Duh! Winning!

I had a Charlie Sheen kind-of-a-day last Saturday.

As you know, Lee just started culinary school last week.  In order to get more experience, he got a new job at Plates and Palates.  It's this fun bistro and kitchen store in Bountiful and we love the food there.  If you get a chance, try their Reuben sandwich.  Two words: herbed mayonnaise. It's seriously the best Reuben ever!

But with this new job, Lee is gone on Saturdays, so I'm left up to my own devices.

[Bwahahahaha!]

I found something to do last Saturday. We have a couple of married friends--we'll call them The Giggling G's.  The GGs are delightfully fun and happy people.  We were having dinner with them a few weeks ago and Mrs. Giggling G mentioned that her neighbor, Lindsay Joy Smith of FUD: Feast Upon Delights, was once again hosting the Fud Feud at Orson Gygi.

Fud Feud swag!

The Fud Feud is a contest for amateur cooks. Mrs. Giggling G entered in the Side Dish category to support her neighbor and she encouraged me to enter too--she thought we'd have fun cause we're "into food".

I thought about it--I could enter my Lemon Basil Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting.  I've made it a time or two (or twelve) before.

Lemon Basil Layer Cake...the way it should look

So I entered in the Dessert category, because I did think it WOULD be fun.  Plus, Lee was working that Saturday.

The morning of the contest, I dropped Lee off at work and started making my cake.  I had a little over 4 hours to get ready and get to Orson Gygi--plenty of time, right?

Let's just say that everything that could have gone wrong with my cake went wrong.

• My cake didn't rise; in fact, I had crater cakes.  My cake was 2 full inches shorter than usual!
• It was also starting to fall apart when I removed each layer from the pans.
• When I was whipping up my frosting, the cream wasn't light enough--it was like it was being weighed down.
• A piece of wax paper I placed under the cake during frosting wouldn't come out. The cake started breaking apart as I was pulling it out and so I left that piece and covered it up with frosting, hoping no one would accidentally eat a piece of it.
• I was running so late that I didn't get to shower or do my hair or makeup. Not cute.

I actually considered not bringing it because it was just bad and I was extremely discouraged.

But I went anyway, bringing my pathetic, short cake that was collapsing upon itself under the frosting.

Dessert #212

MiSharona, my friend who came out to support me, saw the cake and said, "Oh honey, I'm so sorry.  What happened?"

When she said that, I knew I had little chance of winning.  So I just plated a piece of cake (it was like half a piece because the center was nonexistent--it HAD collapsed upon itself in the middle, so there was literally no cake in the middle!) and submitted it to the judges.

I got even more bummed when I saw all the other entries in my category.  Like Caroline of Caroline's Bakeshop and her beautiful Cinnamon Chocolate Mousse Pie. Or the gorgeous fondant Beehive Cake. Or the a delicious chocolate raspberry mousse!

So I stopped worrying and decided to have fun with MiSharona and the Giggling Gs.  Gem also ended up coming a little later.  We all wandered around, sampling the many entries. Man, everyone did an amazing job!

The judging was finally done and they started announcing the winners.

Ooo!  The prize table!

We stood in the back as they announced the different winners. Mrs Giggling G won 3rd place with her Oriental Balsamic Salad in the Side Dish category!  Yay!

They finally announced the 3rd and 2nd places for the Desserts. They were about to announce the 1st place winner and I was sure that Caroline would win with her pie.

But they announced #212.

That's my number!  For my cake!

For THAT cake??  What were they thinking?!?

MiSharona and Gem were laughing their heads off, looking at me incredulously.  I couldn't believe I won!

I went up and gathered my prize: A $50.00 gift card to Orson Gygi, a cooking class at Orson Gygi, sparkling cider, and a 1st Place medal and plate.  So cool!

Wow!  I can't believe I won 1st Place!

Seriously, what a fun and well-organized event--thanks, Lindsay and FUD!  I'm definitely entering again next year!

(We had such a good time shopping afterwards too--I had just won a $50.00 OG gift card!)

MiSharona--put a bird on it! 

Later that day, MiSharano, still a little surprised that I had won, texted me this:

I've decided to call today Charlie Sheen Day.   

So if someone says to you, "Hey Winter!  Why didn't you shower today?"  You can reply, "I was busy WINNING."  

When a schmuck friend says, "Oh man! Your cake looks terrible!  I have never seen such a wretched looking cake!"  You can say, "Uh-uh, I'm winning."   

And when your husband comes home and says, "Look at this messy kitchen!"  You just say, "Winning!"   

It's just a winning day all around.

I don't know why I won--I must have been channeling Charlie's winning attitude!