Three Blue Ribbons

By Tamara J. Lesnar
Contributing Writer

Wow! Three fairs ran concurrently in the F-M area this past week. I’m sure it was difficult for many of us to see more then one fair. It makes me wonder if the counties are not talking to one another. I for one felt cheated. I would have loved to walk down Broadway and peruse the various merchants, eat the food offered at the Fargo Downtown Street Fair and visit my favorite crepe maker Teaberry. It would have been nice to catch an old rock band concert at the Red River Valley Fair. But I did what I do every year, I spent it at the Clay County Fair.

Every year my daughter enters the fair. She is a 4-H participant and she enters in various projects. This year She is Grand Champion for her children’s book series “Choochi and Charlie,” Reserve Champion for Livestock Demonstration, and one of the Grand Champions of the Rolling Valley 4-H Rabbit Club for herding. She will be going on to the Minnesota State Fair as our Clay County Exhibitor in these project areas.

Congratulations to all those exhibitors who won a trip to State. I love 4-H. It teaches our children very important skills that are needed in their futures, like interview and public speaking skills. What job today does not require these skills? If they learn early, they will be confident and well equipped.
I know many of you think 4-H is all about animals. Well, let me disabuse you. Whatever your kid can do, it can be entered in a 4-H county fair. There are projects in photography, metals, woodworking, fine arts, veterinary sciences, horticulture, technology and the list goes on. My daughter earned blue ribbons for all her projects and she entered eleven. Each ribbon earns a premium, in her case $4 for every blue.

Well, with all this talk of competition, I got to thinking that maybe I should compete. I entered the Clay County Fair Open Class. Mind you, this was my first time competing using my culinary skills.

I woke up Thursday morning, the first day of the fair, and began baking. I had to enter my projects that day. I knew I couldn’t bake the day before because the judging was to be on Friday. Around 3 p.m. I left the house to go and enter my projects. I was excited. I was competing against all these Midwest bakers and if they were anything like my grandmother, they were going to be tough competition.

Friday came along and I was eager to see what my projects had earned but when the building opened at noon, the ribbons hadn’t been awarded yet. I had to wait. Later in the evening I finally got away from rabbit barn duty and strolled over to the Open Class Barn.
And there they were, three blue ribbons. It was an awesome feeling. This meant that my three projects were in the running for Grand or Reserve Champion. Alas, I did not win either.
But I’m still proud of the awards I earned and I would like to share those recipes with you.

Hawaiian Pow Cake
Heat oven to 325 degrees and grease a Bundt cake pan (tube pan).

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment, combine until well blended:
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
11/4 cups vegetable oil
1/4 tsp of salt
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups cake flour
1 tsp of each: cinnamon, vanilla, baking soda
1/4 tsp ground ginger

With a spoon, mix into the batter until well incorporated:
1 cup of peeled red delicious apples
1 cup of shredded coconut (Sorry, the infused coconut is a secret recipe)
1 cup of chopped macadamia nuts (This can be done with any food processor,
since chopped macadamias are not available in the F-M area.

Pour batter into tube pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours. Check your cakes at around an hour and twenty minutes since oven temperatures vary.

Take Me on a Date Cake
Heat Oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x13 cake pan.

In a medium bowl sift together the following:
2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking soda
11/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment, combine until well blended:
12/3 sugar
2 eggs
Add and mix until well blended:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla

Add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture and mix until well blended.

Next mix into the batter with a spoon:
31/2 cups chopped unpeeled red delicious apples
1/2 cup chopped pitted dates
1 cup chopped walnuts

Pour into greased cake pan and bake for 50-55 minutes. Check cake around 45
minutes since oven temperatures vary.

Raisin Oatmeal Cookie

This cookie is my third blue ribbon winner. I’ve made it since I was a kid. It is one of my favorites and I hope it will be yours too.

Heat oven to 350 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid mixer with paddle attachment, combine until well blended:
3/4 cup Crisco Butter Flavored Shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water

Add to the sugar mixture and mix until well blended:
1 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 ground cloves
1 cup raisins
3 cups of quick-cooking oats

Drop the dough onto the greased cookie sheet, one inch apart, using a well rounded teaspoon. Bake 12-15 minutes. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and store in an air-
tight container.

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