Cook Like A Pro

At this point in my life, I am pretty much the worst cook ever. I definately have my specialties: scrambled eggs, grilled cheese, maybe some green beans- but ANYBODY can cook that kind of food. I would love to learn how to cook like a pro... or at least pretty well.

I know that the only real way to learn how to cook is to do it- I would love to sign up for a cooking class- maybe even make it a couples cooking class- how romantic :) I just think it would be great to be able to whip up an entire meal from scratch.

I think the first hurdle that I run across when even considering cooking is pretty crucial: I don't know how to grocery shop. I tend to buy everything that I need for one or two planned meals and then, once those meals are over, I'm stuck with nothing to "whip up" and another trip to the grocery store. I HATE the grocery store.

My second hurdle comes when I get so excited about stuff that I haven't bought in a while that those are sometimes the first to go. You just never know with me. One week I will crush a bag of baby carrots and the next week they will sit in my fridge rotting. On the rare occasion that I buy orange juice- its gone within days. Frustrating.

Anyway, I would love to learn to cook/grill before I die- hopefully WAY before I die for both me AND my boyfrien's sake (don't worry he's a great cook!). And I think that a cooking class would help. Find a cooking class near you! Or try WINNING a free one: click here!

TOMS and their peers. Love it.

My previous post discusses TOMS Shoes, the world's coolest company- one that sells shoes and gives shoes in the very same transaction! This company has inspired me to turn my job search in a totally different direction. It has allowed me to realize that I want my career to make me feel good about what I am doing. I want more than a paycheck (although I do have to live...).

With that said, I did some research and have compiled a list of companies that I feel are (almost) as awesome as TOMS Shoes and have similar business models and goals:

One Laptop Per Child (OLPC)

Mission: "To create educational opportunities for the world's poorest children by providing

each child with a rugged, low-cost, low-power, connected laptop with content and software designed for collaborative, joyful, self-empowered learning."

This company gives people the opportunity to donate used laptops or buy a new one for children in need in developing countries! (Check out this link to see pictures of OLPC in

action)

Because Clothing

This company's "garments aim to inspire, raise funds and awareness for the beneficiaries, and are manufactured responsibly in the USA. San Francisco’s Ashbury Images, whose social mission is to provide employment, job training, and support services to individuals recovering from substance abuse and homelessness, did many of the T-shirt screen-printing."

Choose Your Cause
"Through the sale of high-end, luxury bracelets, 20% of the proceeds goes toward causes championed by The Hollyrod Foundation." The four causes that the company focuses on are: Breast Cancer, Children, Autism and Parkinson’s disease.

Peacekeeper Cause-metics
Peacekeeper Cause-metics is "the first cosmetics line to give all of its after-tax distributable profits to women’s health advocacy and urgent human rights issues. Peacekeeper builds a bridge between extraordinary women in the land-of-plenty with extraordinary women who just by chance of birth don’t have our resources or opportunities."

EDUN
"EDUN specializes in Organic Clothing, Graphic Tees, and Eco Clothing with a mission to drive sustainable employment in developing economies."

FEED Projects

This company's goal is to reach hungry children through the sales of their FEED bags. These bags raise much-needed funds for WFP school-feeding operations and awareness of the problem of child hunger. They distribute the funds through the FEED Foundation which gets the money from the bag sales to hungry children as efficiently as possible. Visit the FEED Foundation at http://www.thefeedfoundation.org/.

I won't bore you with any more blurbs, so here are a list of even more companies who are doing good things. Check them out. Seriously.
Rosa Loves
The Hunger Site
I'm Tired Free Rice
Project Have Hope


Want to find charities to get involved with? Check out this great resource: Charity Navigator