Well, I've finally finished it! The ward newspaper is finished. I sent it off this afternoon to the Bishop to be printed. I haven't heard back from him yet though, so I'm sort of wondering if he got it. Hmm... I would really really like to hand it out on Sunday so that nothing is "old news" as they say. But I'm trying hard not to get my hopes up too high in case there is a technical difficulty or something else that postpones it for a week. I really wish I would hear from the Bishop, but I know he's a busy guy and the ward newspaper isn't exactly top priority. But the nice thing is that it is done. Now I can start working on getting The Swan Family Cookbook all finished up and ready to hand out at the family reunion. It's almost done, I just need to add a few more pictures, and then print everything up, laminate it, and stick it in the binders. And then there is always my "secret project" to work on before the family reunion as well. Can you tell I'm trying to stay busy so the time until June 16th goes quickly? Because I am.
Anyways, I promised that I would post my article on the Ward Iron Chef Competition, so I am going to do that now. Those of you in the ward may not want to read any further so you don't spoil it for yourself for when the newspaper actually comes out. So everyone out there who does read this, it's time to draw on your editor skills, and let me know what you think! Enjoy.
Judges Vote Tie in Ward Iron Chef CompetitionBY KRYSTAL SWAN Squash and artichokes may seem an odd combination, but the Ward Iron Chef Competition, held on Saturday, May 24, was deemed a success by those who attended. To start off the evening, ward members were asked to bring a pot-luck dish containing some variety of squash. Lots of creativity went into these dishes which included pizza, shish kabobs, casseroles, all kinds of salads, and even “squashed” blackberries. “It went well,” ward member Kristy Lockabay said, “Squash tastes better than most people probably expected.”
The main event for the evening was a competition between two teams (women vs. men), based on the “Iron Chef” TV show on Food Network. Cooking for the women’s team were Fryin’ Faye (aka Heather Craddock), Cutin’ Carol (aka Cristy Hayes), and Saute Sally (aka Suzie Clines). The men’s team consisted of Mert Davis, Roy Hawkins, and Brant Mauthe. On the previous Sunday, both teams received instructions and were given a description of the secret ingredient, but not told what the secret ingredient would be. This gave the teams six days to plan their menus and get themselves geared up and ready to go.
On the Saturday of the competition, the teams were called on stage by Activities Committee Chairman, Scott Knight, and told that the secret ingredient was artichokes. Teams were given 50 minutes (5 minutes prep time, 45 minutes cook time) to prepare a soup, an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert for a panel of four judges. The rules of the competition required that all four dishes contain artichokes in some form. Judges would award a winner based on presentation, taste, and best use of the secret ingredient.
While the teams were in the kitchen several mini competitions were held on stage for the audience members to participate in. The first activity was Fluffy Bunny. In this game each contestant had to stuff marshmallows in their mouth and say “I’m a fluffy bunny.” If the audience couldn’t understand them, they were booed off the stage. Next, baby food eating ensued. In this contest each contestant had to try different kinds of unlabeled baby food and guess which kind it was. The third event was Cupcake Eating. This competition was for teams of two. One person had to wear a blind fold and the other had to wear a plastic garbage sack with their head poking through. The person wearing the blind fold fed the other a cupcake with a mountain of frosting on top. Whichever team’s cupcake was gone first and who still had their paper wrapper was the winner. Lemon Eating was the last event. It was basically a competition to see who could eat the most lemon slices, which definitely made for some sour faces.
After fifty minutes, the men’s and women’s teams brought their creations before judges Dora Balbuena, Dana Ellington, Carl Smith, and Stacy Jordan. The women’s team made Artichoke Brochette, Hearts of Gold Soup, Angels in Jerusalem, and Lemon Artichoke Cobbler. The men’s team made Stuffed Artichoke Hearts with sundried tomato, Deep Fried Artichoke Hearts, Bacon Wrapped Artichoke Hearts with Lemon Garlic Aioli Sauce and Dijon Habanera Sauce, and Hot Artichoke Vanilla Ice Cream served in artichokes. Of the men’s spicy ice cream, Knight said, “I think Brother Davis is the only person in the ward who can make hot ice cream!”
After a short debate, the judges announced the winners. The men won for using the secret ingredient the best in their food and for using the secret ingredient the best in their presentation. The women won for the best looking food and the best tasting food overall. Everyone—audience, competitors, and judges alike—seemed to have a good time. Judge Ellington said, “I’ll be a judge of a food competition like this anytime!” Ward member, Aaron Swan who participated in two of the mini competitions said, “I thought it was really cool that they had the video screen of the events going on in the kitchen. It was fun to watch the teams in action.” The Activities Committee put in a lot of effort to put on this competition and keep everyone entertained and having a good time, and they seem pleased with the results. “We shopped all day, starting at 9:00am and finally getting everything stocked and in the kitchen at the church by 1:30pm,” said Nette Knight, unofficial Activities Committee member, “The turn out was fantastic. Great participation. This is the best participation we’ve ever had at a ward activity. And you can tell them that marinated artichoke hearts are hard to find!” When asked how he thought the activity had turned out over all, Scott Knight said, “We could have had more in the audience, but the staff was absolutely incredible. All the staff members participated with their whole heart.”