Here are the pictures of my fourth-place winners:
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| Strawberry Pecan bread |
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| Banana Pecan brownies-need to brush up on my decorating! |
State Fair
State Fair Ribbons
Thursday, August 25, 2011
State Fair Results
The anticipation is over! I won two fourth-place ribbons this year. Thousands of people enter these baked goods competitions and few get ribbons so I am pleased. I was a little surprised the apricot almond shortbread bars didn't get anything because I had people calling me on the phone telling me how wonderful they were. Judging at the state fair starts out a bit shallow-they pick the top 25 attractive entries in each category. Even though you can't judge a book by its cover, with hundreds of entries in one category they can't taste them all. I am hoping my apricot almond shortbread bars wound up in the top 25 so at least I will get a score card mailed to me from the judges showing me where I can improve next time. One thing I have vowed to do this year: Practice baking during the winter so my recipes are nailed down before it hits 90°!!!
Here are the pictures of my fourth-place winners:
Here are the pictures of my fourth-place winners:
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Getting two ribbons is quite an accomplishment!!! Congrats! Both of these look so tasty!
ReplyDeleteCongrats Gloria :). I'd say that fourth place out of thousands is definitely bragging rights territory :). That strawberry pecan bread has me drooling :).
ReplyDeleteAnd if you don't have one, pick up a scale when you're practicing your recipes, that way you can recreate them precisely and quickly. It's especially good with cookies where small flour variations can dramatically affect spread and texture.
Thanks Honey Nut and Adam! I don't have a scale...I may get one this year. And probably it was 100s, not thousands...I tend to exaggerate sometimes!
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ReplyDeleteWell I'd say fourth place out of hundreds is definitely bragging rights territory... oh and something about a scale :).
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your fourth places. I agree that it's quite an accomplishment.
ReplyDeleteI also entered Chocolate Chip cookies with a browned-butter recipe and did not take home a ribbon. I'm looking forward to seeing what the winners looked like.
In your experience, what types of cookies take ribbons? Modernist twists? Traditional, simple? I'm hoping for a scorecard too so I can get some feedback.
Maybe we should collude!
Thanks again Adam and thank you Reid.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first time I entered a cookie in the competition. I will post some pictures of the winners in the categories I entered. They look simple and traditional to me, but you never know if there is a secret ingredient!
Reid, did you enter the Minnesota State fair competition? Did you enter anything besides cookies? I too am anxious to see my scorecards, but if my cookies did not make it into the top 25, I won't receive a score card.
Yep! MN State Fair. Thanks for positing the pictures in your other thread. I agree that these have a fairly lackluster look to them. The color of these seems to indicate a blond-butter and white sugar style, which would bring a more traditional flavor. The 2nd place articles appear the same for that matter. I guess we'll never know!
ReplyDeleteCookies were my only entry; I'm not much of a baker. Just a guy with a cookie recipe. I'll let you know if I receive a scorecard and we can compare notes on our brown-butter recipes.
Congratulations!! The competition sounds pretty stiff so I think you did GREAT!!! My daughter's friend entered in the baking category but I haven't heard how she did or what she actually entered. I heard through the grapevine that the lines at drop-off were very long. Is that true?
ReplyDeleteReid, I can't wait to hear if you get a scorecard! I agree that those ribbon-winning cookies look like the traditional chocolate chip cookie recipe. I have to say that mine looked that way also even with the brown butter. Maybe that is what the judges like? Also, I changed my recipe a little bit at the last minute
ReplyDeleteso my cookies were a bit dry.
Basically Baked: Thanks! I also heard from Hanaa's Kitchen that she waited in line for 45 minutes. I got there about 9:30 AM. The wait was maybe 15 minutes. You should enter something sometime-it is kind of fun! Although you have to be able to deal with and accept defeat...I am so glad to have met some Minnesota people online in addition to everyone else I've met!
Congratulations on your wins! Your bread and brownies look so yummy and very unique! Wow, where do you live? There are nowhere NEAR that amount of entries at the KS state fair. There is some good competition, but only b/c we've got good bakers, not b/c a lot of us enter. I doubt there are even 100 different people entering. It's the same ladies entering all the categories.
ReplyDelete