#78: barbecue (third edition) - July 2016

Our third BBQ-off was held on Canada Day at Blühaus. This theme was expanded to include foods you might eat at a cookout, not just foods cooked on the grill. It was a wonderful day to sit in the backyard and eat a lot of food.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Krystyna: "like a Mac-aroni salad" elbow mac, pickles, red pepper, & celery in a vegenaise herb dressing

Jen: "fresher slice" grilled pizza with homemade marinara, mushrooms, grape tomatoes, onions, & basil

Jeff: "thirty Helens agree" ...coleslaw deserves another chance! homemade seitan ribs & BBQ sauce, with lime slaw & mustard seed potato salad

Chris: "the holy trinity" corn tacos with refried garlic scape beans, cumin-grilled zucchini, & grilled limes
Kristina: "please, sir" graham-style pound cake with maple butter, dark chocolate, & marshmallows

Apparently we had a lot of people at this cookoff because the scoresheet shows 12 voters, but who can remember who they were, it was like 3 years ago.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Krystyna
presentation: Chris
creativity: Jen
perceived effort: Jen/Jeff
barbequability (best use of theme): Jeff
overall favourite: Chris

overall winner: Jeff

best name: (unscored category) Jeff

#77: cocktails & canapés (fifth edition) - May 2016

Our annual cocktails & canapés cookoff was held at Ravenclaw House on the 7th of May. It was a lovely spring day, and we had plenty of people in attendance!

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Bronwen: "Italian origami" marinated tofu with fennel, sun-dried tomato, & citrus; served with a paper crane (sake, aperol, ramazzotti, lemon)

Laryssa: "bacon, bitches" rice paper bacon-wrapped cherry tomato with arugula, mizuna, & lemon mayo; served with a cocktail of lemon balm-infused whiskey, lemon soda, & smoked salt

Jen: "heavy polpetting" polpette (tempeh meatball in spicy marinara sauce) with crostini; served with a negroni (campari, sweet vermouth, gin)

Malloreigh: "great fruit" za'atar tofu, grapefruit, & avocado in tahini dressing; served with a cocktail of orange blossom water & grapefruit pepper vodka

Allie: "siete de Mayo" black bean slider with guacamole & pickled jalapeño; served with a beergarita (Corona, tequila, lime, salt)

Kristina: "Sangraladida" lentil mushroom empañada with chimichurri; served with a non-alcoholic red wine sangria

Liang: "sakushi" flower-shaped maki sushi; served with a cocktail of rice wine & matcha
Ash: "botanica" rye shortbread with juniper sea salt; served with a cocktail of gin & St. Germaine with elderflower, cucumber, basil, & borage

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Jen
creativity: Ash
presentation: Bronwen
perceived effort: Laryssa
best canapé: Laryssa/Jen
best cocktail: Bronwen/Allie/Ash
best pairing: Allie

overall winner: Jen (and second place was a 3-way tie!)

best name: (unscored category) Allie

#76: noodles - April 2016

Our noodle cookoff was held at Chris & Kristina's on the 16th of April. It was a small one, but noodles are filling so we were good with it.

COMPETITORS AND ENTRIES

Chris: "spaghetti ramen" spaghetti cooked in alkaline water with shiso kimchi, daikon in plum vinegar, cold ramen dressing, fresh cucumber & avocado, and black garlic

Jen: "Vladimir Putinesca" linguine puttanesca (olives, capers, & garlic in a homemade passata), with a gremolata crostini

Kristina: "what do you mean, you forgot the mushrooms?" mushroom canelloni with cauliflower cream sauce and balsamic syrup

Malloreigh: "you po dan dan" Chinese hot oil noodles with black vinegar, charred bok choy & scallion, fermented tofu, chili bamboo shoots, and almonds

Also in attendance were Jeff and one other person, maybe Sarah? I can't remember because it was over 2 years ago.

CATEGORIES AND WINNERS
seconds: Chris
presentation: Malloreigh
creativity: Chris
perceived effort: Jen/Kristina
texture: Jen/Chris/Mal
overall favourite: Jen/Chris/Mal

overall winner: Chris

best name: (unscored category) Jen