A Menu for Hope II

In the wake of last year's disaster in Southeast Asia, Pim at Chez Pim set up a foodblogging fundraiser with great success. This year, in the hopes of raising money for the earthquake victims in India and Pakistan, Pim has decided to hold a virtual raffle. The money donated will go through the First Giving website - and no money will pass through any of our hands. Unicef will be the recipient of the money, which will be specifically earmarked for the Kashmiri earthquake victims.

Let's get down to the nitty-gritty. One raffle ticket costs $5. In return for your generosity, Pim has assembled a list of prizes donated by foodbloggers around the world. And what prizes they are! From tea-time with Clotilde, to an autographed Chocolate Book from David, to food photography lessons, to dinner at Manresa - the choices are delectable and seemingly endless.  You can, of course, donate more than $5 - the more you donate, the more chances you have of winning the prize your little heart desires.

From my corner of the world, I'd like to offer up one of my prized cookbooks, Cooked to Perfection, by Anne Willan. This beauty is sadly out-of-print and no longer to be found in bookstores. Anne Willan is founder of La Varenne, and cooking teacher extraordinaire (Amanda Hesser wrote The Cook and the Gardener whilst living and working at La Varenne). The book is full of gorgeous photographs that show and explain how every stage of preparing a proper meringue, a batch of homemade bread, or a perfectly cooked steak should look like. Willan explains in detail how to achieve perfection in the kitchen and how to remedy any mistakes you might make. In addition, she includes fabulous recipes with which to try out each technique. An added incentive: whoever wins the book will also receive a bag of homemade cookies from me to nibble on while curled up on a couch, reading.

Here is a round-up of the prizes available. Click here to donate at the First Giving website. Remember to specify which gift you'd like to receive in the comments section of the donation form. Thank you for your generosity - it is greatly needed by so many.

Comments

[Pim]

Thanks so much Luisa. We've raised over $5,000 now, and it's only been three days. Could you ever believe it?

cheers,
Pim

[Luisa]

Pim - I can't believe my eyes! Fantastic news. You are a star for organizing all of this. It wouldn't have happened without you!