For the past 3 years, every year during December, food bloggers from all around the world would get together and offer raffle prizes to support a good cause. Fellow food bloggers, readers/fans of food blogs and interested people bid on these prizes and the generated money is used for the cause.
Last year the fund drive was for UNICEF, to help earthquake victims of Kashmir. The effort generated about 17,000 dollars. Great, isn’t it? This year to benefit ‘World Food Programme’ - a UN’s branch, which has been providing food to people all over the world since 1962 whenever, wherever needed. The driving force behind all this effort is a generous, fellow food blogger Pim of Chez Pim. She is organizing and coordinating this fund drive through several co-hosts and reputable Firstgiving.com..
From my side, I am offering 3 prizes for this fund drive. Middle eastern cookies - Mamouls, traditional Andhra sweets - Sunnundalu (both are made by me) and an Indian cookbook. Each item will be sent to the winning bidder neatly packed and shipping expenses paid. The cookies, sweets and the book are among the best in their class.
1. Mamouls: 12 count. Prize Code: UW29
Exquisite, one of a kind, delicious date cookies from Middle-eastRosewater flavored cookies - Sweetly crisp, grainy covering on the outside and insides are sweet moist filling of honeyed dates. Homemade and styled using a wooden mamoul mold.
Ingredients:
Dough - semolina, all purpose flour, yeast, ghee, organic turbinado sugar and rose water
Filling - honeyed Tunisian dates, organic turbinado sugar and rose water
You can see the similar preparation using wooden mamoul mold - here.
2. Sunnundalu (Urad Dal Laddu): 20 count. Prize Code: UW30
Traditional sweet from Andhra Pradesh, India
Using an old world style grain mill, roasted urad dal is ground with sugar into fine sand like powder. Pure ghee along with cardamom powder is added and the mixture is shaped into perfect rounds. Prepared by following centuries-old traditional method, this sweet from my home state is a sheer delight and much beloved because of its unique taste and nutritional value. A must for celebrations and I am proud to offer this prize.
Ingredients:
Whole Urad dal, Ghee prepared from bovine hormone-free butter and organic turbinado raw cane sugar and cardamom powder.
For detail recipe and photos of preparation - click here.
3. Cooking at Home with Pedatha - by Jigyasa Giri, Pratibha Jain.
First edition and brand-new. Prize Code: UW33
Cookbook ~ Indian (Andhra) Cuisine
“Rendered in stunning aesthetics, here is a traditional fare from Andhra Pradesh, the rice-bowl of India which boasts of one of the sweetest of languages and spiciest of foods. Fluffy, steaming rice with spicy chutneys, piquant powders, wholesome dals and mouth-watering vegetables. In easy-to-do-steps, learn these traditional vegetarian recipes as taught by an 85-year-young grandmother.”
Kindly offered by the authors for this fund drive. Thanks Jigyasa and Pratibha!
Cookbook Details:
Authors website: http://www.pritya.com/index.html
Market price and Reviews at: Amazon.com
There are several neat prizes offered by fellow food bloggers from all around the world - from homemade goodies to cookbooks to dinner at fabulous restaurants. Click here for the complete list.
The site - First Giving, that Pim set up is secure and safe, accepts both Visa and Master Card (I’ve donated through it last year, no problems and very easy to do). I strongly believe that the money we generate goes towards feeding at least few hungry mouths. Please see if you would be able to contribute by bidding on the items of your choice. Thanks!
How to Contribute:
Go to Firstgiving.com
Contribute. Each $10 will give you one raffle ticket towards 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 mention how many tickets per prize, and please use the prize code -for example, a donation of $20 will buy you 2 tickets for UW29 (Mamouls).
Please include and also check the box to allow organizers to see your email address, so that they could contact incase you win the prize.
The event will be closed on 22nd December and raffle prize winners will be announced on January 15 at Chez Pim and respective blogs. (The drawing will be done electronically).
Not into prizes, the whole hungama-you just want to donate(like I did last year). You can do that also.
If you need more information about the prizes, please contact me using the comments form below. Thanks.
Cynicism is fine but compassion rocks! Choose rocking choice. Go bid and have fun!
Good luck Indira.
Comment by Raveena — December 11, 2006 @ 11:22 am
these prizes literally make my mouth water.
thanks for your participation, Indira.
sam
Comment by sam — December 11, 2006 @ 12:05 pm
Wonderful to have you participate Indira. It sure is going to open a whole new bunch of contributors for this campaign.
And a lot more confusion as to what to bid on too
Comment by Priya — December 11, 2006 @ 12:29 pm
Those cookies look wonderful, Indira! What a great way to bring Mahanandi into one’s home!
And what a great idea to have the Cooking with Pedatha cookbook as a prize!!
Comment by Manisha — December 11, 2006 @ 6:22 pm
Thanks Raveena!
You are doing an awesome job of coordinating this event, Sam. Thanks for all your effort and energy.
Priya: I wanted to participate this year through prize offering. These humble prizes is all I’d offer/think of at this time.
Manisha: Thanks for your support!
Jigyasa and Pratibha are really good people, they readily agreed to contribute to this project. I agree, their cookbook make a good gift that’d keep on giving.
Comment by Indira — December 11, 2006 @ 11:46 pm
This is a great event for such a wonderful cause Indira. Good luck and I’ll head on over to Firstgiving to see how I can contribute. Thanks!
- Roopa
Comment by RD — December 12, 2006 @ 9:39 am
Indira, these all sound wonderful. I don’t know how I’ll decide which item to bid on (although I know my wife would adore the laddu). The cookbook sounds good too. You’re so generous.
Comment by Brett — December 12, 2006 @ 7:27 pm
Roopa, You Rock! Thank you.
Brett, you and N look adorable in the new sidebar photo. I always wondered about you guys, particularly about N. She looks like an exceptional person.
Comment by Indira — December 12, 2006 @ 8:40 pm
Dear Indira,
Thank you for giving me an opportunity to contribute for a great cause.
Take care.
Comment by Hyma — December 14, 2006 @ 3:12 pm
BTW I am really happy to see my name on Mahanandi
Comment by Hyma — December 14, 2006 @ 3:14 pm
Dear Indira,
Thanks for supporting Menu for Hope and for the awesome prizes you are offering!
By the way, the 2006 Food Blog Awards are on at http://wellfed.net/2006/12/11/2006-food-blog-awards-announcement/
I nominated your blog in two categories:
Best Food Blog - Recipes
Best Overall Food Blog
Happy Holidays!
Comment by Gita — December 15, 2006 @ 2:57 pm
These recipes look so delicious.
Comment by Rose Water — December 18, 2006 @ 5:01 pm
Hi Indira ,
Hope u are doing well.
Has The power restored in ur place in Seattle
Comment by Anu — December 19, 2006 @ 6:22 pm
Hi Indira,
How are u? Why no new posts in your blog from a week? Is everything ok?Happy holidays and Happy new year.
Laxmi.
Comment by laxmi — December 24, 2006 @ 5:58 pm
Thanks very much for participating in this fundraising Hyma. I greatly appreciate your support!
Iam humbled and honored. Thanks Gita!
Happy Holidays.
Hi Anu: Windstorm wrecked a havoc on the city, wasn’t it? We didn’t had power for half day. But our apartment building has generators, so didn’t had any problems during power outage. How about you? Hope everything was alright at your neighbourhood.
Happy New Year!
Hi Laxmi: Everything is fine, thanks for asking. Just taking a mini break from blogging for the holidays. Will return to blogging from the 1 st.
Happy New Year!
Comment by Indira — December 26, 2006 @ 12:32 pm
Nice pics of those tender coconuts..Happy New year to you and your family,Indira.
Indira replies:
Thanks Annita! Happy New Year greetings to you and your lovely family!
Comment by Annita — January 2, 2007 @ 7:19 am
Dear Indira i am feeling sad that you are hurt by some comments,I was trying to comment on your blog from so many days…firstly wanted to say that i made your peanut chutney and mango dal I loved them both….then I tried the okra fry recipe I loved it so much decided to start the New year too again making it and eating along with chapathi for breakfast.
I told my hubby…im starting this new year with Indiras recipe hope I can become like her….:)
Indira wishing you and Vijay a peaceful and joyous new year!
Indira I also have a request can you blog the recipe of Vangi baath if you can…Thanks Indira!
Comment by Sumitha — January 2, 2007 @ 3:56 pm
Hello Indiraji,
Wish you a very happy and peaceful new year! Wondered why your comments form got closed but got the reply today:)
Comment by Latha — January 3, 2007 @ 2:15 am
Hi Indira,
I have enjoyed your recipes and your thoughtful comments.I have used your recipes and I am impressed with the time and effort you put into it.I am a foodie.In fact I love Ava pettina Kura.My mother used to make cabbage ava kura as well.Arati Ava Kura reminds me of my childhood and many happy memories of my grandparents house in Eluru.
Rameshwari from Pittsburgh
Comment by Rameshwari — January 4, 2007 @ 9:32 am