Delightful Sweets!

Last Sunday, I found myself with more watermelon than I could eat. Being that I have this natural inclination to want to use EVERYTHING. I found a recipe for watermelon preserves in the 1979 edition of "Prijatno" the Circle of Serbian Sisters cook from Gary, (Merrillville) Indiana.

I tried a bit of the extras that were not packed into jars. It's good, both sweet and sour. It would probably taste good on some vanilla ice cream.

Indiana State Fair 2012

On August 10th I entered the Family Heirloom Recipe contest at the Indiana State Fair. My palachinke won third place! This contest was sponsored in part by the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance. The Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance is dedicated to documenting, studying and preserving the foodways from the Ohio River Valley to the Great Lakes, Prairies and Great Plaines of the Midwest. Until I was an adult, I never appreciated my own culinary and cultural heritage. During different phases of my life I took it for granted, felt a sense of shame or disrespected who I am.

Now that I have reached adulthood and have a daughter of my own; I have learned that it is important to retain and pass on the story of who we are.   Cooking is just one example.  I love to do it and I hope I raise a daughter who loves the kitchen too.


 This was the last contest I had signed up to participate in. I also entered the King Arthur Flour, Clabber Girl quick bread and Ghiradelli Chocolate. Alas, no ribbons but that does not mean that I will not try again.  It was a great learning experience that I hope to do it again next year.

The best part was I did not have to pay admission to the fair.  For $40.00 I received 6 tickets to the fair and a parking pass for the infield. Yes, it was worth the time and effort. I was able to spend time in short bursts and really select a single part to experience  rather than a single hot sweaty day trying to see EVERYTHING.

State Fair Results!

Yesterday, I won my first ribbon at the Indiana State Fair.  Due to a lack of time, I decided to make palachinke for the Greater Midwest Foodways Alliance heirloom recipe contest. Somehow I had to fit preparing for this contest in the middle of the following:  husbands birthday, seeing husband off to a mountain climbing trip in Colorado and all of the other day to day stuff that comes with being a Stay at Home Parent.

Originally, I was going to make a nut roll but the time and dedication it takes to making a perfectly tasty nut roll takes some solid time and dedication. Time and the attention that it would require were not on my side. So, I chose Palachinke. I can make them in my sleep and provide a good anecdote about them. Ther are precious little Serbian and Croation recipes representing Indiana. So, I decided to represent. :)