2006 Cooking Awards Announced

I must make note at the outset that Dina, and Cissie are not eligible for the cooking awards that follow. Both have too much inside information, and I would surely be accused of bias. Anyone who looks at me would know 2006 was a good eating year.

Lets start with the ethnic food category. Few will be surprised that Carol Galvin took it with her homemade leftsa. There were some protest when she got the award because she frequently came down the street a day before, or a day after with the best Rice Pudding that ever hit a pan. Carol has since told the story of how she put the rice pudding down and it looked like shark frenzy with the sharks holding spoons. Carol also got the caloric Medal of Honor recently when she fell on ice at our doorstep delivering lefsa. Carol crawled to the back door, and meekly knocked on the door. After we pulled the lefsa from her frozen hands we drug her inside. After several glasses of wine she made it home unassisted. In her honor a silver spoon was placed around her neck signed by the local fat man’s society.

An unusual event occurred in the pie contest this year. An award was given on the spot. It turned out to be the right decision. Ivy, a friend of Erin’s in Evergreen, cooked a pie with the combination of apple and cranberry. The pie was immediately declared the 2006 winner in every regard. It was a novel idea, the taste was supreme, and even in the presentation it had it all. Normally the judge requires contestants to bake entries twice to make sure it was not a fluke. Even this requirment was forgiven.

In the pasta contest JoAnne Kerns took the award with a shrimp pasta. Because of the obvious cooking talents coming from the Stanton area, the judges is considering breaking the contest down into township areas. The balance of cooking power has shifted considerably since the Kerns Clan has let their abilities become public knowledge. Ray may force the judge to introduce a new category of Indian cooking, and I am not speaking about India either. Ray works with Buffalo, and has been know to make a mean Prairie Dog; it is similar to a corn dog, but involves a prairie dog with a stick coming from an unusual place.

Kathy Lundstrom probably knew she had a winner when she put the prime rib in the oven. She has won several years in a row. I hope she does not get over confidant. In a more minor category Kathy also took the homemade roll contest.

Bill Butcher’s son-in-law Dr. David Mack has mastered the grill. David faces few serious challengers. David can do pork, turkey, beef, or you name it. With his sarcasm he has roasted me several times. He says the results are uneatable. David practices psychiatry. If he would just cook for his patients and quit bugging them I am sure his cure rate would improve.

Best restaurant will go to the Vietnamese joint in Evergreen. The waiter there came over and asked if we wanted anything else. Three people asked for water. I think the waiter with his accent walked away saying “Three water”. However, I misunderstood him and thought he said “Free water”, to which I replied “That is sure a good deal”.

Now to the Mexican, I have a soft spot for fajitas. The soft spot weighs about forty pounds and is right over my belt. Fran took the Mexican with no problem using his fajita skills. Although others raved about the chilly he served with it, I cannot give it a real good review. Fran used way more gunpowder than was prudent. I dipped a match in it and the match lit. This is a sure indication of too many hot peppers.

In the Bar category Taylor Barns won with an unusual little thing that I don’t even have a name for. It was sort of like chocolate cheesecake with some berry flavor.

The lady at the library took the baklava contest.

Although I said Cissie was ineligible for this contest, she did win at the county fair for the best pig. She dressed me in my usual attire. My pants were falling down, my zipper was half way down, and my shirt was stained with the usual salad dressing stain. After she showed the judges my profile they asked how she did it. In her modest way she confessed that I would eat just about anything put in front of me. After prodding she acknowledged that when I became fussy her chicken fajitas never failed. Cissie also mentioned her recent Waldorf salad that helped with the bulk. 2007, let the cooking begin.