First Place. Woo Hoo!!! Here's the pic of me and my loot. I won $200, a deep fryer (what every former fat chick needs), an engraved trophy plate, an apron, a blue ribbon, and the recipe will be featured in next year's cookbook. It also gets entered into the national contest. Fun stuff!
The contest was "Stick with Canola Oil" and as part of the rules the item had to be deep fried (not so wls friendly) in Canola Oil, on a stick, and decorated or related to the "Salute to Heroes" theme of the fair. Here's my entry:
Broccoli Rockets with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
3 eggs
12 oz shredded cheese (colby/monterey jack combo aka "Mexican" blend)
1 (16 ounce) box frozen chopped broccoli, steamed
1/4 lb cooked bacon, diced
1/2 yellow onion, diced
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
Italian bread crumbs as needed
Canola Oil for frying
Steam broccoli. Cook bacon till crispy, crumble into pieces. Cook onion till golden. Beat eggs in a mixing bowl until well blended. Mix all ingredients together (except the bread crumbs) till well blended. Refrigerate mixture for about 1 hour. This will help to bind the mix making preparation much easier.
Heat about 4 cups oil in a fryer or deep pan for frying at 350 degrees F. Set up a shallow pan with bread crumbs. Scoop about 1/2 ounce portion (a bit larger than meatball size) of the broccoli mixture into the bread crumbs. Form each portion into a ball around a popsicle stick and roll in breadcrumbs coating it well. Place into the fry basket or frying pan. Make sure they do not stick together. Fry for 4 minutes or so till golden brown, then remove and place onto a plate lined with paper towels to absorb excess oil. Makes about 20. Serve hot with Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce.
Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. honey
1 Tbs. cider vinegar
In a mixing bowl, combine sour cream, mayonnaise and mustard. Blend thoroughly using a whisk. Slowly pour in the honey and vinegar, continue mixing until smooth and well combined.
Note: The broccoli rockets should be served hot but may be made 1 day ahead and placed in the oven next day at 350 for 15 minutes to reheat.
Edited to add: I made the test batch the night before and took the leftover mixture pressed it into a greased pie dish and sprinkled a light coating of bread crumbs on top. Baked it instead of the fry job and viola a Weight Loss Surgery friendly version.
I also saved a baby! LOL well I found a lost 2 year old and reunited her with a freaking out Mom. I was walking past a booth I saw this little girl and she was saying, "Mommy, mommy, mommy" with this quivering lip about to cry look on her face and the only people near her were four 20-something dudes. I asked them if she belonged to any of them and they looked at me like I was from Mars and said "Uhhhh No" and so I went up to her and told her I would help her find Mommy and scooped her up. I headed to the information booth by the entrance. When I saw a security cart with flashing lights and near it was a crying woman OMG when she saw me she grabbed me and Hope (my little 2 year old pal) and hugged us both so hard I thought I would pass out. She said she turned around and she was gone... she's a quicky too and apparently had gotten about 30 stalls from Mom and Dad.
So yeah!!! baby and Mom back together and a 1st place win. Overall a very good day :)
Highlights of the day:
* See Above
* What is it about BBQ corn at the fair? Soooo good. Thank God I can still eat corn. It wouldn't be Summer without it.
* The Gem Exhibit was really cool. I love the fluorescent rocks.
Listening to: "Because of You" Kelly Clarkson
