winosandfoodies

#Fail - George - My Big Fat Greek Fail

Dear George

You may be aware I am offering your book Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart as a prize in the 2009 Menu 4 Hope. 

You may have heard of us.  No? People donate US10 and get a ticket that puts them in the draw for various prizes throughout the world. It is something the food and wine blog community have done for several years now. We raise money to support the less fortunate communities in the world. This year our money is going to the United Nations World Food Programme.

Anyway back to your book. It's a lovely book.  Beautifully produced, pretty pictures, good recipes, nice bit of personal information about you and your family.  I enjoyed reading it.

I have some questions. Did you test all the recipes in the book? See I've made several recipes. 

Firstly I tried the Fig and Olive Relish. It was delicious. I served it with a nice Greek cheese I bought at the local deli. I even used it on a pizza. My husband hates figs.  Yes really. Hard to believe but true. He ate  the pizza, even said it was nice.  I didn't tell him about the figs.

Next the Toursi. Again very nice. Although my husband found them a bit strong. I figured next time I make them I'll dilute the vinegar with a touch of water. I'll probably enjoy them more too.

I have the most wonderful oncologist. His father emigrated from Greece some years ago. Had a little restaurant somewhere in Queensland. Up north somewhere. I can't quite remember which town. I thought he might enjoy some Kourambiethes.  With it being Christmas and all. It could have been the weather but I found I needed to add more flour. Even then the mixture was quite sticky. But not to worry they turned out fine. Bloody fabulous actually. My son said they are nicer than the ones his girlfriend makes.....and she's Greek.

Finally the Orange Peel Spoon Sweet. Now that did look interesting. I'd never eaten them before. It took me five days to complete the recipe. I changed the water religiously each day.

It could have been I  didn't boil them sufficiently. I googled orange peel spoon sweet and several of the recipes said only boil 5 minutes before starting the soaking process. I actually boiled them about half an hour. It would be helpful if you could put some timings in your recipe.  Anyway today I boiled them in the syrup. Again no indication on time so I boiled them to the jam/jelly setting on my sweet thermometer. I didn't want to go any further as I'd have ended up with toffee. Don't even ask about my experiences with pomegranate syrup.

So here's your dish and my dish alongside each other. Yours look delicious. Mine look like plain old orange peel. Can't say I like the taste much either.  Nothing like I was expecting.  I think I stuffed up somewhere. Where do you think I went wrong?

 

Anyway George you can check out all the Menu 4 Hope prizes at Tomatom . Maybe even suggest to Gary and Matt they could make a donation. It's a pretty neat Christmas present to give. If you'd like to see the prizes from throughout the world have a look at Chez Pim.

I might be down in Melbourne in 2010. Perhaps I could drop in and say hi. Maybe taste your orange peel spoon sweet.

Cheers

Barbara

Kourambiethes - Menu 4 Hope VI

Kourambiethes from Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart by George Calombaris.

Donate US$10 to Menu 4  Hope VI and go in the draw to win this book.

Donation Form here.

Australian host of Menu 4 Hope VI - Tomatom.

Toursi - Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart

Toursi, or in English, pickled vegetables, are usually eaten on Clean Monday, when Lent begins before Easter. They can be eaten at any time as a side dish. These Toursi are made from a recipe in George's book.

Greek Cooking from the Hellenic Heart could be yours for US$10. Make a donation at First Giving as part of 2009's Menu 4 Hope VI.  There is an excellent donation form on this page  to make it a very simple excercise. It is prize code AP01.

Go to Tomatom for a full list of all the Australian prize donations.

Go To Bed With George

Personally I'd rather go to bed with Gary.  But you could spend an evening propped up in bed with George's book Greek Cookery From The Hellenic Heart.

Buy you chance of taking George to bed by purchasing a ticket in Menu 4 Hope.  Register at First Giving and quote code AP01.

George's recipe for Black Olive and Fig Relish is in the book.

Full list of Australian items available for bidding are on Tomatom.

Menu 4 Hope - 2009. Bid on Greek Cookery From the Hellenic Heart

Just US$10 could get you George's book.  Australian readers, the exchange rate is excellent at the moment and will only cost you a few cents over AUD$11.

My contribution to Menu4Hope09 is the wonderful cookbook from Australian chef and  Masterchef judge  George Colambaris  - Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart.

If you are an Australian food blogger you may think George's book is the last thing you want on your shelf.   Buy a ticket and show George  we don't hold grudges. We are food lovers and we are prepared to forgive those who should know  better.

Bidding is open from December 14th - December 25th. Winners will be announced on Chez Pim at the end of the campaign.

Money is collected by First Giving.  Donors can make an on line (tax deductible in the US) donation with a credit card.

To purchase  tickets register at the First Giving  web site.  The code number to quote for a bid on  Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Heart  is AP01.

This prize is open to everyone.  I will ship it to wherever you are in the world. .

Menu for Hope is an annual fund raising campaign hosted by Chez Pim and a revolving group of food bloggers around the world.  

Each December, food bloggers from all over the world join the campaign by offering a delectable array of food-related prizes for the Menu for Hope raffle. 

Pim has published all you need to know about the event over at Chez Pim.

This year, we are supporting a new initiative at the WFP called Purchase for Progress. It enables small holder and low-income farmers to supply food to WFP’s global operation.   Visit the WFP site for more information on this initiative.  

The number to quote to buy a ticket in Greek Cookery from the Hellenic Hart  is  AP01. This prize is open to everyone.  I will ship it to wherever you are in the world.

Ed  at Tomatom is hosting Menu4Hope in Australia.  Pop over and visit Ed for a full list of prizes available.

Over the next two weeks I'll be posting a few dishes from the book.

When you donate, please remember to:

1. Specify which bid item or items you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation.  Do tell us how many tickets per bid item, and please use the item code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for the item UW01 and 3 for UW02 - please write "2xUW01, 3xUW02" in the Personal Message section when confirming your donation.

2. For US donors, if your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

3. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could 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.
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IMPORTANT: Please use the following convention when specifying your item choices 

"number of tickets" x "item code"

for example: 3xUE01, 2xAP06

PLEASE SUPPORT MENU 4 HOPE AND BUY A TICKET.

Menu For Hope 2008

It's that time of the year again. Pim's  Menu For Hope is the food and wine bloggers annual gift to charity.

This year's Menu for Hope will again benefit the school lunch program in Lesotho, as well as support the WFP's local procurement initiative, which contracts local farmers to grow food to supply the feeding program.

Visit Chez Pim for all you need to know - the prizes and how to purchase your raffle ticket and make your donation. 

The Asia Pacific, Australia and  New Zealand region is hosted by Ed Charles of  Tomato . Visit Ed's blog for the prizes in this region or if you have a prize you would like to donate.

Menu For Hope 2007

Are you with us?  Some where in Lesotho, Africa a child will eat lunch with our help.  Each December  the food and wine blogging community come together on line to raise money to help those less fortunate than us.

A few words from our leader Pim at Chez Pim

We are again supporting the WFP, but this year the funds raised by
Menu for Hope 4 will be specifically earmarked for a school feeding
program in Lesotho, Africa.  We chose to support the school lunch
programme because feeding the kids mean keeping them in school,
especially the girls who would otherwise be kept at home to work.  We
chose the support this particular program in Lesotho because the WFP
is making a concerted effort in procuring food from local farms to
supply the feeding program.  Feed the kids, keep them in school, and
support their parents farming.  This is truly a winning proposition.

I am unable to donate this year as we are in the middle of moving home to Australia after 35 years in New Zealand.  I'll be  buying lots of tickets though.  Check out the blogs below to see a list of the prizes and how to buy a ticket. Good luck.
UK
Johanna of The Passionate Cook and Jeanne of Cooksister
Europe
Fanny of Food Beam
US: West Coast
Bee of Rasa Malaysia
US: Central
Kalyn of Kalyn's Kitchen
US: East Coast
Adam Kuban of Slice NY and Serious Eats
Canada
Jennifer of The Domestic Goddess
Asia Pacific, Australia, New Zealand
Helen of Grab Your Fork

and, last but not least, our special Wine Blog Host
Alder of Vinography

Menu For Hope Winner

My donation for the Menu For Hope  has been won by Cindy at Where's The Beef . Cindy lives in Melbourne and writes about vegetarian food. Drop by and say hi to her.

Cindy - the book is in the mail. I hope you enjoy it.

Thank you to all my readers who bought tickets in the raffle. There is a list of all the prize winners over at Chez Pim.  Between us and with your help we raised US$60,0000.   Fantastic.

Menu For Hope III

HELP US TO HELP OTHERS
Could you help us feed the world's hungry?

Over 90 percent of the world's hungry are prisoners of poverty. They are too poor to buy enough food. They spend all their time and energy trying to survive. 

WFP's innovative food aid projects not only put food on the tables of the weakest and poorest: jobless mothers,  school children, landless farmers and HIV orphans. They  also help the hungry to secure food and an income by themselves,  so they can break out of the poverty trap and build a sustainable  future.

Menu for Hope is an annual fund raising event, originally devised by Chez Pim.  Last year the campaign raised US$17,000 for UNICEF in just twelve days.  In 2006 we will be raising funds to support the United Nations World Food Programme.

As you make plans for your holiday celebrations whether it be Christmas  , Hanukkah ,  Kwanzaa    or maybe just an end of the year party, take a moment to think about those 90 per cent.  Don't let them go hungry. Help us to help them.

Here's how you can help
Bloggers  from the Food and Wine blogging community throughout the world have pledged prizes which will be raffled on line.  You can purchase a ticket or tickets at US$10 each. Each prize has a unique number and you must quote that number when you go the  First Giving web site to purchase your tickets and make your donation.

All ticket monies are collected by  the on line fund raising company First Giving on behalf of Menu For Hope.

This year the world has been divided into regions. You may purchase tickets for any prize from any region provided they are prepared to ship to your destination.

I have donated this cook book as a prize and I am happy to post it to any  place in the world.

The cook book Taste Favourites is a mouthwatering compilation of  recipes from  four of New Zealands best food writers - Laurie Black, Allyson Gofton, Tracey Sutherland and Jennifer Yee.  All are contributors to the very successful New Zealand Taste magazine.

Prize Code :    AP 14
Prize Details:    Taste Favourites Cookbook from New Zealand Taste  Magazine

Here's what you should do...

1. Go to the donation page at (http://www.firstgiving.com/menuforhopeIII)

2. Make a donation, each US$10 will give you one raffle ticket toward a prize of your choice.  Please specify which prize or prizes you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation.  Do tell us how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for AP01 and 3 for AP02.

3. For US donors, if your company has agreed to match your charity donation, please remember to check the box and fill in the information so we may claim the corporate match.

4. Please also check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we could contact you in case you win.  Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

       5. Check back on Chez Pim  on January 15 when we announce the results of the raffle.  (The drawing will be done electronically.  Our friend the code wizard Derrick at Obsession With Food  is responsible for the wicked application that will do the job.)

First Giving - Menu For Hope
The website where you can purchase tickets on line.

Grab Your Fork - Menu For Hope
Helen of Grab Your Fork is the regional host for the Asia Pacific region. This site has the list of prizes donated by food and wine bloggers in this region.

Chez Pim - Menu For Hope
Pim of Chez Pim is the organiser of Menu For Hope, now in its third year.  Go to her site for a full list of the prizes available world wide.

TELL YOUR FRIENDS AND WORKMATES ABOUT US AND HELP US TO FEED THE WORLD'S HUNGRY.