Recipe Contest

That's right, I'm entering a recipe contest! Come on, take your best shot! It's my chance and fame and fortune, well not fortune, I don't think you win anything but an attaboy, but there is tons of fame involved! I can see it now, a string of restaurants with my face on the billboard. OK, maybe we will use someone else's face since people will be eating. I'm going to go for it, and I think my chances are pretty good.

The contest works like this. You write out your fav recipe, main dish, side dish, just not a satellite dish, and you send it to Damon's to be judged by their executive chefs. They aren't just using any old chefs, they're going whole hog and using the execs, oh yeah baby! So the execs will judge which of the entries are the best, actually the 3 best, and announce the winners, with samples for the crowd, at the Perry Hall Festival! I hope there is a crown involved!

I have always liked to cook, even when I was a kid. I can remember asking my Grandmother how she knew how much of everything to put in, she never measured anything? She told me the obvious answer and I felt like a real rube for not knowing it. She told me you put stuff in until it was right! DUH! I was able to learn anyway, mostly by just watching. My favorite thing was sticking my finger in the bowl. You ever been smacked with a razor sharp carving knife? Yikes! She would say, as she lashed out with her blade, "I can't keep the smell out of your nose, but I can keep the taste out of your mouth"! My Mom would always let me do things in the kitchen, and she didn't beat me with cutlery. I still enjoy cooking and spending time with my Mom and I miss cooking pig's feet and stewed tomatoes with Grandma.

Now I'm all growed up and can cook anything I want to, so there! But what to make? It can't be complicated, but it can't be simple either. I'm sure a contest like this will bring out the top gourmands from across the state. I'm hoping that nerves don't play a role in this, I'd hate to freeze up at the wrong time. I've taken a cooking class with a competitive cooking champion, so that's in my favor. It's just I need the perfect dish.

Simple is best. Yeah if it's too complicated the executive chef's may not be able to follow. Yep, nice and simple, but with a delicious taste. When I open my hot dog shop that's going to be my credo, nice and simple. You want to know what is the best part of the whole deal? I'm 46 years old, this is a free community fair that means absolutely nothing, and I'm excited about it. The older I get the more I realize how important the little dumb things are, and how much fun they can be. Here's to hoping that in 10 years dumb stuff still makes me smile, and you too!