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I had a month to plan.
I signed up as a team captain, without first asking if anyone else was interested in helping.
I reached out to the farmer’s market near my home to hold it there (and after a week of “pestering” got a firm yes).
I asked my foodie friends if anyone would be willing to bake for the sale.
And, on Saturday, WE raised $216 for Share our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign.
Of the 4 folks who offered to bake, 3 came through. Several friends came out on Sunday to help man the table/keep us company. We had 110 “units” when we started and only brought 19 home. My fears of what to do with the leftovers were greatly unneeded.
(Especially since most of the leftovers were my double chocolate muffins–they’re great with vanilla ice cream!)
What shocked me, though, was how much use the Donations jar got!
We put out a mason jar with a simple sitcker-dot label on it and Todd “primed” it with $1. Before long it was half full, and not just with singles. I don’t know that we ever really mentioned it by name, it just sat in the middle of the table and people fed it! A third of the funds came directly from that jar.
Pretty awesome, huh?
One of the surprise hits of the day were my Spinach Puffs. True, I figured with a venue like the farmer’s market, something savory might have a better chance than not, but people really responded well to them in general. Because they are so super simple and so wonderful for parties, here’s the recipe:
Spinach Puffs
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
1/2 cup diced onion
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup blue cheese salad dressing
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 package corn bread mix
Squeeze the liquid out of the spinach and combine it with the rest of the ingredients, mixing well. Chill the batter at least 30 minutes.
Preheat your oven to 350° F and line a couple of cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Drop by rounded spoonful (I like to use a cookie scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheets, leaving 2 inches between each. Bake 10-12 minutes or until the edges of each puff are golden brown.
They’re great room temperature or warmed, can be frozen for long storage. And a even more delicious dipped in a bit of spicy brown mustard.