I'm Finally Able to Tell the Fair Tale.......

Last Friday we went to the Allentown Fair. We took the Mighty Matt and did it up right.



I wanted to see what happened with all the entries I made. Admittedly I registered far more than I actually entered, knowing that I wouldn't get all of it done in time, but I would rather register and not take in than finish the lot but not have registered them for competition.

I ended up actually taking pear butter, plum jam, peach jam, kiwi daiquiri jam, garlic dills and my friend Barb's Bread and Butter pickles (for the canning section) and zucchini bread, cottage cheese dill bread, and brownies for the baked goods. I got fourth place for the butter, third for the kiwi, second for the dills and third for the brownies and second for the dill bread. When I went to see the display, I found out that the pickle jars weren't even opened. I asked and was told 'oh, we just look at them, and if they look pretty, we vote for them'....I made Barb's pickles that have won the state fair for her SEVEN times and they DIDN'T EVEN TASTE THEM!!!!!!!I was robbed. I found out that they did the same thing to the baked goods, since 'most of the judges are older and have allergy/nut issues'....Here's a hint people.....get a better group of judges. Then I had to listen to the lady drone on about how they can't get any 'new blood' to put entries in the fair......while I am looking around and notice that EVERY blue ribbon on the canning competition had one thing in common, the same woman's name....Patricia XYZ. I feel that I was, as well as most of the others who submitted items, cheated out of a fair fair competition. I have a suggestion for them. Our local tech school has a really good culinary arts program, why not encourage them, via extra credit, to put things in competition (they already do VICA competitions) and maybe utilize them as judges? I intend to contact the Agricultural Department for Lehigh County and air my grievances, but I feel they will fall on deaf ears, since most of the winners are 'friends of friends, or cousins, of people on the board'.

Another thing that bothered me, and maybe I am over reacting to this, is the lack of security. My son is a coin collector. He loves money, all types, denominations, etc. Recently he is collecting British pennies and ha'pennies. He entered in the coin collection area a collection of ha'pennies dating from 1900 to 1967 (the last year they were issued). When I dropped them off, I was told they would be put under lock and key and kept in a display case out of reach. They were during the fair, but when I went to pick them up, the display was wide open, and no one was in sight. I had to get someone to retrieve the person in charge of that display. I told him I could very easily have just 'taken my collection' and he never would have known, and why was I told that it would be under lock and key when I dropped it off. He stated that 'it was locked up' during the fair. I'm thinking if someone had a bent to steal this, they should plan to come on the day you pick up your stuff, walk in, and walk out with it and no one would be the wiser until the rightful owner came to get it and found it missing. I really don't think I will have him enter anything else as I can't guarantee it will be returned that and I think he was really upset as 'yet again' this year, one of his collections he built from squat to put in the fair, was beaten out by the same 50-states Quarter book (the books that were sold in Walmart) that didn't have all the 50 states in it (even tho they are all out now)....but as the guy said when I picked it up...'oh, you made a yellow ribbon, that blue one was won by Ethel-over-there's grandson, he's thirty and lives with his moma, shame he ain't married, but we're hoping'......Should I say I rolled out of there, cranked the radio really loud in my husband's little Hyundai (made it shake) and screamed!!!!!

Bless my husband's little pointed head, however, he took individual jars of jam and pickles to work, told them they were award winning and have at them.....to see them sucked up like no tomorrow and want more. When I dejectedly told him "I" didn't win anything on them, he said well 'someone did'...and just enjoy the adulation. Now he wants me to get another box of kirbies and make more as they want more and more and more......I guess he figured my ego needed a little stroking.

Now on to other things. School started back yesterday. Jill in the 8th grade and Josh in the 11th. Things are off to an unusual start, so we'll wait and see what happens. We just started school and already we are working towards the weekend. This weekend there is a Polish Festival at The Shrine of Our Lady of Czechtochowa in Doylestown. No competitions to fret over there, just a good time. We're going to try to go and maybe, just maybe, Mighty Matt might want to go too!

The Sunday Before Labor Day....

I need to update everyone on what has transpired, but now is not the time. What I will do is give you a recipe for something I didn't think anyone would eat, but man was it good.

Greek Quinoa Salad

Recipe Feedback: User Rating 5 out of 5
(3 reviews)
By Jolinda Hackett, About.com

Greek quinoa salad recipe with traditional Mediterranean ingredients including feta cheese, kalamata olives and fresh herbs. You could easily make this vegetarian quinoa salad recipe vegan by omitting the feta cheese or using a vegan soy substitute.
Ingredients:
3-4 cups water or vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups quinoa, uncooked
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (you may use any flavor you prefer)
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice from one lemon
3 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup kalamata olives, sliced if desired
1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 red onion, diced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1/2 cup chopped artichoke hearts (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Preparation:
In a medium-large saucepan, cook the quinoa in vegetable broth for 15-20 minutes, until tender, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil.

Gently toss the quinoa together with the remaining ingredients, except feta. Pour the olive oil mixture over the quinoa.

Add more salt and pepper to taste and gently stir in the feta cheese.

You may also add any additional vegetables that you like, such as lightly steamed broccoli, snap peas or diced bell pepper.

Nutritional data:
Calories: 399; Calories from Fat: 163
% Daily Value:
Total Fat: 18.1g 28%
Saturated Fat: 4.7g 23%
Cholesterol: 17mg 6%
Sodium: 225mg 9%
Total Carbohydrates: 46.7g 16%
Dietary Fiber: 5.6g 22%
Sugars: 3.0g
Protein: 12.6g
Vitamin A 18%, Vitamin C 24%, Calcium 15%, Iron 20%


We went to the Fair on Friday. I am still paying for being upright and mobile for 9 hours straight (did YOU ever try to get a 5 year old boy to 'sit and rest a minute'?). School starts here on Tuesday, so I will definitely make time to update this blog. Until then, good eating, bon appetite and ya'll come back to the table now, y'a hear.......

The First of Freaking September

Where did August go? A lot happened during August. Some good, some bad....for the good:

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Earlier I posted about Wes and Roshelle getting married. Not to go into background details (see earlier post if you want them) but it was a beautiful unique affair. It was held at Lock Ridge Foundry in Albertis, PA...this is a park centered around the ruins of an old iron foundry. With the crumbling walls and flying arches it gave a whole gothic appearance to the whole thing.....think of all those gothic romance novels you read in high school and you got the ambiance. Now, as in MOST weddings, the groom comes in and waits for the bride, well, guess again......No groomsmen came in, just these well dressed guys picking up their instruments (drumsticks, guitars, harmonics, handbells) and the groom sits down at the electric piano and they start jammin....I mean really jammin.....and in comes the bride. Seems he wrote that music for her.....it was wonderful...the whole day was a blast, from catered Mexican food afterwards to having an ice cream truck drive up and treat all the guest to a soft cone......even the groom's dog-brother was in attendance (his brother has the most beautiful dog ever, and I'm not a dog person who was better behaved than most of the teenagers). Congrats, Wes and Roshelle! It was an honor to be invited.

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Then we sent Baby Gurl back to college. Jamie ended her freshman year with a 3.77 GPA and 36 credits completed, so she returned as a second semester Sophomore. She was a bit apprehesive, but looking forward to it......Once you leave home and are on yourown, it's hard to come back to being another kid in rotation, so she was glad to go back and not to be rude, but we were glad to see her go back.....pecking orders change and once you taste independence it's hard to go back...We love her and want to see her grow up, but her being an adult and us being parents of an adult...well, there are still some rough edges that have to be filed off. We're working on it.....




While we were getting her 'stuff' for college, we got 'stuff' for Mighty Matt too....Yes, my baby gurl was going back to college and my favoritist eldest grandbaby starts Kindergarten this year! We bought him school stuff, and Aunt Jamie got him his Lightening McQueen back pack, so he's styling and profiling....As soon as I get a picture from his mom of him heading off to school, I'll post.....I couldn't be prouder of my baby.



Now for the Fair. As I have posted earlier in other venues, I am addicted to submitting stuff for judging in the Allentown Fair. This year, I made bread and butter pickles, garlic dill pickles, plum jam, peach jam, kiwi jam, pear butter, banana coffee cake, zucchini bread, brownies, and cottage cheese dill bread. I entered some other objects that didn't quite make it there as well. I ran out of time (to tell the truth, I should have started earlier) and one of my jellies , the Mountain Dew Jelly, didn't gel...so I didn't get in all I wanted to, but that's the way the cookie (which I didn't make this year) crumbles.

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I mentioned the church picnic earlier. There is a meeting tonight, in fact, to discuss and rehash what went wrong and what went right. I'll keep you posted as I have defininte ideas of what shouldn't be repeated EVER again.

Tuesday, Bloody Tuesday

Well, bloody at least for my bank account. The plumber came today to replace the sewage pipe and guess what, the car we bought for our daughter to use at college and has been piece meal fixed finally got fixed and came due $$$$ today as well.......AAARRRRRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHH.

Will post more about the wedding, the picnic, the birthdays and everything else in between later.
Ciao.

The Church Picnic

Today was the day of the church picnic. I am on THE committee. Need I say more? The church provided hamburgers and hot dogs and A-M did dessert and N-Z did side dishes....oh, did I say NO ONE with names ending N-Z showed up? (I lied, there were a few, very few). So we cooked hamburger and hot dogs and invoked the feeding of the five thousand asking Jesus to show us how to make a few side dishes feed 116 people. Forgot the camera, so no pictures, besides I was too busy to take any anyway. So, after eight hours of feeding, cooking, clearing up and generally looking at a bunch of babies that are too cute for words (Hi Miss Lexi and Miss Gwen) I am now home. And to sleep, perchance to dream.

Thursday - the Ordeal is Over

Okay, yesterday I ended with Thursday wasn't looking so good. Well, I came thru the other side of the ordeal this morning and things are looking up again. To those of you not 'in the know', I had a hearing this morning regarding my former employer appealing my unemployment. I knew I did everything I could correctly and my original filing was approved, but they appealled it making statements that were inherently false and I was upset with the possibility that they could and would make similar statements at the hearing. I got there, signed in, said a prayer, and waited to get called in. When I went in, only the mediator was there. NO ONE showed up to represent the company. We waited a few minutes and began. The mediator told me IF they showed up during the hearing, he would take testimony, but if they didn't, mine would be the only one of record. He asked me a few questions then let me go. I do not know WHY they blew it off as they had tried to file a last minute (end of last week) continuance and it was denied so they knew someone had to show up, but I am grateful that I don't have to go thru the waiting again as the appeal was made by their side, not mine, so I fulfilled my end by showing up. The final determination is to be made as soon as possible and hopefully this one will be un-appeallable (is that a word?). Thank you for all of you who said a prayer for me today, and here's a shout out (can you do that on a blog?) to Yvonne, who emailed me at 7 a.m to tell me she was praying for me. Just knowing that made me more confident and calm in an unknown setting. You, dear lady, are a God send and an all around good egg, and like the Proverbs 31 lady, your family is blessed to have you!

Now, on to brighter topics. I NEVER found the original recipe for PIP, but remember this chant people, Google is your friend. I typed in ingredients and came up with 3 or 4 similar recipes. I mishmoshed them together and came out with something, that may not have been recognizable, but was hoovered up by the masses....In the picture of the PIP offerings, it is the bright orangy/yellow rectangle to the left (to those of you whose goodies weren't included, maybe next blog pic will have yours - don't bunch your knickers). Instead of rice crispys, I cut up a watermelon we had that needed to be eaten, so all was good.

Okay, here is the 'recipe' for Creamy Chicken Burrito Bake:

1 1/2 packages of bean and cheese burritos (the cheap ones that come 8 to a package, although you can use the individual ones) - you can substitute chicken burritos.

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup of sour cream

1 cup of shredded cheddar

1 small can of chopped chilis (can substitute 3-4 Tbsp salsa verde, or as I did, just add some Jamaca Joe hot sauce)

Layer the burritos in a 13x9 baking dish. If they overlap a little who cares.

Mix soup, sour cream and chilis and pour over burritos

Cover with cheese and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

I think the original recipe called for boiled and diced chicken to be added to the sauce, but there was enough 'chicken taste' to the soup to still maintain the name and it WAS cheesy....so. Besides, although I love to cook, some days the kids at these functions don't want real food, they want as much junk as possible and they only eat it at home, so why make an exotic concoction only to have it end up either on the ground at the park or in the garbage. So, to you purists who say 'I NEVER use canned soup, or I wouldn't be caught dead using prepackaged items (like the burritos), do you like watching your effort and $$$$$ get tossed? I thought not. That and at least I know they are eating something that somehow passes itself off as real food.

Now, off to scrounge the pantry and freezer for dinner. His Majesty has decreed I must feed him tonight, so who knows what the freezer monster may belch forth for me to tame into some semblence of a meal..........

-ginny

Life in General

Wednesday. Well today is PIP day, so I must get my act together....I found a recipe for a casserole using premade burritos from the grocery store. Looked interesting, I knew the 'non-gourmets' would love it's prepackaged taste and it was inexpensive. Bought the stuff I needed NOW I can't find the recipe!!!!! Curses. I, at least, located the dessert recipe....Neopolitan rice crispy treats. I'll fix them, then post the recipe dependant upon the 'ooooh yummy' or 'what is this dreck'....responses. Hopefully this time, I will take the camera and get shots of all the goodness that is PIP.




Also, I can now finally finish the wedding present for Wesley and Rochelle.







Being the uniquely odd person I am, I try to make gifts 'personable' as well as practical. When Wes' sister, Erica, got married four years ago, I made a similar present to represent what their live together should mean.







Before I go much longer, let me explain, Wes is the same age as my eldest son and the first person to show up on our doorstep when we first moved here 12 years ago. Wes, then 12, welcomed us with open arms (and a little thankful I think that he was no longer the youngest kid on the road). He is a delightful human being and cannot at any time be considered an average individual.....not only does he march to the beat of his own drummer, but often is the case he wrote the music for the whole drum section. Wes fell in love with Roshelle at his telling, 8 years ago. He always carried a torch for this darling child, even while he was in college and she was finishing high school and then college. They met at church and I believe that Wes never really 'courted' anyone else. He prayed for a perfect mate and to most of us who have seen them together, believe that God answered his prayers. For this couple, a gift card from Target just isn't what you give them for a wedding present.


Now, back to the present. I crochet, or at least attempt to, so I decided to make them an afghan. Erica, Wes' sister, got one entitled (or at least the pattern was) Christmas Snow....since they are planning to become missionaries I wanted it represent the Birth of Christ, and the newness of His life together with the newness of their union. For Wes, who is more of an evangelist, I saw the perfect pattern.....Dogwood. To those who do not know the story of the dogwood blossom, the flower is supposed to represent the Cross of Christ, with the four points, blood stained on the ends and a crown of thorns in the middle. To this, I add a package I made up using a quote from my favorite movie of all times "It's a Wonderful Life". In the movie, when the Bailey Building and Loan helps the Martini family finally afford their new home, Mary Bailey makes a presentation of three items: bread so they will never know hunger, salt so they will all have spice in their life, and wine so they will always have joy. To this I add mustard seeds to indicate their faith (made all you who haven't looked in your Bible in a while go look up the passage this relates to, didn't I? ) as well as two wine glasses. I have to finish putting it together and ask Wes' mom when does she think I can catch him somewhere (anywhere?) before the big day. I hope he likes it and knows how much love and appreciation for him as a human being went into this.

Maybe they will be at PIP, who knows. Anyway, have a blessed Wednesday. And pray for Thursday. It doesn't look too good from where I sit. More later.

-ginny