I recently joined an organization which provides philanthropic support to my local community. They hold two fundraisers per year to support very worthy community projects such as the Girl Scouts, the Little League, the Food Pantry, and the Fire Department.

One of the fundraisers involves a community sale with furniture, household items, plants, and an old-fashioned bake sale. The day before the sale is filled with preparations: volunteer teenagers setting up tables, vendors hauling in booths, and a group of ladies (who are renowned for their cooking and baking abilities) who make and sell homemade soup and baked goods.

Being new to this organization, I wanted to do a really good job. I must admit that in the tradition of my grandmother, great-grandmother, and my numerous aunts, I relish the thought of spending a full day in the kitchen, focusing on nothing but baking. Faced with mountains of butter, cream, sugar, flour and all forms of dark chocolate (everything that Dr. Oz says we should stay away from) I am transformed into my own version of Julia Childs. Baking is cathartic. Baking when conducted by several hundred local (mostly) women is a force to be reckoned with.

When I dropped off my contributions this morning (again this is my first foray with this group), I was overwhelmed by the beauty and the magnitude of their generous cooking skills. Items were intricately prepared, beautifully decorated, packaged with bows and ribbons, and everything looked delicious. Clearly, I was in the company of professionals.

The bakers are the supply side of this fundraising equation, but equally important are the members of the local community who come forward to purchase these luscious treats. Without the buyers, the efforts of the people who do the set up, provide the saleable items, advertise, market the event, and cleanup is meaningless.

So my business lesson from the bake sale today was:

1) remember who the buyers are,

2) make the product attractive to the buyers,

3) keep the goal in sight.

Three rum cakes and a few batches of double chocolate cookies doesn’t sound like much when considering the cost of a fire truck, but when combined with the efforts of a few hundred other determined and dedicated workers, the fire house gets a new addition.

Mary’s Seriously Rich Double Dark Chocolate Cookies

• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 12 ounce semi sweet chocolate, melted, cooled
• 1/4 cup butter, melted, cooled
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon strong espresso
• 1 1/2 cups cake flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 12 ounces semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Beat eggs and flour together for six minutes. Add melted chocolate, butter, vanilla, and espresso. Sift together cake flour and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture. Beat on lowest setting. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. The mixture is very sticky. Chill dough for three hours. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto parchment paper on cookie sheets. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes until the tops look shiny and cracked. Cookies are very soft. Cool on cookie racks. Makes four dozen.

I love these cookies. Make sure you get seedless jam. Raspberry –Almond Thumbprint Shortbread (makes 7 dozen cookies)

2 cups (1 pound) butter
1 1/3 c sugar
1 tsp. almond extract
4 cups flour
1 cup seedless raspberry jam

Cream butter, add sugar and extract. Blend in flour.

Roll into 1 inch balls. Make a thumb indentation in each. Fill with ¼ tsp jam.

Bake 14-18 minutes on cookie sheet at 350 degrees until edges are light brown. Cool on cookie sheet one minute before removing to racks. Drizzle with glaze while cookies are still warm.

For glaze combine in a small bowl:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tsp almond extract
6-8 tsp water

Note: I found this on a Land O’ Lakes butter box years ago.

Mary Kelly
www.ProductiveLeaders.com

Frozen Kahlua Chocolate Pie

This is a different, light dessert.

1 graham cracker crust
1 small can evaporated milk
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1/3 cup toasted sliced almonds
12 oz Cool Whip
1/3 cup Kahlua

Heat milk over low heat and add chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted. Stir in marshmallows and stir until melted. Refrigerate to cool. Combine Kahlua with Cool Whip and almonds, add to chocolate mixture. Spoon into pie shell. Freeze 4 hours or overnight. Top with additional toasted almonds and shaved chocolate if handy.

Mary Kelly
www.ProductiveLeaders.com

Mary’s Cranberry Sauce/Relish

One of my friends asked about a cranberry relish/sauce.

I use this for everything – Emily’s Layered Cranberry Ring, and Cranberry Bread. Just dump it into a cranberry bread recipe or a mix. It is also great with turkey or ham as well.

1 package cranberries ( fresh, in the produce section)
2 oranges
½ – 2/3 cup sugar
¼ cup water

Rinse and sort cranberries in a colander. Throw out rocks, leaves, and smashed cranberries.

Dump in a 3 quart saucepan with water and sugar. While that starts to cook over low-medium heat, juice the 2 oranges and add juice and a little pulp to the saucepan. With the smallest setting on the cheese grater, grate the outside, oranges part of the washed oranges to get about 1 full teaspoon. Add to saucepan and stir. When the berries start to pop, you are close. Mixture will start to thicken and be delicious. You can add more sugar if desired.

Mary Kelly
www.ProductiveLeaders.com

My friends Emily used to make this every Thanksgiving. It takes a bit of effort, with the thickening of the jello, but it is worth it. Emily passed away 4 years ago, and I remian profoundly thankful for her.

Layered Cranberry Ring

1 package raspberry gelatin
1 cup hot water
1 14 oz can crushed pineapple
1 cup Cool Whip
1 ¼ cups boiling water
2 cups miniature marshmallows
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1 cup cranberry relish
1 package lemon gelatin

Spray Pam in a large ring mold, or use a pretty glass dish.

First layer:
Dissolve raspberry gelatin in one-cup hot water. Add cranberry relish. Pour into mold. Chill until formed.

Second layer:
Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1-¼ cups boiling water. Stir until completely dissolved. Add marshmallows and stir until melted. Add juice from canned pineapple. Refrigerate until mixture begins to thicken.

In a separate bowl combine cream cheese, and drained pineapple. Add to mixture and combine well. Fold in Cool Whip. Pour over the fist layer.

Refrigerate overnight. If using mold, place the ring in hot water to loosen, and invert onto serving plate.