running with tweezers

happy hour & happy holidays

Some things you eat or drink will always remind you of someone in your life. Do you all have those recipes that are connected with a friend or family member? It's been a bit of a whirlwind year (where has it gone!?) and Asheville played a big part in my travels this year. On the second trip there, for the National Gingerbread Competition, Helen and I had a cocktail at The Grove Park Inn that we talked about for days and days afterwards. It embodied everything about our long weekend there: sweet, imaginative, and a wee bit over the top: The Gingerbread White Russian.

I served this cocktail the other night at a holiday dinner party. While many people give a sideways look to the frou-frou "girly drink", this was happily consumed by everyone at the party - for some people, that meant multiple times. Be as fancy and embellished as you want - crush up gingersnaps or peppermint candies for the rim. Grate chocolate on top or dust with a sprinkle of cocoa or cinnamon. I used a candy cane as a swizzle stick in mine - the candy melts away and infuses the drink with minty flavor. This drinks is all about the just-a-tad-too-glitzy-but-who-cares-ness of the holiday season. 

Gingerbread White Russian - recipe makes one drink - based on a drink from The Grove Park Inn

• 1 1/4 ounces vanilla flavored vodka
• 1 ounce Kahlua
• 1/2 ounce Gingerbread Syrup - Torani makes one you can get at places like World Market or online
• 1 ounce heavy cream, half and half, or whole milk - I prefer half & half here
• Garnish ideas: sugar rim, crushed peppermint candy rim, peppermint swizzle stick, rock candy swizzle stick, crushed gingersnap rim, mint leaves, cinnamon/cocoa/chocolate sprinkle on top

- Measure all ingredients into a shaker filled 1/3 of the way with ice. Shake vigorously and strained into your rimmed martini glass. Sprinkle with cinnamon, cocoa or shaved chocolate. Serve immediately.

some spicy stuff

I think it's a reaction to all of the sugary cocktails and cookie swaps of the past week or so: I'm craving spicy foods. Daydreaming about crunchy shell tacos and batches of four alarm chili. I've also been influenced by a visit to Louisiana and stacks of spiral-bound local cookbooks from places there like Big Cane and Shreveport. I'm gearing up for another trip there next week...and I have Cajun on the brain.

One of those cookbooks is called Jambalaya. In it, as you can imagine, is a recipe for Jambalaya inspired...everything. One such recipe was for "Spicy Stuffed Jambalaya Mushrooms". It's been in my head for weeks. While I didn't use the recipe from the book for my batch - it called for things like chicken broth and Ritz crackers (!!!) - I took inspiration from it.

The filling for these mushrooms has every intention of being Cajun: hot spice, peppers, sausage. I have omitted the green peppers because, well...I think they are the devil in vegetable form.  I don't wanna hear it about not including The Trinity - I've come as close as I'm gonna get. If you love green peppers, substitute for the yellow pepper or use all three. The sausage in my stuffing is crumbled hot Italian pork sausage. Please, by all means, add tiny diced Andouille or chopped cooked shrimp to your rice mixture. 

This is not your average cocktail party demure stuffed mushroom. These are heavy duty apps - knife and fork stuffed mushrooms, for sure. A great approach would be to cook two or three of them in individual casseroles or small baking dishes. If you serve them on a platter, make sure you have utensils and plenty of napkins around. Another great thing about this recipe is you could make your filling and bread crumb mixture ahead of time, clean your mushrooms...and then assemble right before your party. It'll be a huge time saver and put a substantial nosh on your table in about 25 minutes.

Jambalaya Stuffed Mushrooms - makes 18 large stuffed mushrooms

• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small yellow onion, smallish dice
• 1 small red bell pepper, smallish dice
• 1 small yellow bell pepper, smallish dice
• 2 ribs celery, finely sliced
• 1 pound mild or spicy ground pork sausage
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp. chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. Cajun/Creole seasoning (I use Tony's)
• 2 tsp. tomato paste
• 1 cup white rice
• 2 tbsp. chicken or veggie stock, white wine, or water
• 18 large cap mushrooms, cleaned and de-stemmed
• 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/4 freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

- Preheat oven to 375F.

- In a large saucepan, bring 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Cook 1 cup rice using your preferred method. I find that this instructional post on Real Simple is a great no-brainer method for cooking rice. Once rice is done, set aside covered.

- In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs and grated cheese. Drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil and combine. This will give you a little golden browning on your crumb mixture.

- In a large sauté pan, heat your 2 tbsp of stock/wine/water. Add mushroom caps and carefully cook them until they start to shrink slightly and gain color - 2 minutes or so on each side. Take off heat and arrange in your baking dish(s). You can do this in batches if your pan isn't large enough.

- In that same pan, heat 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil. Add garlic and cook until translucent but not brown, 1-2 minutes. Add chopped onion, chopped red pepper, yellow pepper, and celery. Cook until tender, 3-4 minutes. Add ground sausage and brown, using wooden spoon or silicone spatula to break it up into crumbles as it browns. Once cooked, about 5 minutes, add cayenne pepper, chili powder and Cajun seasoning. Stir thoroughly to combine. Add tomato paste and stir to combine. Carefully fold in cooked rice and mix completely. Take mixture off heat and allow to cool slightly but not completely - this is more about not burning your hands than it is about the recipe process :)

- To assemble: Using a tablespoon, spoon or small scoop, fill each mushroom cap with a heaping tablespoon of your Jambalaya rice mixture. Sprinkle each top with about a teaspoon of bread crumb mixture. Bake in your preheated 375F oven for 10-12 minutes or until you start to see light golden brown on your crumbs. Serve immediately.

Menu for Hope 6 - A Taste of Atlanta

It's time again for Menu for Hope, the initiative to help end hunger created by Pim from Chez Pim. This campaign has been wildly successful - the food blog community has raised over $250,000 since Menu for Hope's debut five years ago. As in the past, all money raised goes to the UN World Food Programme. This year, we are supporting a new initiative at the WFP called Purchase for Progress (P4P).  P4P enables smallholder and low-income farmers to supply food to WFP’s global operation.  P4P helps farmers improves farming practices and puts more cash directly into their pockets in return for their crops.  This will also help buoy local economy by creating jobs and income locally.  We food bloggers understand the importance of buying locally and supporting our local farms, P4P helps do the same for farmers in low income countries around the world.  You can learn more about P4P at http://www.wfp.org/purchase-progress.

I'm happy to be taking part this year in Menu For Hope. My bid item is a sampler of some great items that are Atlanta based or Southern inspired! It's a great way to show the world some of the fabulous things about the city I live in! All of the details on how to bid on this item are explained after a quick rundown of the items included:

I have been absolutely LUSTING for these aprons since I saw them online a few months ago. The designer, Ashley, has a fabulous company called Ice Milk Aprons. Her super-chic heirloom aprons have made everyone who has seen them swoon. She has kindly donated one of her Rollings in Cinnamon aprons, shown here. (I'm thinking about bidding on my own prize so I can win this thing. Seriously.)

My friend Shameeka turned me onto Low Country Luxe candles. All of their beautifully packaged candles have a Southern spin - many named after coastal towns. They have created some special scents in collaboration with the March of Dimes - they've pledged to raise at least $10,000 for the organization by donating $3.50 from each candle sold. They've given one of their Sugah candles to Menu for Hope. 

One thing that people are always shocked by when they come to Atlanta is how many FABULOUS restaurants we have here - you can seriously eat your way through town. My friend Melissa Libby has curated a cookbook called Atlanta Cooks At Home that includes recipes that local chefs - including Iron Chef winner Kevin Rathbun and James Beard winner Scott Peacock - would make in their home. You'll receive a copy of this book if you win this sampler.

One of Mike's friends, the lovely Sabrina, has started a bakery here in Atlanta called Crumb. She is focusing on cupcakes and French-style Macarons. Her stunning  macarons are gluten free and come stylishly packaged. She has generously donated one of her gift boxes of 14 assorted flavors. 

Next, there is Hot Squeeze. I was sent a bottle of this stuff to try not so long ago and I have to say...I'm hooked. It's the perfect condiment for, well, everything. I've put it in soup, ramen noodles, and on sandwiches. I heard a nasty rumor that it's pretty wickedly delicious over a block of cream cheese and smeared on crackers. The winner of this bid item gets a bottle to experiment with themselves.

NEWLY ADDED! Taste of Atlanta, the city's premier outdoor food festival, has donated FOUR VIP TICKETS to the event next October 2010. You must be in Atlanta next year to redeem this prize. Winner of this bid item will receive a certificate valid for your four tickets, which are valued at $260. 

Now for all of the important details:

I do not handle any of the money during Menu For Hope - that is thankfully done by a copy called FirstGiving. Your donations to the Menu For Hope program are tax deductible. Each bid on an item is $10. The code specific to this Taste of Atlanta bid item is UE24. You must specify this code when you make your donation at FirstGiving. Due to the fact that there is perishables and food items in my bid item, I have to limit shipping this item to those in the United States.

To Donate and Enter the Menu for Hope Raffle...here's what you need to do:
1. Choose a bid item or bid items of your choice from our Menu for Hope main bid item list.
2. Go to the donation site at Firstgiving and make a donation.
3. Please specify which bid item you'd like in the 'Personal Message' section in the donation form when confirming your donation. You must write-in how many tickets per bid item, and please use the bid item code.
Each $10 you donate will give you one raffle ticket toward a bid item of your choice. For example, a donation of $50 can be 2 tickets for EU01 and 3 tickets for EU02 - 2xEU01, 3xEU02.
4. If your company matches your charity donation, please check the box and fill in the information so we could claim the corporate match.
5. Please check the box to allow us to see your email address so that we can contact you in case you win. Your email address will not be shared with anyone.

Thank you to EVERYONE that donated items to this Taste of Atlanta bid item...and thank you in ADVANCE to everyone who will be donating to this wonderful cause! Check back on Chez Pim on Monday, January 18  for the results of the raffle.

baking blues and a Path to Peace giveaway!

I find baking really stressful. I am so envious of people like Caitlin and Helen who make it seem so easy. The holidays just means back to back to back nail-biting sessions peering into the oven with the light on for me. I had picked out a fabulous sounding Blueberry Crumb Bar recipe from Smitten Kitchen to make to cut into squares and take to a cookie swap this weekend.

I was in trouble from the very beginning. I didn't have enough blueberries to make the full recipe. That was easily solved by mixing in some cherries I had on hand. I faltered when cut them a little too early - the one square I removed made me think I had made a cobbler and not bars. Oy. In the end, I took some coconut-cranberry cookies and let these blueberry guys set up. In the end, though, they're delicious - the cherry and blueberry taste is a nice sweet & sour balance. The lemon in the crust and crumb topping really shines through. The texture is more like a breakfast cake than it is a cookie bar, which is fine by me, too.

I'm thrilled to be able to share a really wonderful initiative underway through a partnership between Fairways Trading Company and Macy's - the Path to Peace program. Women in countries such as Rwanda are trained in weaving and textile skills - as well as life essentials like hygiene and personal finance. The results of their creative efforts are being sold exclusively through Macy's. I can go on and on about how incredible this program is but I'll let you read it all for yourself on Macy's website. 

The stunning basket and tablecloth shown in this post is just one example of the talents these women have. In the effort of sharing, I have a basket from the Path to Peace program to give away to one lucky reader. Just leave a comment in this post & tell me what traditions you have when it comes to your holiday table. One winner will be chosen at random on Tuesday, December 15th at 6 PM. Your basket will be shipped directly to you and its color/style will not be determined by me. Please remember to leave your email address so you can be contacted if you're the winner!

UPDATED: Congrats to Lynn, who blogs over at Good Things Happened. She won the Path 2 Peace basket by being comment #15, which was randomly generated by Random.org. I'll be emailing you directly! Thanks to everyone for leaving such great comments :)

Cherry-Blueberry Crumb Bars - based on the recipe originally found here at Smitten Kitchen - makes 36 small bars

• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
• 1 egg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Zest and juice of one lemon
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen & well thawed/drained) blueberries
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen & well thawed/drained) pitted cherries
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch

- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

- In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

- In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the cherries and the blueberries. Sprinkle the fruit mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the fruit layer.

- Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Like Deb's version, my batch took an extra 10 minutes to get brown on the top. MAKE SURE YOU ALLOW THEM TO COOL COMPLETELY BEFORE YOU CUT THEM! This will ensure you don't face massive disappointment and think you've made a cobbler like I did.

carbo-loading and the pioneer spirit

I have a confession to make: I'm a little late to the The Pioneer Woman phenomenon. I had heard the name of the blog bandied about but never read the blog until I went to BlogHerFood in San Francisco. The quiet chatter amongst everyone at the conference that Ree Was Here made me perk up my ears. As she talked during her panel, I was taken aback by how humble, self-effacing and witty she was - not to mention completely stunning. I was instantly a fan.

As one of the treats in our after-after party swag bags, Ree included vouchers for her book, which I took advantage of immediately. Just like her blog, the tales she tells draw you in. Her writing and approach to cooking and feeding her family make you want to know her. You feel like you DO know her. She's the every woman's SuperWoman.

This is what drew myself and some friends to her book signing in Atlanta this week. Our group - including fellow bloggers The Broke Socialite and Susan along with my friends Jen and Andrea - were only a drop in the bucket at this thing. The crowds snaked between rows and rows of bookshelves - Ree must have signed books for hours after we left. Connections with people like that are real. Her blog and all of her success comes from a pure, warm-hearted place. I was so happy to be able to say hello and support her in her venture.

If you haven't seen or purchased the book yet, do so. While a lot of the recipes are a little stick-to-your-ribs and meat-centric for me, I love the recipe play by play throughout the book. If you want a book that's going to tell you EXACTLY how to make solid versions of classic recipes, this is it. The recipe that kept sticking out in my mind was a decadent Cheesy Olive Bread. It has all my favorite things in it: crunchy bread, gooey cheese, and briney olives. See why my bathrobe is tight?

Between my recent trip to Louisiana and my New Orleans Saints-obsessed boyfriend, I decided to spin this recipe into Muffuletta Bread. While this batch I made left off the meat, you could easily place a layer of salami and mortadella underneath the cheese mixture. Ree's original recipe lended itself to substituting plain olives for the classic olive salad, complete with chopped giardinara. A little Cajun seasoning added some zip. This was delicious. The topping is gooey - almost like spinach dip - and a great contrast to crunch Ciabatta bread. It's already on the menu for our New Year's Eve party - a hearty appetizer to feed a group.

Muffuletta Bread - based on a recipe by The Pioneer Woman found here

• 1 loaf fresh Ciabatta Bread sliced in half lengthwise - you can use French bread if you like - i used ciabatta for some extra texture
• 6 ounces green olives stuffed with pimentos
• 6 ounces pitted black olives - i used kalamata but regular black olives would be fine too
• 6 ounces pickled vegetables or giardinara, drained thoroughly
• 1 green onion
• 1 stick of butter - softened to room temperature
• 1/2 cups mayonnaise - Use Duke's here. Trust me.
• 1/2 pound provolone cheese, shredded
• 1/2 pound white cheddar or mozzarella, shredded
• 1 tbsp. Cajun seasoning - I used Tony's

- Preheat oven to 325F.

- Chop green olives and black olives in a rough chop. Chop green onion into uniform thin slices. Rough chop giardinara. Discard any stems from peppers, etc included in your vegetable mix. Add to large mixing bowl. 

- To that bowl, add: mayonnaise, softened butter, shredded Provolone & Cheddar, and Cajun seasoning. Mix all ingredients together thoroughly. Spread mixture evenly on each side of Ciabatta loaf. Place on large baking sheet and bake in oven for 30 minutes. Check to ensure that cheese mixture on top is golden and bubbly - you may have to give it a few minutes depending on your oven. Cut into pieces and serve immediately.

quite a handful

Now that December is in full swing, it's my turn to join the throngs of food bloggers that are focusing on all of the upcoming holidays this month. Until Christmas, I'm going to try and focus on food and drink recipes that would compliment the plethora of holiday parties/cocktail parties/celebration dinners that are gearing up to take place.

I am also very curious about snacks that aren't so, well, carb-laden. I dunno about you but I am beginning to feel like my bathrobe is a little tight. Between all of the yummy festivities around Thanksgiving, doing recipe development on some soups, and just a general lapse in my healthy habits...I'm feeling a little puffy.

In an effort to right that, I started thinking about roasted chickpeas. They've popped up in a few restaurants here as a sharable snack and I've seen them on a ton of websites and blogs (Kalyn has a great recipe, as well). This is a healthy-ish high fiber snack that you can easily whip together with things you have on hand - my batch came together in about an hour after rummaging the pantries. It's great because you can make some on-the-fly nibbles for last minute cocktail get-togethers that pop up. Feel free to use this recipe as a guide - you can adjust the salt/heat/spice on these to suit your liking. The key here is to get them as dry as possible before seasoning and roasting - it makes all the difference, believe me.

Roasted Chickpeas

• 2 15 oz. cans garbanzo beans
• 2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tbsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tbsp. chipotle powder
• 1 tbsp. salt

- Preheat oven to 400F.

- Drain garbanzo beans in strainer and rinse thoroughly. Allow to sit and drain until dry. Pat the garbanzo beans dry to remove as much water as possible. 

- In a large mixing bowl, combine all spices, salt and oil. Carefully combine garbanzo beans in bowl and coat completely with spice mixture.

- Pour beans onto a rimmed baking sheet and bake in oven for 40-50 minutes. My batch took the full 50 minutes but I would check on your batch at 40 to make sure nothing is exploding/burning.

- Allow to cool and serve.

Martha's Cooking School - The Winner!

Thanks to everyone that left comments on the soup post in hopes of winning a copy of Martha Stewart's Cooking School. There were SO many great comments and it just showed how many people LOVE soup...and how many different favorites there are!

Courtesy of the RANDOM number generator, the winner of the book is Comment #45, which is Heather at Squirrel Bread. Her winning comment was:

"Vietnamese pho, hands down. Greatest. Soup. Ever. And what could be better than the idea that 'the louder you slurp, the more you like it'?!!"

I couldn't agree more! Congrats, Heather!

simple and stress-free...and a cookbook giveaway!

 

I can't believe it's been over a week since we last spoke. I've been missing all of you and missing being in my happy place here at this blog. After a truly wonderful Thanksgiving trip to Louisiana - it really was - it's been a little, shall we say, stressful back home in Atlanta. We rushed back to care for this little guy that was a mess of hair and bones when we arrived. The news wasn't all too great but I can happily say he is now eating everything in sight, including dirt off the floor and anything he thinks is on my fingers/dining room table/corner of the laptop screen.

In times of stress and chaos, I turn to soup. It's just in my nature. My mom was the soup champion and I have, thankfully, gotten the good soup mojo passed down to me. There have been many a soup recipe post here at RWT and today is no exception. It's a kitchen miracle that you can take the simplest of ingredients, throw in some seasoning on hand, and make a meal out of it. Chunky or smooth. Warm or cold. It's always there to suit a mood and soothe you. 

Blissfully, there was a batch of this cauliflower velouté in the freezer that I had made before the holidays. I've made versions of this soup before with celery root and it's the most versatile recipe in my repertoire, I think. A little leek or onion, some herbs, and a whiz in the blender...and you've got a soup with the most heavenly texture imaginable. You can apply this technique to almost any veggie you have. Really. The other benefit? It can be as simple or as fancy as you'd like. You can turn this into dinner party food with a little truffle oil (or shaved truffles if you're fancy-pantsy) or keep it rustic with bread crumbs and olive oil.

So where does the giveaway come in? I recently bought a copy of Martha Stewart's Cooking School. I was so impressed with it as an all-in-one kitchen guide that I bought another copy to give away. It was published last year but I feel it's one of those essential texts I want everyone to have. The chapter on soups and stocks is tremendous! If you want to win this copy for yourself (or win it and pass it along to someone who needs the information more than you!), leave a comment and tell me what your favorite soup is. That's it! Please leave an email address so I can contact the winner. I will pick a random winner on Monday, December 7th at 12 PM EST!

Cauliflower Velouté - serves 6 to 8 as a main course

• 1 large leek - cut up to the green parts, washed and drained
  
• 4 tbsp. butter
• 1 head white cauliflower - tough stems removed and roughly but evenly chopped
• 1 large bay leaf
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 3 cups vegetable or chicken stock (this depends on size of cauliflower - you want enough stock to just cover the cauliflower)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  

- In a large stock pot, melt butter but do not allow it to brown. Add leeks and saute until tender, about 3-4 minutes. Add chopped cauliflower and stir to combine with leeks for 1-2 minutes. Add thyme, bay leaf, and stock. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer until cauliflower is tender - this should take about 20 minutes. Remove bay leaf and thyme stem. Allow to cool to room temperature.

- Once cool, puree the cauliflower and its cooking liquid in batches in a blender (my Vita-Mix does this in a nanosecond - swoon-worthy!) until smooth. Return to pot and fold in heavy cream. Salt and pepper to taste. Reheat mixture and serve immediately.

- If you refrigerate this soup or freeze it, it's my opinion that it's well served by a freshening-up whiz in the blender before you reheat it. I think it helps revive the lightness and texture of it.

- Garnish ideas: toasted bread crumbs, parsley, good quality olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, large toasty croutons, shaved truffles, truffle salt or oil

saying thanks

"For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's the day before Thanksgiving and I'm writing to you from a hotel room on the way to Louisiana. I'd been racking my brain about how to approach this post. Which links to previous recipes I'd include to encourage you to make them this holiday. How to convince you to make brussels sprouts or pumpkin cheesecake bars my way.

You don't need me for that. It seems like every blog I read is helping you along for the holidays. Go use recipes from Elise or Ree or Zoe. They're foolproof. You won't be disappointed, I promise. 

My post on this day is about gratitude. It's been a whirlwind few years for me - that's been no secret. I look back at this blog and feel like it's going through a renaissance, much like I am. Just as it was getting off the ground, my mom passed away. Then my dad 2 years later. Add in work stresses and relationship turmoils and, well, this blog went months without having much to say...much like me. It's been just over a year since my dad passed away and the balance is just now being re-established. I now have an enthusiasm for life, writing, and cooking again that I haven't seen in a very long time.  This blog is a mirror for what's going on in my life...and I wouldn't have it any other way (believe me, I've tried to make this place clinical and just about cooking and i just can't).

So today, I'm thankful for all of the people - both in "real life" and through this blog - that have supported me and helped me come to this place. It's been a rough go for several people I know this year...and my hope is that I have even begun to support you the way you have me. Even when I still had my parents around, you all have been my family just as equally. I'm also thankful for the reason I'm on the road again. My relationship makes me feel safe, empowered, inspired, and invincible - even on the days when it's hardest to show it.

This Thanksgiving, I'm thinking of the past not with sadness or bitterness but with an open mind and a warm heart. The things that have happened have allowed me to come to this place. I have the opportunity to forge new traditions and experience the holiday in a way I never have before. I hope those of you out there that read this have the holiday YOU want to have, whether it's re-enacting the same Thanksgiving as the year before...or you make this year it's own. Enjoy old traditions and relish making new ones. I can't wait to see how you all spent your holidays...and I can't wait to share mine. Oh and by all means, please do make the pumpkin cheesecake bars - they're delicious, I swear.

A House of Love - The 17th Annual National Gingerbread House Competition!

Those of you out in the land of food fanatics have undoubtedly, at some point, seen one or two of those cake challenge shows on Food Network, right? The ones that make you a little tense as you see these huge creations made before your eyes?  In the same vein as that network's challenges, every year you see a feature about The National Gingerbread Competition, which takes place in Asheville at The Grove Park Inn. I've marveled at it many times and it always manages to get me in the holiday spirit when I see it - even if I see a rerun in April or so! I don't have television at home (don't judge, people, don't judge) but I've been in front of one enough to know that when I got the chance to attend the competition with Helen from Tartelette, I didn't even ask when or how. I just said yes.

As grand as the Grove Park Inn is as a hotel, that same attitude comes through in the competition. People from all across the country - 20 states were represented - work for months and months on their creations. This year was the 17th annual competition and around 200 gingerbread houses - from children and adults - were entered to win in their respective category. Let me tell you...it's quite something to see. When I opened the door of the Grand Ballroom at GPI, the overwhelming wafting smell of gingerbread almost knocked me over - in a good way. I can't imagine being a judge and having to focus in that large room smelling delicious gingerbread all day!

The panel of judges included Helen, internationally known sugar artist and instructor Nicholas Lodge, cake designer to the stars and author of FIVE cookbooks Colette Peters, South Dakota-based pastry chef and author of The Gingerbread Book Steven Stellingwerf, and 6 others from various art and pastry fields. Judging began early in the morning and culminated at 5:30 pm with the announcement of the winners. Each house was carefully scrutinized and judged on appearance, originality, precision, difficulty and continuity of theme. I saw how thorough the judging was and how much time the judges put into giving proper consideration to each house. Several of them have been judging the competition for many years - they know what they're looking for: great execution and originality while still being true to the notion of a "gingerbread house".

There were so many fabulous creations at the show, it was hard for me to focus on just one or two. While I understand the judges favoring really elaborate, structurally incredible houses...I have a really soft spot in my heart for the ones loaded up with gumdrops and candy canes. That's the kind of gingerbread house *I* remember as a kid and the colors & whimsy still make me happy as an adult. I think it's also inspired me to try and make my own this year - something I've never done!

Three top winners in each age bracket were chosen and given a prize. However, in the end, only one gingerbread house could be named Grand Prize winner. This year, the distinction went to Jodie Stowe of Polkville, NC. Her birdcage design was pretty spectacular - the construction and the details in it were remarkable. For her efforts, she won $3,000, a 2 night stay at Grove Park Inn, and other prizes. Most importantly, she won bragging rights!

I was able to take lots of photos, which I have posted in a photo set on Flickr here. You can also get more details on the winners of each category here at Grove Park Inn's website.