There were some initial reservations about having blueberries in a cake…but the empty cake pans an hour later spoke for themselves.  With baking time providing us with ample “downtime” we were able to make whipped cream from scratch with Alicia’s manual mixer (took us just under 13 minutes), divide the ingredients of our cake into their proper place on the MyPlate model and take our first cuts of some informative cooking videos.  We are new at it, but something tells me one day you might be seeing C on the FoodNetwork.  Check out her video below where she demonstrates how to be “scientific” and precise when measuring dry ingredients.

C teaches us how to level our dry ingredients.

Thinking the students agree with me when I say, couldn’t have been a better way to spending a rainy Wednesday afternoon.  Look for the recipe here on our website page.

• 51: Cooking classes offered at the Boys and Girls Club of Central Virginia.
• 5,000: shelf stable meals packed in over 300 bags for Charlottesville City Schools’ elementary school students on the Free and Reduced Lunch Program before their winter break.
• 2,262: healthy lunches provided to moms and their pre-school aged children living in Charlottesville housing communities through Children, Youth and Family Services Play Partners program.
• 8: Market to Meal Events at Charlottesville City schools. With 1,328: dinners provided at those events.
• 116: volunteers leveraged to make this happen:  ranging from elementary students to culinary professionals.

This is a snapshot of some of PB &J’s numbers last school year.  Numbers that only continue to grow.

Since the summer of 2009, the PB &J Fund has been working with exceptional partners in Charlottesville to bring healthful food and habits to kids.  Yet, even if you are familiar with one or a few of the partners listed above, you might not have known of our existence.  And because we were new and devoted to developing substance before a marketing plan…we were ok with that.

Whether you work for or donate to a non-profit and whether or not you stand in favor or disagreement with “marketing a cause”, it is always important to examine the integrity of philanthropic marketing endeavors.  In the realm of results driven philanthropy, it can fall into the trap of being seen as an intangible use of donor funds; yet in the business community (where said results driven philanthropists like to inform themselves) it is seen as imperative.

So, even though I’ve never used our blog to insert my own opinions on topics such as these, I would love to take a brief moment to say a word about our endeavors to get the word out about our programs, and why we would choose to do it at all.

The way I see it: integrity to the mission should be the first thing on a non-profit’s check list before making any organizational decision.  And in some cases that integrity can only be upheld if you begin to talk about your work.   There is integrity in making known that you are available to people who could use your services.  Integrity in making known that the partners you have had the privilege to work with are there and are doing great work.  And in our case, integrity in making known what recipe with zucchini might actually work with your 13 year old.

In other words, integrity in our mission would actually mean beginning to talk about what we do each day.

So here we are: putting in place a way for you to learn more about us.  I can safely say, we are alright with finding our voice through a website that explains our programs, a twitter account that alerts you of a creative way to make a healthy lunch for your preschooler under $1 a serving, and a Facebook account that will let you watch a video on how to mince garlic by a 6^th grader at the Boys and Girls Club.

In short: we sincerely look forward to you “liking” and “following us” both in person and online and asking your friends to do the same.

Thank you for your continued support,

Emily

We made three simple and fresh types of pasta sauces (that we all devoured), tasted different Italian cheeses and olive oils.   Ms. Carrie brought some amazing recipes (below) back from a cooking class she took while on vacation in Tuscany, and Ms. Lucy shared her famous pesto.

Later today: making stock from scratch to use in later lessons this semester then spicy eggplant eggrolls and hummus while the stock is simmering away.  Hungry already.

Salsa di pomodoro (Tomato Sauce)

 Ingredients:

• 2 Ib Italian Peeled Tomatoes (1 large can)
• 1 medium onion
• 1 small bunch fresh basil
• 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Chop the onion (fairly fine) and fry in 2 tablespoons of olive oil until transparent
2. Add the tomatoes, and cook over low heat for 30-45 minutes stirring occasionally.
1. It is ready when the tomatoes begin breaking up easily under your spoon
3. Add the fresh basil and stir in olive oil until absorbed by the sauce.

Creamy Mozzarella and Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

• 7 oz fresh tomato sauce (from above)
• ½ Ib fresh mozzarella
• 2 hot chilies (hot pepper flakes), optional
• Salt, Olive Oil and fresh Basil

Preparation

1. Blend together chopped mozzarella, 2 hot chilies, pinch of salt, olive oil, and warm tomato sauce until smooth.
2. Cook your pasta until al dente and mix with the sauce in a warm pan off the heat (otherwise, mozzarella will melt).
3. Decorate with fresh basil leaves.

Lucy’s Pesto Sauce

Ingredients

• 4  cups  fresh basil leaves
• 2  tablespoons  pine nuts
• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 2  garlic cloves, peeled
• 1/2  cup  (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 2  tablespoons  grated fresh Romano cheese
• 2  teaspoons  butter, softened

Preparation

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients in a food processor; process until finely minced.
2. Place in a large bowl. Stir in cheeses and butter until blended.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
4. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 3 tablespoons cooking liquid.
5. Add pasta and reserved cooking liquid to pesto, tossing to coat.

I have had the pleasure of working with the Westhaven Afterschool program these last few months creating fun snacks.

Last week, the PB &J Cooking Classes at Boys and Girls Club worked to support the KeyStone Club’s Farmer’s Market initiative with the Local Food Hub. Teens in the KeyStone Club worked with the Local Food Hub to select, market and sell local (delicious) produce outside of the Club at pick up time.

Our Classes helped out by making samples and recipe cards for two of the vegetables for sale, so kids and parents could taste different ways of preparing the vegetables for sale. We chose green beans and potatoes, making spicy and sweet Asian green beans and roasted potatoes with homemade Tex-mex seasoning. Recipes and pictures below.

Stop by any Thursday after work to pick up some amazing fresh fruits and veggies and try the kids’ awesome samples. Next week: peach salsa.

Spicy Savory Green Beans

Ingredients

1 pound of green beans 1 teaspoon of sugar

3 cloves of minced garlic, tablespoon of oil

2 Tablespoons of water

2 Tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce

1.5 Tablespoons of hoisin sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon of chili garlic sauce (add more to make it spicier)

Directions:

1. Steam green beans for about 5 minutes over hot water.
2. While they are steaming, in a small bowl whisk together soy sauce, cornstarch, chili garlic sauce, sugar, water and hoisin sauce.  Set aside.
3. Get a wok or pan heated on medium high, add the oil and minced garlic to the pan.
4. When the oil is heated, add the green beans and the sauce for about 5 minutes until sauce is thickened and green beans are soft.

Tex-Mex Taco Seasoning

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, red pepper flakes, oregano, paprika, cumin, salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container.