Testing Fair Entries

annie1992

13 years ago

As you know, the Grandkids and I enter the county fair every year. Makayla and Bud came to spend a couple of nights, Bud's already been keeping an eye on the garlic, his bok choi, maybe some radishes, and probably a dozen eggs from his hens. Makayla wants to enter some baked goods, so we've been testing.

We made some sweet cherry hand pies, I think they are keepers:

She'd never made scones before, so we started going through recipes. She settled on this one:

Something I'd never made, peanut butter chocolate chip, but they were very good, she had to test:

We also tested some Nutella Bread, which she took home before I got a chance to take a picture and we're considering a chocolate cake roll. Meanwhile, though, she was kind enough to roast some coffee for me. I let her pick the kind, she chose this because the name made her giggle:

A medium roast and it was ready to set overnight to "off gas":

A cup was lovely the next morning with the scones, which were very good but a little sweet. She loved them though, so fair entries they will be.

Bud also spent the night, he and his sister both went to "circus training" the next day put on by the local Arts Council. Makayla learned to "fly" on the trapeze and walk the tight rope, Bud learned to walk on a barrel and do magic tricks. Kind of. Bud mostly just took bows, popped wheelies on the little clown bikes and rode inside the barrels while other kids walked on them, LOL. Makayla was serious, as she always is, and focused. They put on a circus for all the parents at the end of the day.

A swim in the pool and some baking and they were ready for bed. So was I!

Annie

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Comments (15)

cloudy_christine
13 years ago
Annie, she is so BIG! How time flies.
She is very beautiful, and looking more like her mother, I think.
coconut_nj
13 years ago
Omygosh Annie, those kids crack me up! I'm exhausted just reading the events of the weekend. LOL. Mikayla is too much with the poses that go with the baked goods. If only she could put pictures next to the product she'd win blue for everything. And Bud, going inside the barrels. What fun. Thanks for the glimpse into your life. Always appreciated.
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So if the jars are opened and tasted, win a ribbon,they are not displayed? They keep them for display here. Only last year did the new, young girl open the jams and jellies, prior to that they didn't open and taste, They are afraid of illness.I can understand, the year I judged at the pumpkin/apple fall festival I promptly came home and threw up. To this day I cannot eat a cream cheese frosting. Our new ag director is lazy, he got rid of all the contests that had corporate sponsors, big cash awards and a free pass the day of the contest to bring in the product. I have one of the fair shares we get parking, 14 passes and 2 show tickets. The shares now sell for $10,000, can you tell we like the fair around here? We are very limited to the amounts we can enter, if I make 2 different cherry jams I can only enter one cherry. Other than that you have a misc jam category, my own Rhuberries Jam came in 2nd last year I was proud of that, fruits usually don't place for that it is usually the habeneros that win there cause they have no other place to go. Wow Shirley 20.00 entry fee! Ours here is 2.00 per person per building, we have the ag building, the hort building and the arts and crafts buildings for general public, then the kids have the education building. Premiums are low here, 9.00 for a blue for most of the things in the ag building and 3.00 for a blue in the hort building. Plus you are competing with businesses. The giant pumpkin you get 25.00 and bragging rights. I am doing another scare crow display that is 100.00 blue, won 75.00 2nd 2 years ago for Rosie the Rivitor. Creative Arts Canned Goods, intresting,do they have the premium book online? A few of the old ladies and I were talking last year, we didn't know our canned displays could have other items in the basket and the one that threw a jam jar in won circle of champions, we know this year, lol. look out competiton is going to be heavy.
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sally2_gw
13 years ago
Annie, I want to be adopted by you as my grandma. Even better, I'd love to adopt your grandkids; they sound wonderful! The treats look great.

Sally
sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
13 years ago
Adorable! A very busy kitchen.
Trying a new recipe this morning that i would have loved at that age...
Bought bananas just so they would over-ripen and hid a few from DH, : )

Here is a link that might be useful: drk choc banana bread
dedtired
13 years ago
Sweet sweets, sweet kiddo, sweet life. The hand pies look especially wonderful.
maggie2094
13 years ago
Blue ribbons all the way!

Love!
cbadcali
13 years ago
Annie you are the perfect Grandmother. So much love in those pictures. I hope the kids win lots of ribbons. But what is Madison entering? Thanks for keeping me shaking my head at the things you accomplish! Mary
triciae
13 years ago
What fantastic pictures, Annie. You are creating wonderful memories.

I'm jealous of your health that allows you to be so active. I'm having a flare-up and can't feel either arm/hand today so it's weird trying to type. It's probably stress induced and, hopefully, won't last long. Oh well, I should not complain and surely should not be jealous. We are all given Blessings. Health just isn't one of mine. :)

/tricia
User
13 years ago
Makayla's hand pies would win a blue ribbon in Canada with those little maple leaves.

Matthew was a counselor at a Circus camp for a few years when we lived in the Sault. I loved going to the Circus show each week to see what the kids had accomplished.

~Ann
Tracey_OH
13 years ago
Everything looks awesome! I'm loving the scones since I am all about peanut butter. Can't wait to hear how they place!

Tracey
bcskye
13 years ago
Makayla is really a beautiful young lady. Bet Bud is a very handsome young man. I love the choices Makayla has made to enter at the fair. They are so lucky to have such an encouraging Grandmother and you are so lucky to have such great grandchildren.
annie1992
Original Author
13 years ago
Ann T, I thought of Canada when she chose maple leaves and thought maybe they should be maple or something more "northern" than sweet cherries. She could have chosen hearts or acorns or apples, but she liked the maple leaves.

So there was a "circus camp" in Sault St. Marie? I'd never heard of such a thing until they advertised it as a day-long kid's camp. I loved the show at the end too, the kids had such fun.

Mary, Madi is just a little young to work on fair entries, although she loves the baby turkeys at the farm. She is not too little, though, to eat Elephant Ears with Makayla and Bud, so she'll have fun too.

Thanks, everyone, I'll let Makayla see this thread. Or maybe not, she'll get a big head. (grin) She's always lobbying me to take a picture of something we've made for "the forum", then I have to get on the internet and show her the pictures, she loves it.

I am one lucky Grandmother, for a lot of reasons.

Annie
pat_t
13 years ago
Annie, as always, thanks for sharing your family with us. It's wonderful to see the kids growing up, even if it is virtually.

Your grandchildren will always have such wonderful memories of growing up with you!
dcarch7 d c f l a s h 7 @ y a h o o . c o m
13 years ago
Cooking is like learning a second language, starting young makes it much easier.

dcarch
artsyshell
13 years ago
Love all the baking pictures. Looks like you were very busy, but from the pictures...it was totally worth it!

I love your coffee roaster!

Testing Fair Entries

Comments (15)

cloudy_christine

coconut_nj

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