Menu for Hope 6-Donate and You might win a stay at Bella Baita

Menu for Hope 6 is off and running!
December 14-25, 2009

If you aren't familiar with this fund raising campaign you might want to read more about its origins at Chez Pim's blog here and all about how to participate here. 
In a nut shell, Pim reached out to her fellow food bloggers and their audiences in response to the devastating tsunami that hit southeast Asia 5 years ago and this effort has evolved into supporting the UN World Food Programme. This years focus is one close to my heart for a variety of reasons, as the proceeds will be going to a " new initiative at the WFP called Purchase for Progress (P4P).  P4P enables smallholder and low-income farmers to supply food to WFP’s global operation.  P4P helps farmers improve farming practices and puts more cash directly into their pockets in return for their crops.  This will also help buoy local economy by creating jobs and income locally.... More on P4P at http://www.wfp.org/purchase-progress."

Now, I'm reaching out to you to ask you to join in this challenge to raise money while donating money for raffle tickets for a chance to bid and possible win a wide variety of fabulous offerings donated from many food related bloggers and such from around the world. You donate $10 per entry, you'll have a chance to win fabulous bid items from all over the world. You can make as many donations as you wish; the more you enter, the more chances you'll have of winning.

This is where I have the pleasure of telling you that Fabrizio and I are donating a 2 night stay with us at Bella Baita, (Bid item code: EU35) our mountain retreat in the Italian Alps. We know you'll want to wander around our neighborhood, breath in the fresh air and savor the spectacular French border views that are to be had in our "off the beaten path" inn here in Piedmont, but we've got a guided market tour in Pinerolo in store for you as well. You just need to make sure you're here for Wednesday or Saturday morning as you won't want to miss out on this tempting part of the offer. You'll feel like a local as we shop our way through this twice weekly outdoor market that has been held in the same location for over 1,000 years.

We'll sample some of the local cheeses, but we'll be spoiled for choice as there are just so many to choose from and plenty of local fruits and vegetables to go along with or pick up all the ingredients for a picnic lunch later.

That is, unless we spoil ourselves with a trip to our favorite cafe with all the killer pastries and the  chocolate shop that makes their own version of Nutella that will have you checking your baggage allowance to see how many jars you will be able to bring home.

And naturally, there is the "view" from Bella Baita that is truly worth the visit.  Don't take our word for it, check out what some of our guests have had to say about their visit with us on Trip Advisor.

We recommend that you plan your visit with us sometime April through October, but other times would be considered and, naturally, subject to availability, as we are a small inn. The Bid item (code: EU35) offer is valid through Dec 2011, giving you plenty of time to plan that Italian holiday you've always wanted to take, or maybe you just want a short break to recharge the battery.
Be tempted by all of the European offerings where ours is located at author and bon vivant David Lebovitz's blog.

Have some fun and help a worthy cause that benefits many.
Bid now and bid often, we're awaiting your visit!

You can browse the varied bid items by region at all of the sites listed below:
Europe (hosted by David Lebovitz)
Asia Pacific (hosted by Ed of Tomatom)
USA: East Coast (hosted by Helen of Tartelette)
USA: West Coast (hosted by Shauna of Gluten Free Girl)
Canada (hosted by Tara of Seven Spoons)

To Donate and Enter the Menu for Hope Raffle


Here's what you need to do:

1. Choose a bid item or bid items of your choice from our Menu for Hope main bid item list.

2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.

3. Please specify which bid item you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item, and please use the bid item code.

Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02 - 2xEU01, 3xEU02.

4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.

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



And please pass this post along to friends and others via links on your blog and via social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook. You can use the Share This button below.
If you have any questions you can contact me at Marla at bellabaita point com

Update: Here is a link to a streamlined bidding form, Menu for Hope 6 widget,  that simplifies the bidding process.

Tis the season for Exchanges and Giving

Pasta di Meliga Biscotti
Cornmeal Cookies

I have been thinking about a get together that I shared with some girlfriends back in Colorado lately, the annual cookie exchange. My dear friend and colleague, Nancy use to organize it and put on the do at her house. It was a fun get together that sort of grew out of the other fun event she organized, the Women's annual hut trip. The hut trip was a back country ski trip into the Colorado Rockies to a remote trip to eat, drink wine and telemark around the hut, weather and avalanche permitting and a whole lot of gabbing going on. It was a great adventure every year and one I miss. The cookie exchange became another annual event that was also in the genre of eating, drinking wine and gabbing, but this one everyone brought their favorite home made cookies and exchanged them, making a nice selection for over the holidays when you had friends and families around with a nice variety without having to make all the different varieties. There was a catch of course, as one of our friends can attest to. If the invitee list was 12 women, then that meant that you needed to make 12 dozen cookies of the same variety, so that everyone got a dozen from each of the 11 other attendees. Sounds easy until you realize that 12 dozen cookies is a lot of ingredients and work too. One friend, who still hasn't heard the end of it, and didn't quite comprehend the fact that you needed 12 dozen cookies. She brought her 1 dozen, so everyone got one cookie from her batch, teased her unmercifully and a good laugh that year and a few other years as well. I hope you're reading and laughing along with me this year Miz "moore chardonnay".
So the years have passed and many of the friends that use to participate have moved away and so the cookie exchange that then turned into the food exchange ceased to exist except for in my mind. I wrote about it in passing last year and thought how I would like to do something for this year virtually. Then of course, life happened and I am down to the wire without getting it together. I still want to do something in honor of such a fun event and my friend that started it all, Nancy Feely. Nancy is now working with Habitat for Humanity Jordan

I thought it would be nice to have a Food and Charity exchange in her honor this year as she and her husband are coming to spend Christmas with us. They're meeting in the middle from opposite arts of the world to share the holidays here in Italy.
Naturally, I'm getting this off the ground, (that is if it even flies) late, but I say better late than never and at least i'll hopfully be in gear to bring it around next year earlier and better.
The idea is to have a virtual Cookie/food exchange here with a favorite recipe of your choice, be it a family favorite cookie or some special treat for the holidays and a mention and link to one of your favorite charities. I always especially enjoy Italian treats. Even if you don't have a blog, I will publish your exchange gift and charity here. The food gift doesn't have to be a cookie recipe, it can be any sort of festive food, quick breads, jarred treats, my friend use to give out the best cranberry chutney. Oh how I miss cranberries here in Italy. Anyway, you get the drift. I know it's last minute and I don't mind if it's just a few particcipnts, it's still a good time to put up something for the holidays and and mention your favoritie charity. A time for sharing. Can'tfind the time to participate? There is always next year. There are lots of other holiday events happening so I know it's tough to do everything. One worth mentioning is
Menu for HopeIV which started out raising money for the Asia tsunami victims 4 years ago and this year is putting the money towards the school lunch program in Lesotho, South Africa, so if you have the time, check it out and maybe bid on something that suits you. Jeni from the Passionate Palate wrote a nice piece on ideas for gift giving and charities also.
If you have the time submit something.

Here's how to participate:
1. Post on your blog before 18th of this month about something you like to make and share for Christmas and a favorite charity link.
2. Take a picture of the dish and send me a smallish photo, 100x 100 photo of it.
3. Add a link to Bella Baita View.
4. Please send an email to Info@bellabaita.com
5.and enjoy your holidays this year.
I hope to have the round up on the 20th or 21st.

Pasta Meliga Or Cornmeal Cookies

These are a Piedmont favorite. Rich buttery melt in your mouth treats and hence they are a bit fragile. They are normally made with one of those cookie guns that means you can have quite a stiff dough to keep the shape of the cookie. I don't have one of those, so I use a pastry bag with a star tip which works pretty well, but your hand will get sore squeezing these out. Mine don't hold their shape as well as they should and I think they could use with a touch more flour, especially as I am at a slight elevation (3,300 ft) and I do think that makes a difference. Those of you in the high country need to definitely add more flour.

300 g durum flour (pasta flour or all purpose) flour if you don't have access to durum
50 g more flour if you are baking at a high altitude
100g cornmeal, a good quality brand that is coarse without being grainy is a good choice. Coarse polenta is not a good choice as it will be gritty and sticks in your teeth.
300 g butter room temperature
200 g sugar
2 egg yolks
grated lemon peel, about 1/2 lemon

Whip the butter and sugar till fluffy
Add the egg yolks and grated lemon peel and blend thoroughly
Thotroughly mix in the flours.
Pipe out the dough while the butter is still room temperature.

Bake in a 350*F/ 190*C till light brown. they shouldn't pick up a lot of color
I bake in a convection oen , so they bake quite quickly, usually not taking more than 10 minutes, max.

Last Minute Giving Idea

Down for the count till the holiday officially begins. Inundated with lots of requests for money for this or that or so many to buy for. Honestly It seems to me that a few small meaningful or useful gifts amongst the immediate family and friends is quite enough. Of course with children it's always fun to see the excitement of "children's faces looking up holding wonder like a cup...". that is of course before they get older and jaded. Sigh...
My suggestion for Christmas or any other time of the year is a great gift giving idea from some folks in Portland Oregon. They are called mercy kits from Mercy Corps and for as little as $35 you can give a struggling family a selection of seeds for a family garden or for a bit more a goat for a gift that continues to give year after year. These kits are useful and tailored to all parts of the world, the US included and embrace many ways of enabling people to help themselves. There are other gifts that you can purchase, where your recipient will receive a wreath or easter flower basket or some other lovely and thoughtful gift, where part of the purchase price goes to the many varied projects that Mercy Corps have implemented. Rebuilding kits for Katrina, children's food kits, rain forest kit, just to name a few. Book mark their site and think about a meaningful and generous gift throughout the year that will not only bless the giver and the receiver, but connects you in a way that isn't easily forgotten.
My wish for all of you is health and contentment.
"I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting."

Cheers!