#BakeItHappen! Supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Through Baking! And Eating!

My friend’s food blog, My Judy the Foodie, wanted to help raise awareness and money for breast cancer research:

“Judy was just one of many whose life was cut way too short from a long breast cancer struggle.  She was a skilled cook and baker who effortlessly spread her love through her meals.  Her kitchen table was essentially an open communal table for family, friends and even strangers who would embrace the tastes and fragrances of her dishes. After receiving multiple requests for Judy’s secret recipes, Judy’s daughters, Shari and Stacy realized they needed to spread the love — all in the name of breast cancer research.”

Shari and the Bake it Happen team have partnered with the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation:

“It’s pretty hard to resist partnering with hard-working local farmers who have committed to giving a % of the proceeds of their fall pink pumpkin sales directly to help breast cancer research. The union of the Bake it Happen campaign and the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation was a no-brainer.”

I am participating in the Bake It Happen campaign on behalf of my friend Shari, to support this great cause, and to support my family members who have been through this. My husband’s cousin found out she had breast cancer soon after she gave birth to her second child. Since it was only a few weeks after she gave birth, original thought was that the lump  was related to her breasts being filled with milk. Luckily she went for a second opinion, because the first doctor was WRONG. My cousin had breast cancer and went for a double mastectomy and has been cancer free for seven years now. I follow her on Facebook and participate in her journey to raise money and awareness for breast cancer research, and now I get to join her and Shari, both, with this post!

I do not bake, but wanted to support this cause. So I will tell you my non-baking story. I have a sweet tooth. My mom makes the best chocolate cake in the universe. The problem was, I went out and bought a Kitchen-Aid mix master, not to maker her cake recipe, but to make her frosting recipe. I was enjoying my mom’s chocolate cake recipe, without the cake. Turns out when you eat mainly sugar and crisco shortening, you may blow up. Literally, bust through your pants! So now I just fight with my brother over her cake when we celebrate birthdays! Plus, I live in a New York City apartment and my oven is where I store my pots and pans!

How to Participate:

1. Sign-up to receive  3 delicious recipes from the Bake It Happen website and bake any of the recipes and be sure to share!

2. Every time you post or email a photo of your baked goods to Bake it Happen, $2 will be donated to the Pink Pumpkin Patch Foundation!

3. Enter to Win: Every time you bake a recipe, after becoming a fan of Bake it Happen on Facebook, post a photo of your BIH experience & tag it with @bakeithappen or #bakeithappen. And don’t worry, if you are like my mom who wants to participate but doesn’t even know what social media is, you can email your Bake It Happen photos to ubakeithappen@gmail.com. Your post or email enters you to win an iPad Mini & 100 Baked By Melissa Cupcakes. You had me at 100 cupcakes!