I'm a winner!!!
 

This could also go into the food section, but heck, I'll put it here.

I am a competative baker. I was in 4-H as a kid and always submitted some sort of food product to the county fair. My mom was a fair judge at one time, so she always judged everything that we did and assigned ribbon colors - you know, my spaghetti sauce was good enough for blue, but the pasta was overdone, therefore I got a white. It was all in good fun though.

During high school and college, I really didn't have time. While living in NC, I went to the NC state fair, saw all of the food entries and was not impressed - I said - I can so take these people. So the following year, I entered two cookies - a coffee flavored chocolate chip cookie and an oatmeal apricot cranberry cookie. I took 2nd place and got an honorable mention respectively. Last year, I entered two cookies - but they realliy sucked and I didn't place - I got cocky I suppose.

So when we moved to Illinois, I was (still am) unemployed and decided I could really hone my baking skills and take the Illinois State Fair. Midwest State Fairs have very SERIOUS competators, so I knew it would be a challenge. I entered 4 things: Chocolate Whoa Cookies (Chocolate chocolate chip cookies with walnuts and espresso), Molassess Ginger Snaps, Cheddar Onion Biscuits and Key Lime Cake.

The results:
1st place - Chocolate Chip Cookie Other (not the standard chocolate chip)
2nd place - Clabber Girl Baking Powder Contest - Biscuits
3rd place - Ginger Snaps

The cake didn't place but that's cool. I get a bit of prize money (probably enough to pay for my ingredients) and ribbons. With the Baking Powder Contest, I think I get an apron or cookbook or something - not quite sure.

All in all, I'm quite proud of myself. :blush:

Since the cake didn't win anything, we'd be happy to take it off your hands. :yum:

Poor college student here, never turn down home baked goods of any kind!

Seriously though, congrats!

Thanks!

I usually make so much of the stuff that I get sick of it and need people to give it to... so when I go on a spree again - I'll let you know! Most of my friends get sick of my stuff by the time the fair rolls around because I've been practice baking for about a month - so new tasters are always appreciated.

That is *awesome*! Congratulations! You're right, Midwestern State Fair food competitions are deadly serious business, and you can be very proud, indeed.

People have even made money off of their successful recipes, you know. I think you'd better send me a bunch of those award winning cookies so I can help advise you on your future in professional baking, Meli. :biggrin:

Congratulations!!

And I think I will probably need your Chocolate Whoa Cookie and Ginger Snap recipes.

Could one substitute additional chips (possibly even white chocolate) for those Walnuts? I'm not a big nut in cookie fan ...

Yum! And congratulations! I'd be glad to serve on your taste testing panel anytime. Molasses ginger snaps - :jig: Uhmmm!

That is so cool, Melida! Congratulations and be sure to let us know when some big corporation comes along to buy your recipes up! GOOD FOR YOU! :jig:

Baking is like therapy to me.

It frustrates the piss outta me.. I'll stick to making enchiladas, quesadillas, and tostadas thank you very much

Congratulations, melidasaur! When can we see you on Food Network competitions, like the $100,000 Chicken Battle?

Y'know, I was certain there was a recipie thread around here somewhere.... (hint hint)

I, for one, need a recipie for baking. I suck as a baker. I can cook most anything else, but my improvisational inclinations serve me poorly in baking. Congratulations! Winner, that's got a nice ring to it, eh?

Thanks all... I will definitely PM the recipes to those who want them when I get back home - at the parents house right now...

Wolf, if you just added more chocolate chips to substitute for the nuts, I'm sure that would work out well. You could probably even try half milk chocolate chips and half semi-sweet chocolate chips for a bit of flavor variation. White chocolate chips would probably work well too.

Dude. Don't be so slavish to the whole Thread Concept---let life happen, ya know? *Place hippie emoti-con here*

Congtrats Mel! and i'll take some left overs too! :yum:

Instructions for baking: mix ingredients together in a bowl or something. Place in a blob or blobs in/on an appropriate cooking vessel/surface. Turn oven on some pretty hot temperature. Stick stuff inside. Take out when no longer gooshy, but not burnt, either.