Giving Tuesday 2022: Help Us Build A New Garden For 271 Women

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Happy Giving Tuesday, everyone! ♡

Over the past few years, the Gimme Some Oven community — as in, you wonderful readers — have given over $30,000 to help create large-scale gardens (plus build a life-saving bridge) to support over 500 local women working in rural Mali to grow healthy produce for their communities. These community garden projects continue to flourish and generate even more income than expected for these women and their families. So this holiday season, I wanted to share with you about a very special new group of women who have asked for our support.

For years in the town of N’Korobougou, a group of 91 women have been tending small plots in their local community garden, trying to grow as much produce as possible during the 4-month rainy season each year. They are a multi-generational, tight-knit, incredibly-hard-working group of ladies who do this work to support their families, but they face a number of obstacles. At the end of their workdays, like most gardeners in this region, they have no choice but to take shifts sleeping in the gardens at night to try and fend off the local animals who destroy their crops (due to a lack of strong fencing). And once the rainy season ends, they have no choice but to abandon their gardens for 8 months (due to lack of water access) and try to earn income instead by cutting down trees in the local forest to sell as firewood for cooking stoves. Unfortunately, the resulting deforestation has led to a vicious cycle that ultimately harms their gardens — because when the trees are cut down, the bare land can no longer soak up the rainwater, which reduces the local water table, which makes it even more difficult to grow crops, which forces them to return to cutting down more trees — that has been nearly impossible to escape.

This particular group of women also had to deal with an additional obstacle this past year when a local man bribed an official to claim that he had “ownership” over their land. All plans to improve the garden were put on hold and the women had to instead spend their days waiting outside the the local court, petitioning the judge to hear their case week after week. The judge clearly hoped to avoid the trial and kept delaying and delaying, assuming that the women would eventually give up and relent. But they not only persisted and showed up by the dozens each week to protest non-violently until their case was heard, they eventually full-on WON THE CASE, which was a huge anti-corruption victory for their community as well as for marginalized women across the region. Talk about inspiring.

Anyway, now that they are back on their land, these women are understandably eager to make up for lost time. So this holiday season, I would love to invite your help to again partner with The Wash Project to expand the N’Korobougou garden into a large-scale space that can support 271 women working in their gardens year-round, thanks to a brand-new well that will provide safe water for the entire community. In addition to the other start-up equipment and resources provided to help develop the garden (i.e. fencing, shelters, toilets, training, see more details below), we will also be offering to build a fuel-efficient stove in the home each local family that would like one, which will take critical strain off of the local tree population and also help create much safer cooking conditions in local homes.

All of this can happen in a short amount of time and will have an enormous impact on this community. So let’s help these amazing women create the garden they deserve!

What We Need

Short answer — $25,000. (Here is a link to donate.)

This divides out to around $100 to launch each individual garden. Which, again, will also launch a full-time job for each woman to support her family.

These funds will cover the startup costs necessary to build a sustainable garden of this scale that will create full-time job opportunities for the 271 women who will be working there. (So many jobs!!) You can see photos and read more details about the full 14-step garden startup process that The Wash Project has tested and developed over the years, but here is a brief overview of what these funds will purchase:

• Garden plots for 271 women: Membership will increase from 91 to 271 gardeners, and the existing garden plots will also double in size.
• A year-round fresh water well: This is definitely the largest expense (~$17K). Local engineers will perform complete groundwater tests to ensure responsible and safe extraction, then a well will be drilled to provide water to be used in the garden and local community year-round.
• Water taps: Water taps will be installed in the garden and surrounding community to easily access the water.
• Water tower: A water tower will supply critical storage and water pressure to the taps.
• Solar-powered water pump: Taking advantage of the intense sunshine in the area, a solar-powered pump will help fill the water tower.
• Fencing: Strong and sturdy fencing will be installed to provide 24/7 protection for the crops from animals.
• Shelter: A large shelter will be constructed to give women rest from the intense heat, and also serve as a place for meetings and celebratory gatherings.
• Toilets: Toilets will be installed on the grounds, which save valuable time (as the women used to have to walk back home to access restrooms).
• Training and equipment: All of the gardeners will be equipped with the equipment and training needed to make their businesses a success, in addition to training about building healthy soil and reforestation.
• Fuel-efficient stoves: A team of professionals will come to construct a fuel-efficient cooking stove in the home of every local family who would like one, which reduces the need for local firewood and creates much safer cooking conditions.

How To Help

We know that this is a huge ask, but we would really love to make this garden happen! Here are three ways to get involved that would be hugely helpful:

• Donate: Click here to donate. 100% of your donation will go directly to this project and will be tax-deductible.
• Share: If you’d like, you can create your own mini-fundraiser to invite other friends and family to donate to this cause. Or of course, any shares that you can give this fundraiser on social media would be incredibly appreciated!
• Stay informed: Sign up for our monthly emails with The Wash Project to stay updated. And please keep an eye out for updates on Mali in the news. It’s been an especially challenging year for this beautiful country (terrorist groups are closing in on the area where we work), but headlines of these sorts often get buried.

FAQ

What is The Wash Project? The Wash Project is a community-led initiative in Mali focused on developing economic opportunities for women through garden-based food production, access to clean water, and a commitment to environmental stewardship. Here’s a 4-minute video explaining a bit more about The Wash Project and what we do. And yes, full disclosure, my husband and I both work with this organization! Many of you know that, after full-time blogging for over a decade, I recently made a transition and now split my time working part-time with The Wash Project too. And I can’t even tell you how wholeheartedly I believe in the work this organization is doing. After having spent time working with a number of non-profits over the years, I just appreciate so much how TWP always follows the lead of the community (since locals are always the ones who know their specific challenges and resources best). And I especially appreciate that TWP intentionally keeps the organization small, in order to properly invest in relationships with each of our partner gardens and respond to needs quickly. If you have any questions about TWP and how we work, please don’t hesitate to ask in the comment section below.

Is my donation tax-deductible? Absolutely. The Wash Project is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization, and you will receive a tax-deductible receipt for all donations.

How much of my donation actually goes to this project? 100%. Gimme Some Oven has been covering all of the overhead expenses of The Wash Project for a few years now (including all staff salaries) so that 100% of your donation can go directly to projects on the ground. For me, it’s essential that my work creating recipes here for people who have access to food is also balanced by supporting those who struggle to have access to food. So we invest a portion of Gimme Some Oven’s profits back into The Wash Project and other organizations helping to target food insecurity around the world. It’s truly your clicks here on this website that help to make all of that possible — so thank you!

How does the budget divide out? It will cost roughly $17,000 for the water system (well, water taps, water tower, etc), $6,000 for the garden infrastructure (shelter, fencing, toilets, etc) and $2,000 for the trainings and equipment.

Is The Wash Project a religious organization? No, it is not affiliated with any specific religious organization.

What do women grow in their gardens? Up until now, the 91 gardeners have had very small plots and have only been able to grow crops that can be harvested in the 4-month growing season. But once the water source is installed and they can garden for 12 months of the year, they will be able to diversify and grow much higher-value crops.

Is this garden sustainable for the long-term? Yes, it is built to be. One of the primary responsibilities of anyone extracting groundwater through drilling is ensuring that the water table will be replenished. If more water is taken out of the ground than is put back in, the water source is simply not sustainable. So we work with every garden partner to use all appropriate water harvesting techniques to ensure that the rainy season replenishes the water table, ensuring a reliable water source for years to come.

Additionally, the women of our partner gardens have organized small-scale loan programs that allow women to access funds for unforeseen expenses. As part of the savings program, they also have money set aside for the maintenance and repair of their garden as needed. This gives each gardener the resilience needed to navigate the uncertainties of each growing season.

How can I follow along? Sign up for our monthly emails with The Wash Project (which, hi, I help to write!) to follow along and learn more about this project. We would love to have you follow along on Instagram too!

A Word From Ali

I always struggle to find the words to say how grateful I am that you all continue to express an interest in partnering together for initiatives such as these. But from the bottom of my heart — thank you.

Thank you for being kindred spirits who care about good food and making sure that people have access to it all around the world. Thank you for your continued clicks and support of this blog, which also help to make this work in Mali possible. Thank you for generally just being such generous and awesome people over the years. It means so much to me that we can all join together — somehow amazingly united by screens all around the world — to help make a beautiful garden such as this possible. I look forward to coming back to share more updates with you soon.

Much love to you and yours this holiday season. ♡

Abrazos,
Ali

A “before” pic of the land before it is divided into 271 plots and developed into the full-scale community garden.

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Lightened-Up Tuna Casserole

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This lightened-up tuna casserole recipe is tossed with a creamy garlic-herb sauce, lots of veggies, tender egg noodles and a crispy Panko topping.

Raise your hand if you grew up eating tuna casserole! ♡

This was one of our family’s favorite weeknight dinners growing up, and still continues to be one of those recipes I love turning to this time of year when we’re craving some warm and cozy casserole comfort food. (Forever and always a Midwesterner at heart, right?)

Three decades ago, we always used to make tuna noodle casserole from a box or with the help of some canned cream of mushroom soup. But it’s actually incredibly simple to make homemade tuna casserole completely from scratch, which gives us the chance to also toss in lots of fresh veggies and lighten up the creamy sauce a bit. If needed, you can also easily adapt this recipe to be gluten-free too.

I will say that prefer to just serve this pasta “casserole” straight out of the pan nowadays, topped with a generous sprinkling of toasted Panko breadcrumbs, rather than baked the traditional extra 20 minutes in the oven. (Why overcook the pasta when it can be served perfectly al dente with with a melty cheddar cream sauce?) And while I made this batch with the traditional mushrooms, carrots and peas, this recipe would welcome just about any leftover veggies that you happen to have sitting in your crisper drawer.

Let’s make some modern tuna casserole!

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Sour Cream Coffee Cake

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My favorite sour cream coffee cake recipe is perfectly soft and fluffy, layered with cinnamon sugar, and always so delicious.

I realized the other day that it has been two decades since my college roommate, Natalie, first taught me how to make her family’s famous sour cream coffee cake. No idea how that’s even possible, because it feels like just yesterday that we were baking up a storm together in our tiny college kitchen. But all of these years later — and countless batches of coffee cake later — I have to say that this nostalgic recipe remains one of our family’s all-time favorites. ♡

It features a simple batter made with basic pantry ingredients and reduced-fat sour cream, whose tangy flavor perfectly balances the sweetness here and helps the cake bake up to be incredibly moist. Then in between the layers of cake, we’ll add in a crunchy sprinkling of cinnamon sugar (plus some chopped nuts, if you’d like). And then for one final layer of indulgence, I always love drizzling a quick 2-ingredient glaze on top. This cake is guaranteed to make your home smell absolutely heavenly as it’s baking up in the oven. And once it’s sliced served up nice and warm with a hot cup of coffee on a lazy weekend morning, well, I don’t know if there’s a more delicious way to start the day.

Let’s bake up some coffee cake together, friends!

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Favorite Holiday Green Salad

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My favorite holiday green salad features a festive mix of seasonal ingredients and a delicious shallot vinaigrette.

Can we just agree to bejewel all our salads with pomegranates this time of year? ♡

I always think these lovely little red gems add such a festive touch to green salads for the holidays, and this pomegranate salad in particular is one of my favorites. It’s tossed with your choice of greens, sliced apples, toasted walnuts, creamy avocado, crisp fennel, salty shaved Parmesan, and my favorite shallot vinaigrette. I make some version of this salad every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas (and plenty of winter evenings in between), and it’s always just as delicious as it is gorgeous.

That said, this pomegranate salad is also incredibly flexible. So if you feel like swapping in a different kind of nuts, greens, cheese, or even vinaigrette, please feel free. I’ve also written this recipe to be naturally vegetarian and gluten-free, but you’re welcome to add in an extra protein (such as chicken or bacon) if you’d like. I just insist that you generously sprinkle lots of beautiful pomegranate arils over the top like confetti, and then share and enjoy.

Happy holidays, everyone!

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Hot Honey

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This homemade hot honey recipe is quick and easy to make with 3 ingredients and can be used in countless delicious ways!

Is there anything that isn’t better with a drizzle of hot honey?! 😍

I don’t know about you all, but we’ve become thoroughly obsessed with this spicy-sweet condiment over the past few years. Drizzled on everything from pizza, biscuits, fried chicken, baked salmon, shrimp boil, roasted veggies, cornbread, baked brie, or corn on the cob? Yes, please. Stirred in to sweeten your next cocktail, cup of hot tea (or hot toddy!), or even a batch of salad dressing? Excellent idea. Served as a dipper for fries, chicken fingers, or a charcuterie board? For sure. That surprise kick of heat adds an irresistible extra touch to countless dishes where you might normally just use a plain sweetener, and we major fans here in our house.

Nowadays, hot honey is pretty commonly available in local grocery stores or online, but the markup is quite high and it’s usually much cheaper to make a batch yourself. Plus, it’s incredibly quick and easy to make at home. And with homemade hot honey, you get to be the one to decide which type of hot peppers to use and how spicy to make each batch. All you need are about 15 or 20 minutes and 3 ingredients and you’ll be good to go.

One more thing — with the holidays coming up, I also just wanted to mention that hot honey makes for great DIY gifting! Just grab some cute jars (you can rinse and reuse some old jam jars, order my favorite mini tulip jars, or use these adorable honey bear bottles), simmer up a quick batch of hot honey, and I’m certain your friends and family will put it to good use.

Alright, let’s make a quick batch!

Hot Honey Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few notes about the three basic hot honey ingredients that you will need:

• Honey: The type of honey that you use is completely up to you. I prefer a basic clover honey that’s not overly floral, but you’re welcome to use any variety you prefer. (If possible, please consider purchasing a local honey to support bees in your area!)
• Hot peppers: I most often make hot honey with basic crushed red pepper flakes, since I always keep them on hand in my spice cabinet and using dried peppers (vs fresh) allows the honey to be stored longer. However, this recipe is also fantastic made with fresh chile peppers (such as jalapeños, serranos, habaneros or Thai red bird chiles) or you can also have fun experimenting with other dried chile peppers (such as dried anchos, guajillos, pasillas or chiles de àrbol). The heat level of this recipe is very easy to adjust by adding more/less peppers or letting the peppers simmer longer. So have fun experimenting — you’ll learn what type and amount of hot peppers that you love best!
• Vinegar: I like adding in a splash of apple cider vinegar (or red wine vinegar) to cut the sweetness a bit, a la Mike’s Hot Honey. You’re welcome to leave the vinegar out entirely if you prefer, or you can experiment with adding more or less to taste.

How To Make Hot Honey

The full detailed recipe for how to make hot honey is included in the recipe at the bottom of this page, but here is the basic overview (with a few optional variations): (more…)

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Garlic Parmesan Mashed Sweet Potatoes

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This Garlic Parmesan Mashed Sweet Potatoes recipe is easy to make, irresistibly sweet and savory, and always a crowd fave!

This may just be my favorite Thanksgiving sweet potato recipe yet. ♡

Inspired by the famous garlicky Parmesan sweet potato fries at one of my favorite local restaurants, these mashed sweet potatoes strike that irresistible balance of sweet and savory and seriously could not be more delicious.

They’re made with a simple base of sweet potatoes, milk and sour cream, mashed together until perfectly soft and creamy. Then a simmering pan of garlic butter, a generous pile of freshly-grated Parmesan, and a sprinkling of chopped fresh chives join the party. And once stirred together and dished up nice and warm — well — let’s just say that people went back for thirds the last time I served these mashed sweet potatoes. So, so good!

The great thing about this recipe is that it’s easy to make and also naturally gluten-free and vegetarian. (Although if you happen to eat meat, I wouldn’t argue with some crispy bacon sprinkled on top as a garnish too!) And if you’d like to cut down on entertaining stress and make these sweet potatoes in advance, I’ve included make-ahead instructions below for prepping and reheating this recipe too.

Okay, let’s make some mashed sweet potatoes!

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Potato Bacon Fennel Soup

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This potato bacon fennel soup recipe is incredibly easy to make and simmered in a cozy garlic-rosemary broth.

Every winter, I seem to find myself adopting a new potato soup recipe. And I have to say that this year’s version has been especially delicious. ♡

It’s made with a triple hit of fennel — an entire fresh bulb (which we’ll thinly slice and sauté into the soup), its delicate fronds (which are lovely as a garnish), plus an extra tablespoon of dried fennel seeds (to build in one more layer of flavor) — whose earthy, mildly-sweet, anise-like notes pair beautifully here with the garlic rosemary broth. Then we’ll also add in in lots of creamy Yukon golds, fry up some crispy bacon to sprinkle on top, and add a generous pinch of red pepper flakes in there to give the broth a bit of a surprise kick. And everything comes together to create a potato soup that’s deeply flavorful, refreshingly not-too-heavy, and totally delicious. We’ve been making it on repeat here lately and can’t get enough of it!

That said, if bacon isn’t your thing or you would prefer to make this recipe vegetarian, it’s just as delicious made with Italian sausage (either traditional or plant-based). The recipe also happens to be naturally gluten-free. And if you’d tend to love creamier potato soups, you’re of course always welcome to add in a splash of cream too.

This is such a cozy and delicious one. So add some fennel to your grocery list, and let’s simmer up a big pot of potato soup together!

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Butter Chicken and Cauliflower

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This Indian-inspired butter chicken and cauliflower recipe is easy to make, naturally gluten-free, and simmered with the most delicious richly-seasoned curry sauce.

Is there anything better than a cozy bowl of curry on a cold winter’s night? ♡

This Indian-inspired butter chicken and cauliflower has quickly become one of my favorite ways to warm up this season. Made with tender chicken and cauliflower simmered in a richly-seasoned creamy curry sauce, this dish comes together easily with minimal hands-on prep time. And when ladled up over hot rice, served with a slice of naan if you’d like, and garnished with lots of fresh cilantro and lemon, this full-flavored comfort food is sure to hit the spot.

As with just about any curry, this recipe is inherently quite flexible if you’d like to play around with the components. Have extra curry-friendly veggies hanging out in your freezer or crisper drawer? Toss ’em in! Want to make this curry vegetarian? Skip the chicken and add a can of chickpeas instead. Want to make it dairy-free or vegan as well? Use coconut milk and plant-based butter and you’ll be good to go. There are endless ways to customize this recipe to your liking, so please feel free to make it your own.

Let’s make some butter chicken and cauliflower together!

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Pasta alla Carbonara

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This pasta alla carbonara recipe easy to make with 4 classic ingredients and tastes so decadent and delicious.

Ok, I couldn’t spend a month in Rome studying and seeking out the best pasta alla carbonara the city had to offer without coming back to this post to share a few things that I learned. ♡

First of all, can I just say how much I appreciate this city’s passion for talking about good pasta?! One of the first souvenirs I purchased during our month in Rome was this tote bag, and the number of nods and conversations it prompted with everyone from market vendors to our AirBnB neighbors to restaurant servers to local playground parents were downright delightful. “That’s right.” “All you need.” Or the most common refrain muttered, “Correct, no cream!” You also can’t help but love a city where everyone, when asked who makes the best carbonara, quickly replies with the obvious —“mia nonna” (my grandmother). Certainly true, I’m sure. But I have to say that the bowls of pasta alla carbonara that I had the pleasure of sampling in restaurants were also downright exceptional.

My favorite, no surprise, ended up being the pasta alla carbonara developed by the “King of Carbonara” himself, Chef Luciano Monosilio. Served with a supremely decadent and silky egg sauce, a few crispy large cubes of guanciale, and a perfectly al dente twirl of thick spaghetti, Chef Luciano’s carbonara tasted just as legendary as you would hope. And it turns out that he also has a brilliant modern method for making it that I’ve now wholeheartedly adopted.

Instead of tossing the egg sauce in a very hot pan with very hot pasta, a classic method that is notorious for sometimes accidentally scrambling the eggs, Chef Luciano first tempers the eggs in a metal mixing bowl with the guanciale grease and hot starchy pasta water. And then he transfers the pasta directly to the mixing bowl, and places the bowl over the pot used to cook the pasta water (essentially creating a double boiler), and tosses the pasta with the sauce over the heat until it has cooked and thickened. It’s a simple method that I’ve found to be much more reliable when it comes to creating a perfectly glossy egg sauce and I’m convinced that all of you fellow carbonara lovers out there are going to love it too.

So today, I’ve updated my favorite pasta alla carbonara recipe below to include the double-boiler trick, along with a few additional tips that will hopefully be helpful. This recipe is definitely full-on rich, full-flavored, classic comfort food. So when you’re ready to indulge, grab a fork and let’s dive in!

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Cacio e Pepe

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My favorite cacio e pepe recipe is easy to make in about 30 minutes with just 4 simple ingredients.

Anthony Bourdain once said that cacio e pepe “could be the greatest thing in the history of the world.”

And I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree. ♡

This classic Roman pasta easily ranks up there as one of our family’s all-time favorite comfort foods. We happily make a big batch at least once or twice a month, often turning to it in a pinch because we can always count on three main ingredients — “cacio” (cheese), “pepe” (black pepper), and pasta (we usually go with bucatini) — being stocked in our kitchen. Barclay’s usually in charge of grating up a big pile of cheese while I make a big green salad or some roasted veggies to go on the side. Then once the pasta is ready to go and tossed with that irresistibly glossy cheese and pepper sauce, we always waste zero time dishing it up and grabbing a fork and diving in. A steaming hot bowl of cacio e pepe is pasta perfection!

That said, as simple as the ingredient list may be, cacio e pepe is famously finicky when it comes to technique. If the cheese is overheated or the starchy pasta water isn’t emulsified properly, the dish can turn into a sticky, clumpy mess, which I can vouch from experience is always such a tragedy. So while we are revisiting the four classic Roman pasta recipes this week, I’ve gone in and updated this post with all of my best tips for cacio e pepe success that I’ve learned over the years. We also added in a new video below that will hopefully provide some visuals to help you with each step of the process. So if you’re new to cacio e pepe or have had mixed results with it in the past, don’t be nervous — you can do it!

I do want to note that I prefer to add a bit of butter to my cacio e pepe sauce, which I’m well aware is not “authentic” or included in the traditional Roman recipe. However after having made and ordered this dish dozens and dozens of times with and without butter, I just personally find that I like the extra flavor that it adds.

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