don’t worry I will share some of those recipes in future posts) and about 40 people showed up.
  • Once everyone arrived I made a pitch for the Maine Cancer Foundation.  I asked my guests to help me raise $5000! Yowza! By my calculations each of my guests would need to contribute about $125 each for me to reach my goal. That’s seems like a lot to ask of one person, I mean my cooking is good but is it worth 125 bucks?
  • However, I made it really easy for them to help me.  I introduced them to LULU Cubes.  You can read about how they work in a past blog post or get the how to do it details on my website.  Each person took one with them when they left.
  • I invited them to come back to another party July 4th, which would give them 6 weeks to fill their LULU Cubes with donations.  They loved the idea for a variety of reasons.  It’s social, it’s fun, it’s easy and they can be a part of something bigger when they come together again at the July 4th party and see the results of the entire group!

Engaging Donors in my Campaign

To engage my ‘friends mob’ in the efforts of the group,  I created a LULU Cubes Facebook page where everyone can upload and share images of their LULU Cubes as they get them filled with donations.  I will also send a weekly e-mail to all the LULU Cube owners sharing ideas of where to take their cubes and inspiring them to be the best fundraisers they can be.  This really does speak to my saying. “Your One Choice Away From Changing the World!”  It’s true, anyone can give something, even if it’s only a nickel to their LULU Cube!

Hey if you want to follow along with how we’re doing go to facebook.com/LULUCubes.

 

 

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Katmandu

Friday, December 9th, 2011

Never in a million years did I think I would be blogging about a recipe but occasionally I break out the pots and pans here at DBL and whip something up for everyone.  Today’s dish is really a bowl.  It’s called Katmandu Stew and it is out of this world yummy, very healthy and vegan to boot!  I just love it and there are usually leftovers.  When I make this at home the eastern seasonings linger  in the house for a couple of days.  I did forget it’s Friday and we are open to the public from noon til 5.  Already a few people have stopped in and asked what’s cooking, it smells so good in here?  hmmm….Is there a restaurant in DBL’s future?  That would make me the Chief, Cook and do I really have to do the dishes too?  Give it a try and let me know what you think.

Katmandu Stew

1 teaspoon of cumin seeds

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

3 teaspoons curry powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 pinch of cinnamon

2 cups organic red lentils, rinsed

1 medium sweet potato, diced

2 carrots, diced

1 cup of chopped Kale

1 medium red onion, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 or 2 teaspoons chile paste with garlic or dried red chiles (I use Lan Chi brand from Whole Foods)

5 cups water

Salt from any Sea

1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped

1.  Toast the cumin seeds and powder, fennel seeds, curry powder, coriander, turmeric, and cinnamon in a cast iron frying pan on high heat until the cumin seeds start to pop.

2. Add the red lentils and stir until the spices are mixed in.   Add a splash of water and continue cooking and stirring.   Add the sweet potato, carrots, kale, onion, garlic, chili paste, and 4 cups water.

3. Stir, cover, and bring to a boil, then stir again, turn down the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes until the sweet potatoes and lentils are cooked.   Add salt to taste, and serve garnished with plenty of fresh cilantro.  Enjoy!

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