Rice is great if you're hungry and want 2000 of something. Mitch Hedberg

This has been on my heart and mind to write for a while. I think posting about squirrel welfare in this neighborhood brought it back to my fore mind. This is one of those post that would be best read with you sitting in front of your open pantry which is pretty easy for most of us with our fancy mobile devices.

Yep...my cupboard.

So, I don't know, nor can I find clear information about where the Feeding 5000 project as I know it started. My first experience with it was at Grace, and they are doing it now at Christ so maybe it's a Methodist thing.

I used to attend a church that collected food on an ongoing basis, and while I was going there I looked up the Feeding 5000 shopping list because it always seemed like a good guide to me. The program aims to provide 2 days of food for a family of four. The shopping list is fairly simple:

2 cans meat (12-24 oz. each), 1 lb. dry pasta, 2 cans vegetables (14.5 oz.), 1 jar peanut butter (18 oz.), preferably creamy, 2 cans fruit (16 oz.), 2 boxes macaroni and cheese or rice (71/4 oz.), 2 cans soup ( 103/4 oz.), 1 lb. dried beans or 1 can baked beans, 1 box hot or dry cereal (12-18 oz.), 1 can spaghetti sauce (15-26 oz.), 1 can evaporated milk (12 oz.) or 1 pkg of 3 (8 fl. oz.) of nonrefrigerated milk

The reason I recommended reading this while looking at your own pantry is that I think too often people's knee-jerk reaction is to say they have nothing to give without realizing how blessed they are. I pulled enough out of my cupboard to start two bags. I spent $24.00 at the store to finish them off. I probably could have spent less but I will not donate anything that I wouldn't feed my own family. I know I am weird like that but how thoughtful a gift is it if in your quest to help you assume that people who need food assistance love all that corn and el cheapo mac and cheese. Just sayin'

Anyway, someone inevitably argues the ol' "beggars can't be choosers" line of thought. That line is more of a reminder to folks receiving something to be grateful for their gifts, not an invitation to change the world with cheap Mexican canned goods you wouldn't eat yourself. Giving should come from a place of love. I know that all the government assistance programs have really eroded that place in most of our hearts. I'm guilty of it. Why should I help out people who are getting this that and the other? Why should I help out even more, I'm already paying for xyz through my taxes? I could go on and on, because well, I am fairly Objectivist by nature. But on the softer side of me, you never know what tomorrow brings. From a Christian perspective, it's not for any of us to judge the situation, it's not in our job description. The judgement belongs solely to God, our only job is to give from a place of love and in doing so bear witness to redemptive nature of Jesus Christ....or something like that.

Hunger is no joke. Something like  1 in 6 Americans are dealing with hunger issues. Things have been rough and tumble and less than stable the past couple of years. 1 in 6 means that on any given day here in one of the richest countries in the world something like 52 million people aren't getting what they need to survive.

With what was on hand and $24.00 I gathered 2 days of food for 2 families. If I had gone out and straight up bought just enough for 1 family it would have been under $20 easy. I am not made of money by any means. $20 is roughly equivalent to a family trip to Subway. I can do without Subway once a week if it means someone else gets to go to bed with a full belly.

File it under the whole the love you take, is equal to the love you make...or you get what you give. I always have just what I need. Back at my old church, I was donating food weekly at a time when neither of us had a job or any idea what the future was going to bring for us. Using the list can make it a nice little family project. When I did my shopping trip, I told my three year old we weren't there to buy for us we were there to buy for a family that needed help, just like when he bought presents for the little girl at Christmas. Even at three he understands.

You know, this blog is titled as it is as a reminder to me to not be such a hard-headed, hearted Biznotch. I've been around a couple of rough blocks, as had my husband, and it's easy to look at life and say well, "I did it." This blog and these random trains of thought help to remind me that not everyone has the same capabilities as me. So, I do what I can (pun intended), and you should too. Besides, that can of beans has probably been sitting in your cupboard since last Summer, doesn't it make sense to give it to someone who is dying to eat it?

Do You Bake News and April Specials

Rolling off of a good March, and I am excited for April.

As you can see, the hostess special for April is: 

• Get an extra $10 in rewards when you close a $200 party.  
• Close a $300 party in April and in addition to the extra $10 in rewards, you will receive a free jar of Sinfully Cinnamon. 

  I still have openings for April, and I always have space for an online party. Remember, right now Do You Bake is only in US and Canada, so if you are in one of those places and would like to schedule a party shoot me an email. 

Our customer specials for the month of April are: 

• Cupcake trio for only $19.50. What is in the trio? Chocolate Cupcake Mix, Lemon Cupcake Mix, and Carrot Cupcake Mix all for only $19.50
• If you haven't already signed up to be a part of YUMM Club, do it in April and get the Popcorn Poppers Set as our gift to you when you join. The Popcorn Poppers Set is a $20 value and includes 1 shaker of each of the following - Cheesy cheddar popcorn seasoning, Cha-Cha Chocolate Popcorn Seasoning, Caramel Sprinkle.
• The YUMM Selections for April are:  
• Cracked Pepper and Parmesan Dipping Oil Mix 
• Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Seasoned Veggies Mixes 
• German Chocolate Cake Mix
•  Yours for $29.00 and free shipping
• YUMM Club is a monthly meal subscription and you will receive the YUMM Selection of the month every month, unless you cancel. 

So that's just a peek at what's on the horizon for April. May will bring more deliciousness, and I am not just saying that. We will be unveiling our summer flyer which I hear has a couple of cocktail options.

Want to stay in touch about Do You Bake?  Come follow me: https://www.Facebook.com/DYBJennyWolfe

Happy baking friends!!

Whole Wheat Flax Beer Bread from Do You Bake?

I believe I posted about this bread before. I wanted to post again because I made it differently and have my own photos and I haven't got anything else to talk about.

 This is all it takes to make a loaf, and yes, I am aware of the irony of using a diet soda with my all-natural, preservative-free, additive-free mix.

I made it with Coke Zero last time and it had a tinge of sweetness to it. I wondered if root beer would have a similar sweetness.

I probably should have used the macro setting to show you the texture of the mix better. I just love how hearty it looks. The darker areas are the flax seeds.

 Just 12 ounces of liquid is all you need to add to the mix.

Just for the record. Those are two different measuring cups. I measured in a two cup and mixed in a four cup, but in the future I will use something slightly larger for mixing.

Prior to baking, the instructions specify to add one tablespoon of olive oil or melted butter/margarine to the top.

The finished product.

To be honest, I didn't really care for this batch of bread. The flavor was fine with the root beer, but using oil instead of butter seemed to dry out the top. Also, if you weren't an olive oil fan, the flavor would definitely bother you as the earthiness of the EVOO was fully imparted in this bread.

I still recommend this bread mix. My husband liked it both ways, as did the kids...and the dog. I just personally probably won't use oil in the prep in the future.

In addition to Whole Wheat Flax Beer Bread, Do You Bake offer seven other varieties of beer bread, along with sweet cream breads. You can check them out at http://www.DoYouBake.com/JennyWolfe.

Do You Bake?: Frenchy Chicken and Quinoa Ooh La La!

I made this for dinner the other night, had leftovers a little bit ago for lunch. I have to admit the I was a little leery because I just haven't really like quinoa in the past, but trust me if I truly didn't like this dish I would tell you.

The mix comes with the herb packet and the quinoa. You add chicken, onion, and tomatoes and after about 60 minutes...voila! The asparagus paired nicely with it. Asparagus isn't normally in the rotation at the Wolfe den but it was on sale this week so I couldn't pass it by.

If you do not know what quinoa is, don't be swayed. As you can tell by the picture it looks a bit like sticky rice. It is a grain that is native to South America, and is nutrient packed and very easy to prepare. Don't skip the soak, it is an important part of the process. I set mine to soak before I started the chicken, then put it on the burner after the chicken was in the oven and everything was done about the same time. I think my quinoa actually ended up a tad on the overdone side, because I had an unexpected chauffeur duty that put off dinner by about fifteen minutes.

I most prep there is with the chicken is dicing the onion and tomato. The ingredient list says canned tomatoes are okay. We rarely have those in this house. I'm glad on this first run that wasn't an option because I do not think that canned tomatoes would be as good.

My other thoughts on this are that it could very easily be stretched past four servings by increasing the onion and tomato and cutting the chicken in to smaller pieces. I intend to try this in the near future, so if there is anyone out there who knows me and wants to volunteer, I could use a taste-tester.

I love the combination of herbs that are in this mix, and I sincerely hope that down the line Do You Bake? will offer a shaker of it. It be an extra bonus if they called it "Frenchy Ooh La Licious Herbs"

So two thumbs up for the Frenchy Chicken, more if I had them. My husband really liked it, too, and he's very particular about what he puts in his mouth.

Disclaimer time: I am an independent distributor of Do You Bake products. If you click this link, and place an order, I will receive a commission of your purchase.  You can check out this and the complete line of Do You Bake? products at http://www.DoYouBake.com/JennyWolfe

Thanks to Golden Charm and Country Bob!

Honesty. Integrity. These things mean something to me. I have allegedly won about 6 giveaways since right before Christmas. I have one of those prizes in my possession. I'm no sweeper, but if I scratched your back you darn well better deliver.

If you did what you said you were going to do, you are alright in my book! So, today, I am going to give props to Golden Charm for introducing me to Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce.

It's major award!

I want to sauce you up!

When the UPS guy dropped off the package, I wasn't even sure what it was because I wasn't expecting anything. When I opened the box, the dad from A Christmas Story popped in my head, and I proceeded to dig through the paper to find two shiny bottles of Country Bob's All- Purpose Sauce.

I did what any self-respecting condiment lover would do I cracked one open. The aroma is reminiscent of a certain nationally known brand of steak sauce, but the flavor is something else...and way better than the nationally known sauce, in my humble opinion. Tangy, sweet, spicy but the perfect blend of those. Not to tomato-y, really just right. I always hate how the big brands are leave a strong vinegar aftertaste.

It reminded me of a thicker version of sauce I had years ago. It was a gift to my parents and I think it was called wildcat sauce but I have never been able to find it.

I was pleased to see that my local grocery carries Country Bob. I would definitely try other varieties, and the ability to walk into "kegger" as my son calls it and pick it up definitely increases the likelihood of that happening. 

Hot rods and hot sauce is there
anything Christ can't do?