Welcome to the our weekly newsletter
The MACC Minute for October 22, 2020. We hope it will inspire you to get involved.
News from our Food Pantry
The pantry buzzer rang and when we opened the door there were multiple adorable faces looking up at us. Olivia, Ronan, Grace, Ben and Charlotte, were doing odd jobs for their Grandmother to be able to earn money to buy food for people in need. Thank you to the parents and grandparents who are teaching their kids acts of kindness!
Beth Stafford
Executive Director/CEO
November is our turn to say no to paper or plastic bags and yes to a reusable Community Bag from Stop & Shop, located at 286 Broad Street, in Manchester. Our food programs will receive $1.00 donation from each purchase of the $2.50 reusable Community Bag. Have enough bags? Gift one to a family member, friend or person in the checkout line with you.
Shannon Baldassario
Director of Services
November 1st kicks off the utility companies Winter Moratorium. What this mean to you? If you are struggling to make your monthly payments, reach out to your utility supplier and discuss options available that fit your need. Our Community Outreach & Emergency Services department can assist you with any questions you may have.
Call our office at 860-647-8003 ex. 31.
Chef Ferdinand Cruz
Chef MACC Kitchen
I don’t know about everyone else, but I enjoy a gooey grilled cheese dunked into a steamy cup of tomato soup. Here’s a super simple but tasty recipe you can try out at home. This recipe calls for a slow cooker, so gather your ingredients: Follow the steps, set it & forget it. The homemade croutons add a nice touch.
Recipe: Creamy Tomato Basil Soup w/ Parm croutons
INGREDIENTS:
2 (28-ounce) cans whole peeled plum tomatoes
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup heavy cream
1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
**Place tomatoes into a 6-qt slow cooker. Stir in tomato sauce, vegetable broth, garlic, onion, bell pepper, tomato paste, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper until well combined. Crush the tomatoes into chunks using the back of a spoon.
Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high heat for 3-4 hours.
Puree with an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. Stir in heavy cream and basil; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Serve immediately with parmesan cheddar croutons.
FOR THE PARMESAN CHEDDAR CROUTONS
4 cups (1-inch) French bread cubes
1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 ½ TBS Olive Oil
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
To make the parmesan cheddar croutons, spread bread cubes in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet; sprinkle with cheeses. Place into oven and bake until crisp and golden, about 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway; set aside and let cool.
Patti Thurlow
Operations Manager
This past Sunday October 18th MACC Charities participated in the Crop Hunger Walk!! Thank you all that came out and walked with MACC Charities. It’s not too late to participate. You have until Halloween (October 31st) to donate. Follow one of the links to help fight hunger!
Even the smallest amounts makes a big difference!
Mark Nadeau
Outreach Case Worker
Engagement in our Community goes further than building relationships with those we serve. The members of our Outreach team regularly visit downtown district businesses to introduce ourselves, maintain existing relationships and inform those in our community about the available resources and programs we offer. We always receive a warm greeting when stopping into local businesses to talk about our community.
Chef Luke
Bistro Chef
With frost, comes cooler nights and with cooler nights comes cravings for hearty soups. Our student intern Michael enjoyed helping me make one of my favorites, Fish Chowder. Our twist on this great New England staple is sure to warm your bones, satisfy your hunger and bring you back for seconds. Enjoy our recipe and experiment with making your own.
This week’s Recipe
New England Fish Chowder with Truffle and Bacon
Ingredients:
- 2 Tbs Canola Oil
- 1 cup chopped Vidalia onion
- 1 cup chopped Celery
- 2 cups cubed potatoes (boil until soft separately)
- 1 tsp chopped garlic
- 1 TB chopped rosemary
- 1 pint heavy cream
- 1 pint water
- 2 tsp clam base(add to the water to dissolve)
- 1 TB Corn Starch (mixed with 2 TB water to dissolve to slurry)
- 1 cup chopped bacon (cooked and crispy)
- 1/2 pound white fish (like Cod, or other)
- 1 tsp White Truffle Oil
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Method:
- Boil potatoes until fork tender soft
- Sauté the Onions and Celery in a soup pot with the Canola Oil until soft.
- Add garlic and rosemary sauté a few more mins.
- Add fish and sauté a few more mins.
- Add your clam base water mixture and the bacon.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer for five mins.
- Add heavy cream and let come to boil
- Turn heat down and add in your cornstarch slurry stir until thickness desired, you can also add more slurry if you wish for thicker chowder.
- Add truffle oil
- Season with Salt & Pepper to taste
- Garnish with croutons and herbs
Enjoy and as always happy cooking.
Chef Luke
Thank you to Paul Ofria for our new photos
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