Like Clockwork

Before today's lunch service, volunteers Bill, Jay and Dave even had time for a doughnut break which is a major perk of being on the Community Meal's ace dishwashing team.  Every Wednesday morning,  Dave makes the trip to nearby Coco Donuts for his team's sweet sustenance.

 It was one of those days at The Wednesday Community Meal when there wasn't any scrambling or stressing and everything just came together quickly and easily.

By 10:15 a.m., nearly a full hour before service, we were way ahead of schedule, with all the entrees prepared and in the warmers ready to go. The ease with how things were coming together actually made me feel a little superstitious. I thought, this is too easy, something's going to go awry. Thankfully, it didn't.


Because of our amazing volunteers and who knows, maybe a little luck? — It was smooth sailing throughout our entire service. We served 255 meals today.

Leah and John made all of the gorgeous salads we served today.

John and Leah made croutons using sourdough bread donated by Ken's Artisan Bakery. John did the slicing and Leah did the seasoning. These just need some toasting and then they'll be ready.

The finished salads.

We had to change our entree a few times today but the first hundred or so guests in the door got cheesy pasta and meatballs.

Dessert today was cake donated from Baker & Spice Bakery.

A Surprise Catch Of The Day

One of today's most colorful meals - baked catfish, jambalaya over rice, roasted vegetables, pineapple and orange slices.

We utilized lots of different ingredients today at the Wednesday Community Meal so our menu changed often.

We started out with ribs, barbeque chicken, baked chicken, sausage and curried chicken and ended with meatballs, beef fajita mix over rice, green curry over rice and finally, baked catfish.

 There would be no Community Meal without super volunteer Cheryl. She oversees the volunteers in the dining room, is in charge of dessert and somehow still also finds time to help in the kitchen. She is simply amazing.

When I saw the piles of butternut squash from the Oregon Food Bank, I was appreciative of the ingredient but also dreaded the work and time it would take to get it prepared and cooked. I am so thankful that Volunteer Kate was willing to take on the task. She sliced the squash in half, cleaned out the seeds and baked it cut side down in a hot oven until it was soft. Then the squash was peeled, mashed and tossed with sauteed onions and seasoning. Delicious and so much easier than peeling and dicing raw squash.

The catfish was a surprise ingredient for the day when we learned that a freezer had been accidentally left open at Northwest Portland Ministries, causing a whole case of catfish to defrost.

Not being able to cook it and wanting to prevent it from going to waste, the organization kindly asked if we could use it. I too didn't want the fish to be wasted so even though we received it about half an hour before the start of the meal, we put in the extra effort to get it cooked and served.

It feels so good to save perfectly good food from being wasted and most importantly, the catfish was delicious and enjoyed by our guests.

The guests also enjoyed an extra special dessert today courtesy of Baker & Spice Bakery - flourless chocolate cake topped with chocolate shavings. The bakery is so generous and seriously you won't find better baked goods anywhere in Portland. Any crumbs that came from slicing the cake were quickly swooped up by the volunteers. What a treat!

Flourless chocolate cake courtesy of Baker & Spice Bakery.

We served 421 meals today and because it was the forth Wednesday of the month, we were not surprised. The line for the meal stayed long throughout the service and after just under one hour of serving, we had already put out 240 plates of food.

The long line for the meal.

There is still one Wednesday left in the month of October which makes me think it might be our busiest yet.

My good friend Bob who stops by the kitchen window every Wednesday to visit and say "hello" with super servers Davis and Lesley.

A Sweet New Year

We served 251 meals today at the Wednesday Community Meal and lots of wonderful desserts thanks to the generosity of local bakery Baker & Spice (6330 Southwest Capitol Highway, Portland, OR 97239).

There were so many treats to choose from that we decided to cut them in half so our guests could have a taste of more than one. It was a very sweet way to start the New Year at the Wednesday Meal.

Here's a list of the desserts from Baker & Spice that we served today. How could you choose just one?!

Cheesecake with Candied Cranberries

Bright Lemon Tarts with White Chocolate

Apple Hand Pie

Pear Raspberry Pie

Apple Blackberry Lattice Pie (made with juicy with berries from West Union Garden)

Devil's Food Cupcakes with Pretty Pink Raspberry Buttercream

Butterscotch Cream Mini Pies (butterscotch pastry cream topped with whipped cream and  toasted hazelnuts)

Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Fruit Danish (a spiral of pastry crowned with a base of cream cheese filling and topped with ruby red cranberry-raspberry filling)

Cranberry Crumble Cake

Crumb Coffee Cake

Pie Day

Pear Raspberry Pie from Baker & Spice Bakery.

Beautiful whole pies ready for slicing.

Thanks to the generosity of Baker & Spice Bakery (6330 Southwest Capitol Highway, Portland, Oregon) our guests at the Wednesday Community Meal got an extra special treat for dessert today - fresh pear raspberry pie.

The independently owned bakery is so kind to donate to our program and the pie couldn't have been better. The filling was made with local pears and raspberries and the all butter crust was flaky and light. What a treat!

In addition to the pie, we served pigs 'n' a blanket. Instead of the usual crescent dough wrapping, we made a homemade cheesy focaccia dough which turned out great. The focaccia was so cheesy and delicious that no condiments were needed.

We also served bowls of steaming hot soup, a Waldorf inspired salad made with apples, celery and grapes and crispy roasted potatoes.

In the end we served 235 meals and made a lot of hungry people happy.

Whole Wheat Currant Buns

The inspiration for this recipe is the delicious "Morning Bun" at Baker & Spice bakery (6330 Southwest Capitol Highway  Portland, OR 97239).

The bakery's buns are whole wheat, loaded with currants and have a crisp crust and a soft and springy center.  I love the way they taste and I always feel satisfied and healthy after eating one.

I have to admit that although my attempt at making them was a success,  they're still not quite as good as the Baker & Spice version. 

Because I wanted to have the currant buns ready this morning for my family, I started the process the night before by making a "sponge" - a mixture of flour, water and a touch of yeast.

This morning, I added more ingredients to form a soft dough, shaped the buns and let them rise for another hour. I like the "sponge" method because I didn't have to use as much yeast and I think the end result tastes better and has that springy rustic bread texture that I love.

I also baked the buns in a very hot oven and added a splash of water to create steam which helps create that dense and crispy crust.

Using the "sponge" method gives the buns that desirable springy texture.

Whole Wheat Currant Buns
(Makes 1 dozen)

Sponge Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups water
1/8 teaspoon active dry yeast

At least 8 hours before you want to make the buns, combine the flour, water and yeast in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and leave out at room temperature.

The sponge after resting overnight.

Dough Ingredients:
Sponge mixture
1 cup warm water
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 to 2 cups whole wheat flour
2/3 cup currants

In a small bowl combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Let this set for 5 minutes.

In a large bowl combine the sponge, yeast mixture and salt. Mix well. Add the all purpose flour and mix again. Add the whole wheat flour 1/2 a cup at a time until a soft dough forms. Add the currants and knead them into the dough. Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic.

A smooth and elastic dough that's ready to be shaped into buns.

Divide the dough into 12 even sized pieces. Shape the pieces in to a smooth round and place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Cover the buns with plastic wrap and let them rise for 1 hour.

Keep the buns covered with plastic wrap while they rise.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees and set aside a 1/2 cup of water.

When the buns are ready to bake, place them on the middle rack of the oven and underneath toss in the 1/2 cup of water. Immediately close the door and leave it closed during baking so that the steam doesn't escape.

Reduce the temperature to 400 degrees and bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until the buns are a dark golden brown color.

Warm currant buns in the morning are a treat.