multi-hyphenated-me

Seems that in Spokane, I talk the talk but sort of stagger and limp through the walkin the walk.

The results are in.  Correction, the results have been in.  Six days later, I managed to run over to the Spokane County Interstate Fair & Expo today to see how my wares fared against Spokane competition. 

I had six entries, one each in the following categories:

Pie – Apple                           

Gluten Free – Pie                                 

Bar Cookies                         

Quick Bread – Banana                     

Fleischmann’s Yeast Best Baking Contest – Category 1, Baked Goods

Fleischmann’s Yeast Best Baking Contest – Category 2, Dessert Pizza

Drum roll please. 

The Gluten Free Pie, a Nectarine Frangipane Tart, was disqualified for reason unknown.  I think the judges may have thought the frangipane was a custard which is an automatic disqualification.  Terrific.  It looked good, too bad it went straight into the trash.

For as much as I have been squawking about my awesome pies, hosting my own pie camp, and being in shock over the $5K Upper Crust Pie Camp this week, please know that karma jumped right up and bit me the ass.  My apple pie – my award-winning apple pie – received a lowly participation ribbon.  My pie didn’t place.  I showed up and got a ribbon to prove it.  

My Raspberry cCardamom Focaccia took third in the Dessert Pizza contest.   Woo!

My Parker House Dinner Rolls took second place in the Baked Goods contest.  Thank you very much, I’ll take that $50 prize. 

As in previous contests, my banana bread and peanut butter jelly bars earned first place blue ribbons.

Not a sweeping all blue ribbon performance, but not too shabby.  Two blue first place, one red second place, one white third place, one green participation (grrrrr) and one disqualified.

Tonight at dinner, I told the kids that I ran by the fair today.  Mayhem ensued.  “You went without us?” “Why didn’t we get to go?” First let’s remember that I went to the fair to see if I earned any ribbons for my baking entries and second, you were in school.  Plans to go to the fair were set before the kids got around to ask how I placed.   My youngest fist pumped for the banana bread blue ribbon as he would eat a whole loaf if I let him, daily.  My twelve-year-old son hooted and whooped it up for the peanut butter and jelly bar win.  My middle child wants me to bake all of them again because he can’t remember what any of the entries taste like.

My husband just grimaced.  He hates the peanut butter jelly bars and will gripe all year because they won another blue ribbon.  He’s also pouting because my pie didn’t win, or place for that matter.  

Pie Camp at my house is cancelled until I get my mojo back.  Until then, I’ll stick to what I know and go bake a banana bread.