Wow, I can't believe it's been so long since my last post. What can I say? Life happens (the good and the bad, but more on that in a future post).
Right now I would like to share with you the baked goods I made for this year's State Fair Baking Contest and how they fared at the Fair :o) I've been participating in this contest for the last 6 years or so. The very first time I entered this contest, I made an Almond Upside Down Cardamom Cake. I won 4th place and got a pink ribbon. I was ecstatic as I had just started getting my feet wet in this thing called "Baking" and this sure was a lot of encouragement to continue and get better. I'm lucky in that I inherited a good gene pool as my mom is an excellent baker (and so was my maternal grandmother) :o)
During this time of year, I receive lots of well wishes and support from not only my immediate family but also from my friends and coworkers. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of them. Especially my husband for always providing me with honest and invaluable feedback.
Without further ado, here are the results. Drum roll please...
I've entered a total of 10 items this year. Although I didn't win any blue ribbons this year, a few items still placed. Soon I will start trying out new recipes for next year's Fair :o)
Here they are and their results (some of these might look familiar to you if you're in the same baking group):
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| No ribbon - My mom's recipe for Orange-scented Sweet Yeast Rolls |
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| No ribbon - Cinnamon Bubble Buns from Flo Braker's "Baking for all Occasions" |
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| No ribbon - Whole Wheat Bran Rolls, adapted from Arden's recipe |
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| 5th place - Lemon Poppy Seed cake from "Rose's Heavenly Cakes" (and a mini Bundt cake for quality control!!) |
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| 5th place - Chocolate Espresso Crinkles, adapted from Nick Malgieri's "Chocolate" |
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| No ribbon - Almond Financiers/Madeleines, adapted from "The Sweet Melissa Baking Book" |
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| No ribbon - Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies from Sarah Phillips' "Baking 9-1-1" |
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| 3rd place - Lemon Yogurt Tea Cake with Lemon Glaze, made with homemade yogurt, adapted from Molly Wizenberg's "A Homemade Life" |
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| No ribbon - Banana Blueberry Cake with Grape Jelly Glaze and Lemon Glaze, adapted from a recipe in a Penzeys catalog |
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2nd place - Chocolate Fudge Brownies from Nick Malgieri's "Chocolate"
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Hey... i'm from minnesota too! :) the lemon yogurt cake looks really good! it almost looks like a cheesecake from the top.
ReplyDeleteWOW!!! You sure baked a LOT and no wonder the absence from your blog! :) Everyone looks delicious to me! And some of them were placed as well! Awesome work!
ReplyDeleteWay to go Hanaa!!! They all look fabulous! Post pic of the ribbons!
ReplyDeleteHanaa, Amazing! All your entries look like first place winners. I think the judges need their taste buds re-adjusted because I can not believe how perfect and delicious these all look. Your Mom's orange scented sweet yeast rolls look amazing too. What a LOT of baking to get done in time for the fair. Do you freeze some of this before entering or is all of it baked fresh before entering? This is REALLY amazing!
ReplyDeleteBTW, you would be welcome for dinner anytime =).
All your recipes sounds delicious. I'd give you a ribbon for each recipe!!! I'm impressed!
ReplyDeleteHey Hanaa,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE the new look of your blog, and congrats on winning 2nd place. That only means that next year it is first place insha alla!
We're back home safe and sound. Hope to talk to you soon.
hugs!
Anat
Pop your zip code in here for the frozen marionberries I used. They are in stores all across the U.S.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.stahlbush.com/store-locator
Oh wow... you been a busy bee! Congratulations on those that placed and those that did not, I have to agree with other here - judges were crazy! Because they all look good.
ReplyDeleteEverything looks great! Congrats!
ReplyDeleteI envy the judges being able to taste all of your yummy creations! They all look great and there are a few I'm going to have to add to my to bake list (other people, who have to do lists, get more done but I get more baked!)
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your wonderful success! I can't wait to see what you bake up for next year.
everything looks very tasty like always:)
ReplyDeletecongrats sis :-)
Wow, congrats! Nice job!
ReplyDeleteThank you all so much for your generous and kind comments!
ReplyDelete@Danielle: Hey neighbor :o) If you not just "like" lemon but "love" lemon, you really should try making that cake. Let me know how it turns out if you do.
@Faithy: thank you so much, Faithy!
@Vicki: I'll see what I can do about posting pictures of the ribbons :o)
@Shandy: all rolls were frozen (less than a week before the Fair), the other stuff was baked the day before. I had most cookie doughs ready for baking on Saturday.
@Victoria: thank you very much :o)
@Anat: welcome back, stranger! We'll have to catch up. And yes, I'm already thinking about recipes to try for next year :o)
@Monica: it's been busy busy indeed :o) And I'll do it all over again next year, haha.
@Christina: thank you!
@Leslie: I have that same to-bake list, haha. Let me know how they turn out if you bake anything :o)
@Manal: thank you, Sis. Too bad you live too far to be a taste tester :o)
@Lynnette: thank you!
Wow, Hanaa!! You have been baking up a storm. What lucky judges indeed! Sadly, in Michigan, we no longer have a state fair; last year was its swan song. You are fortunate to have this venue to show off your fabulous baking skills. All of it looks delicious to me!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! They all look beautiful, professional, and thoroughly deserving of a blue ribbon.
ReplyDeleteThey would have all won ribbion of I was the judge!
ReplyDeleteWonderful work.
Congrats once again Hanaa!:)
ReplyDeletefélicitation c'est mérité parce que vous avez un magnifique blog riche en recettes
ReplyDelete@Jane: good to “see” you. It’s been a long time. Thank you for your kind comments. I would be very sad if we no longer had a State Fair here…
ReplyDelete@Marie: thanks Marie, very nice of you to say :o)
@Brownieville Girl: thank you! And thanks for stopping by.
@Saira: thank you very much :o)
@Fimère: merci. C’est tres sympa :o) Et merci beaucoup pour votre visite.
That is an excellent variety of treats, they all look spectacular. Congrats on your ribbons!
ReplyDeleteOh good here they are..thanks for the link..I missed seeing this post! You did a great job on your fair enteries! I think they all loook perfect. I think you should have won many more ribbons! Congrats on the ones you did win. I think the lemon cake looks wonderful and all the bread too! The brownies look so moist!!
ReplyDelete