Competition Time

Being gone 5 out of 9 days is rough!  Especially when you are gone on two separate trips. 

After returning from my quilt retreat, I took 6 students to compete in the FCCLA region I culinary competition in Amarillo (about 5 hours north of here).  This one was rough.  We had practiced a bit, but were having to cook on two electric cook tops.  Let me clarify it for you - a team of three are cooking a three course meal for two on two electric burners) They had to bring all their equipment in two totes (different recipes required different equipment).  Plus, they are in high school.  (16 - 18 years old)  STRESS!!! 

They did an awesome job!  I am so proud of them.  They had a tough row to hoe - team one's electricity kept going off - team two - was put together about 6 days before we left for competition - had only cooked one menu all the way through as a complete team and it wasn't the menu they had to cook that day!  The girl in charge of the sides had never practiced the mash potatoes.  They were so nervous before they went in that I had to keep reminding them that they were my guinea pigs - I had never had a team compete before - and I was proud of them no matter the outcome.   They were just supposed to go in and let me know how things went, so in two years, we could possibly have a very successful competition.  Well. . . let me tell you.. . we had a very successful competition this year!  My B team - the one we put together about 6 days before we left for competition - not only placed in the top three and gets to move on to state - they won first!!!!!!  My A team (with all the electricity troubles) placed 6th!  We got their scores back today and between the highest to lowest scores (three judges) they were only 4 - 10 points away from each other.  That is a close, close competition folks!  They both got marked for their green beans being undercooked.   Which is my fault - I like my green beans to have a little crunch to them when they are shocked and sauted.  One of my girls put some extra sugar in the banana pudding after it was made, because she thought it wasn't sweet enough - which caused it to be a bit grainy.  Little things like that were what caused them to be marked down.  So, overall, they did an awesome job!!  Come to find out, they could have had up to 4 burners to create their dishes.  So, with their hands tied behind their backs, they created two amazing meals on two burners!  AWESOME!!!!

Team A

Team B



Team B with their first place plaque