Jill Bradshaw, Author at WayForward Resources

Throughout the holiday season, we’ll share some favorite recipes from pantry guests and volunteers. You can help our pantry guests make their holiday favorites by purchasing items from our Amazon Wish List or making a financial donation to help our food pantry purchase ingredients for holiday meals. To see the wonderful recipes we’ve gathered, click on the links below.

Monica explains that Thanksgiving is her family’s favorite holiday! “Stuffing has always been the center piece of our Thanksgiving feast; dating back four generations. My great-grandmother, grandmothers and my mom were all farm women. Nothing went to waste. Their stuffing included the liver, gizzard and heart of the bird. My daughter and I chose this vegetarian version to honor our matriarchs and be bird friendly.”

1 small loaf of day-old sourdough bread (about 1 pound)
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs beaten
2 leeks, halved and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
4 celery ribs chopped
3 garlic cloves chopped
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup fresh sage chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
1 teaspoon rosemary
1 teaspoon thyme
1 1/2-2 cups vegetable broth
1 tablespoon olive oil

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9×13 baking dish. Tear or cut break into 1 inch cubes. Place in very large bowl. Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, celery, salt, garlic and pepper. Sauté for 5 minutes. Pour leek mixture over bread. Sprinkle with herbs. Toss with hands. Pour over 1 1/2 cups broth. Mix then add eggs. Mix. Transfer to pan and and cover with foil. Refrigerate until ready to bake. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake for 30 minutes. (Adapted from Loveandlemons.com)

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This beloved recipe has been made for over 20 years! The tradition started because members of the family, including Mike who shared this recipe, love both cherries and cranberries.

Ingredients:

Juice and zest of 1 orange
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12-ounce) bag cranberries
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

Measure the orange juice and add water, if necessary, to make 1 cup. Pour into a saucepan and add the remaining ingredients, stirring to dissolve the brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the cranberries pop, about 10 minutes. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate up to 10 days. Makes 12 servings.

Raices Latinx, the UW Credit Union Hispanic and Latino Employee Resource Group, answered our call for community help in addressing the current food shortage in our pantry. The group organized a food drive that gathered over 400 pounds of food to help meet the increased need. “We couldn’t have had the outcome we did without everyone’s participation,” says Jessica De Vicente, Assistant Branch Manager and Co-Lead for the group. “That ‘small’ donation really adds up when many people contribute collectively. Overall, we are proud of how excited everyone was throughout this drive in the joy of being able to help others. Community matters and it’s heartwarming when we all come together for a good cause.” UW Credit Union also supports WayForward through generous unrestricted grants for food and housing access.

Join UW Credit Union in supporting WayForward this Giving Tuesday. Follow us on Facebook to join the fun!

“As COVID restrictions eased, I sought out volunteer opportunities in the Seniors Program at WayForward. I joined the volunteers who schedule rides and drive seniors to appointments. Over the last two and half years, I have also learned much more about the ever-increasing need for services and resources related to food insecurity and housing stability. I am continually amazed at the dedication of staff and volunteers to support the needs of the community. All this has inspired me to continue to support the mission of WayForward with volunteer time and financial support.

Now more than ever, whatever you can do, do it! Every volunteer effort and financial contribution makes a difference.”

Gale Barber, WayForward Volunteer

You can join community members like Gale by making a difference on Giving Tuesday. Follow along on Facebook on December 3rd!

Food and housing are the basic building blocks of stability. When we work together, we can build a strong community where everyone has food to eat and a warm place to sleep.

*Jenna had always ensured that she and her son had the basics covered – a safe place to sleep, enough food and funds to cover medical appointments, clothes and other essentials. Then last year, her apartment rent rose beyond what she could afford. The stability she had worked so hard to maintain disappeared and the little family suddenly found themselves homeless. “I was afraid, devastated, and demoralized,” Jenna said. She temporarily moved back in with her parents, but the situation was not sustainable. Unsure how to move forward, she felt like she didn’t have any options.

That’s when Jenna learned about WayForward. She began visiting the food pantry, relieving the stress of knowing where their next meal would from. She found free clothes for her son at the Clothing Center. Meanwhile, Jenna enrolled in one of WayForward’s housing programs which provided rental assistance as well as case management to keep her and her son in stable housing and avoid a return to homelessness. “With my case manager’s help, I was able to secure a two-bedroom apartment this year in a safe and beautiful part of town!” Jenna is also preparing for the future, “I have taken classes to help me budget wisely and learn to manage my money so when I have to pay rent alone next year, I will be able to do so with confidence,” she said. Jenna is no longer afraid for the future. Instead, she sees a path forward filled with possibilities. *name and identifying details changed

The basic building blocks matter. Everyone needs healthy food and stable housing to thrive. Children do better in school and have better mental and physical health outcomes when they have reliable access to food. Families who stay in their homes and avoid eviction have stronger employment opportunities, lower level of toxic stress and fewer hospital visits.

Community support makes successes like Jenna and her son’s possible. Give today to build a strong community.

GIVE TODAY

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Tara shared this favorite recipe the whole family can enjoy during the busy holiday season!

BBQ Chicken (Slow Cooker)

Ingredients:

4-6 chicken breasts
1 bottle of Sweet Baby Ray’s BBQ Sauce (or your favorite)
¼ c. vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
¼ c. brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

Mix everything together but the chicken. Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker (frozen is ok!) and pour the mixture over the top of the chicken. Put on ‘low’ for 4-6 hours. Check chicken and shred around four hours and let simmer in the sauce. Eat on buns or however you enjoy your BBQ chicken.

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Esta receta tiene recuerdos muy especiales para mí, porque para prepararla nos reuníamos todos en la terraza de la casa de mi abuela donde llegaban primos, tíos, abuelos y hasta vecinos. Se preparaba en una olla gigante y nos turnábamos para mezclarla mientras esperábamos la noche para repartir la natilla y regalos. Por esto esta receta es muy importante para mi y mi familia y además es deliciosa y se acompaña con buñuelos y chocolate.

Ingredientes:

3 tazas de leche entera
1 taza + 2 cucharadas de fécula de maíz
1 taza de leche de coco
½ taza de coco rallado
2 astillas de canela
1 lata 14 onzas de leche condensada
½ cucharadita de extracto de vainilla
⅓ taza de azúcar o al gusto
Una pizca de sal
1 cucharada de mantequilla
Canela en polvo al gusto

Coloque 1 taza de leche en un tazón pequeño agregue la maicena y revuelva para que se disuelva, deje a un lado.
Ponga la leche de coco y el coco rallado en la licuadora y mezcle hasta que esté suave y reservar.
Coloque el resto de la leche y las astillas canela en una olla mediana y llevar la mezcla a hervir a fuego medio-bajo. Cuando la leche este un poco caliente, pero no hirviendo, agregue la mezcla de coco.
Cuando la leche empiece a hervir, añadir la leche condensada, el azúcar y la sal. Mezcle bien con una cuchara de madera. Agregue la mezcla de leche y la maicena y continuar revolviendo constantemente.
Agregar el extracto de vainilla. Reduzca el fuego a bajo y continuar revolviendo hasta que espese la Natilla, unos 10 a 20 minutos. Añadir la mantequilla, mezclar y retirar del fuego. Retirar las astillas de canela.
Sírvalo en un molde grande o moldes para postres individuales.
Espolvorear canela en polvo en la parte superior y deje que se enfríe a temperatura ambiente durante al menos 2 horas. Refrigere hasta que esté listo para servir.

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OVERNIGHT RAISIN FRENCH TOAST

Janet is a long-time WayForward volunteer in our food pantry who shared this recipe. “This was a holiday brunch favorite that my grandkids always requested! ‘Gramma, can we have that yummy toast today?'”

1 loaf (1#) cinnamon raisin bread, cubed
1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, cubed
8 eggs
1 ½ cups half & half cream
½ cup sugar
½ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
½ tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

Place half of bread cubes in a greased 13x9x2 baking dish. Top with the cream cheese and remaining bread. In large bowl, combine remaining ingredients, beating eggs first. Ladle or spoon evenly over the top. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.

Yield: 12 servings