Children are the Future

Children are the Future…BloggerAid Invests in Children

You may have heard that Blogger Aid ispublishing a cookbook !!! We are very pleased to announce that we have selected a program that targets children and education through the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations frontline agency.

One of WFP’s largest areas of assistance is called School Meals .Through this program, a meal is provided to children in schools where there are low attendance rates This is particularly true where there is a significant lack of girls attending. In some areas where food is available other resources like stoves are provided to these schools. The goal is to provide a hot, nutritious meal as an incentive for parents in poorer communities to send their children to school rather than keep them at home working. An education is the best thing we can give our kids to break the cycle of hunger and poverty and to be a contribution to society. With a project like School Meals, we are very excited to have the opportunity to contribute to the WFP and this program through BloggerAid.

Facts & Figures

• 75 million primary school-aged children do not go to school
• 97 percent of them are in developing countries
• 57 percent of them are girls
• 150 million children drop out of school before attaining basic primary education


Encouragingly, the group of talented bloggers committed to the BloggerAid Cookbook project is growing by the minute!!! We have now reached a milestone of over 100 members. At the request of some of our new members, who are just as excited about this ambitious project as we are, we have decided to extend the deadline until the end of March. We know that we are all busy and you may not have found the time to submit a recipe for the cookbook yet. The new logo has a few of the recipes submitted so far. So keep those recipes coming in!!!

100% of the proceeds from the sales of the cookbook will be channeled to the School Meals Program.

We are continuing to brainstorm about new BloggerAid initiatives and would love to have your input.

You don't need to be a member of BloggerAid to submit a recipe.
You just need a willingness to share your love of food from around the world and want to be involved in raising awareness and money for world hunger and these children. There is no cost to you – just a sense of satisfaction that comes from participating in this exciting project and seeing your name and recipe in print.

You may post about your recipe without revealing the ingredients...the cookbook will be the round-up where your recipe will be published. Once the cookbook has been published you can publish your recipe wherever you like...it will always be yours and you will always receive full credit.

What if my photo skills are not up to cookbook standards?
Submit a photo anyway because we are our own worse critics aren't we? Don't let that stop you!!! But, if you would like, one of our team members will recreate your recipe and photograph it for you. Email your recipe in a plain text Word document along with a photo of your dish to bloggeraid(AT)gmail(DOT)com by March 31st, the deadline for receiving recipes. Let's get the word out!!!!!

More information can be found in the forum of our Social Network BloggerAid . Remember you don't need to be a member to participate!!!


Deadline for submissions is March 31st

Mexican Chicken Breasts - A Review

When asked by Gloria of Cookbook Cuisine if I would be willing to write a review I really saw it as a perfect opportunity for me to grow a little in a cuisine that was totally unfamiliar to me. Gloria's book "Foods and Flavors of San Antonio" is the embodiment of her love of Tex Mex cuisine. After receiving a number of recipes to choose from, I selected one that is originally called Mexican Pork Chops. I noticed that Gloria suggested that this dish could be made with chicken so I opted for chicken. The recipe that I've copied below is the original recipe from Gloria's book with a couple of my own small changes.

There are two ways to prepare this dish, either finished in the oven or finished on the stovetop. I selected the stovetop method only because Gloria said it was her favourite way of preparing it.

The ingredients for the Mexican Chicken dish are reasonably easy to find. The only one that was not available in the great white north is the Mexican stewed tomatoes so I substituted with herbed stewed tomatoes. Firstly, let me start at the end - the dish was entirely delicious - so much so that even my two dogs were hanging around the stove, noses in the air wondering if they were going to get any. Sorry puppies, onions not so good for doggies.

The preparation was about 15 minutes with a stovetop cook time of 45 minutes. One could say that even after a hard day's work and you don't feel like cooking, you would opt to make this one - hardly any effort at all. This fits into my easy peezey category and smells delicious while it's simmering. Another bonus for this recipe is that it's inexpensive to make and you can increase and decrease quantities very easily. The leftovers next day were as flavourful as they were when they were made and didn't dry out - that definitely works for me.

My thinking is that if all of the recipes are as easy and satisfying as this one, I recommend you buy the book. I'm also pretty excited because I now realize that Tex Mex combination of flavours is highly appealing.

The verdict: I'm not done with Tex Mex; I'm only just beginning.

Mexican Pork Chops
This is one of my favorite recipes. There are two ways to make
it and both are delicious. I prefer the stovetop method.

2 to 3 tbsp. olive oil
4 center loin pork chops,
trimmed of fat
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1⁄4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. chili powder
1⁄4 tsp. ground cumin
11⁄2 cups water
1 15 oz. can Mexican stewed
tomatoes, cut up
3⁄4 cup long-grain white rice
1 cup shredded cheddar
cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. L ightly spray a 13x9" baking
dish with cooking spray. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Add the pork
chops and brown on both sides. Transfer to the prepared baking
dish.

Add the onion, green bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Sauté
in the pork drippings until tender. Season with the black pepper,
chili powder, and cumin.

Add the water and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes to
blend the flavors.

Sprinkle the rice over the pork chops. Pour the sauce over.

Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 1 hour.

Uncover and sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, for 5 to 10
more minutes or until the cheese melts.

Stovetop / Variation: Return the pork chops to the sauce in
the skillet. Prepare the rice separately. Cover and simmer for 45
minutes, stirring and turning occasionally. Serve over hot cooked
rice. To make Mexican Chicken Chops, use 4 skinless, boneless
chicken breasts instead of pork chops.

Serves 4

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Lately, I've been looking at my list of recipes to try (at the bottom right hand of the sidebar) and feeling like it was a good idea in theory, but not particularly motivating in practice. What works much better is a push from a friend. That's exactly what I got from Julia at Cook. Eat. Grow. A week or so ago, Julia sent me an email saying that she noticed that we both wanted to make cinnamon rolls and proposed that that we push each other to get it done.

Fast forward a week or so and we're both posting our results on the same day. Julia opted for an All Recipes version, while I went with Melanie at My Kitchen Cafe's recipe, which is passed down from her Aunt Marilyn.

The timing on these cinnamon rolls is perfect because I wanted to make a special dish for today's breakfast. This week is a big week for me. It's my last week as a student. After what feels like a lifetime in university, I am finishing school and am starting a job. Starting Monday, I'll be a career woman. It's going to take some adjustment. Namely, adjusting to a less flexible schedule.

I don't want you to think that graduate students are a bunch of slackers. But, there are some perks that come with the flexibility of some graduate programs. Sure, you work long days and nights. But, often there is the flexibility to take some time for yourself and socialize. One way I've been doing this over the past couple of years is by having a weekly Monday breakfast "meeting" with some friends in my department. By "meeting", I really mean that we watch an episode of a television series. Every week, we take turns bringing breakfast. We rationalize this as a way to get the week started early on Monday and to start it off on a good note. This week was my last turn. So, I wanted to bring something special for my last turn at bringing breakfast. My friends also surprised me with a going away gift: chocolate cake, a card and a bottle of wine. (Yes, between the recipe I brought, below, and the chocolate cake, we were on a sugar high all morning)


(I must know a lot about living...)

(the cake looks a bit weird because I removed some identifying information).

Vanilla Pudding Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Frosting

Rolls:
½ cup warm water
2 tablespoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ ounce package instant vanilla pudding
½ cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
6+ cups flour

Filling:
1 cup butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups brown sugar
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups confectioner’s sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk

In a small bowl combine water, yeast and sugar. Stir until dissolved. Set aside. In large bowl, take pudding mix and prepare according to package directions. Add butter, eggs and salt. Mix well. Then add yeast mixture. Blend. Gradually add flour; knead until smooth. Do not overflour the dough! It should be very soft but not sticky. Place in a greased bowl.


Cover and let rise until doubled.


Then roll out on floured board to 34 X 21 inches in size.


Take 1 cup soft butter and spread over surface. In bowl, mix 2 cups brown sugar and 4teaspoons cinnamon. Sprinkle over the top. (I added raisins)


Roll up very tightly. With knife put a notch every 1 1/2 inches. Cut with thread or serrated knife (highly recommend thread - I used dental floss).


Place on lightly greased cookie sheet 1 inch apart.


Cover and let rise until double again.




Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove when they start to turn golden (don’t overbake).


Frost warm rolls with cream cheese frosting (combine butter and cream cheese and mix well, then add vanilla and sugar and mix again, then add milk for desired consistency). Makes about 24 very large rolls.



Verdict: These cinnamon rolls are delicious. So much so that they need to leave my apartment asap. Everyone at breakfast loved them and even took a second for tomorrow's breakfast (with some prodding from me).

With all of this cinnamon, how can I resist sending this recipe to Grace's Cinnamon Celebration?