We're fortunate that in our little town
has a presence.
The County Fair in August brings out the best of the 4Hers
in their exhibits as they compete in cooking, sewing, baking, agriculture, and livestock
Even the city kids, sometimes has a cow or a pig!
One of the programs through 4H is called
"Favorite Foods"
A participant makes a menu, selects one item from the menu to cook and display
(no tasting allowed!) and then sets a table according to the menu theme
It's Tablescaping 101 for youth
Today I was asked to judge
I was impressed -- very impressed -- by the entries
A German Cafe
A complete German meal
a Bavarian "flag" tablecloth
This girl not only made the one dish -- she made the whole meal
except for dessert!
Even her recipe carried out the theme with the German flags!
Mother's Day Luncheon
Sweet pastels, the brown napkin is for a "pop" of color
She told me so!
The pink tablecloth picked up the touch of pink in the hydrangeas
Her dish was the broccoli salad which looked yummy and smelled amazing!
Blasting Fun
A menu for a Fourth of July party!
Her table was definitely red, white and blue
And looked so festive
A healthy menu she chose for she had turkey burgers on whole wheat buns, this colorful couscous, black bean and corn salad and blueberry and raspberry cheesecakes for dessert.
She told me that she chose this salad because she likes to cook with different ingredients
Paris Meal
The black placemat echoed the black of the Eiffel towel which then tied to a black border on the runner. Besides a menu and a dish, she also made the runner, napkin and placement. A sewer as well as a cooker.
She was adventurous as to her dish --
For she chose whole wheat French bread
Quite an undertaking -- working with yeast!
Family Dinner at Emma's
Emma used a wonderful black and white tablecloth, dishes that were western, and behind her recipe is a cowboy made out of horseshoes! Her centerpiece of sunflowers was in a galvanized container with an embossed leather bottom
Her meal was a homey family meal --
Ham and beans and cornbread, corn on the cob, and fruit
She chose to make the cornbread and it looked good
Pie Baking Class and Luncheon
Based on a real event. At her church, her family will gather so that great grandma can teach the whole clan how to bake!
And after, they'll have a luncheon
(with the pies for dessert I'm sure)
Quite a clever presentation --
tin pie plates for the food, a container holding a glass with a dish cloth wrapped around the cutlery -- each in different colors which pick up the colors in the tea towel the pie is sitting on
And she didn't need Grandma to teach her how to bake pie --
this pumpkin pie looks delicious.
Her menu was more of a potluck menu -- come bake pies, bring a dish . . .
Cafe in Paris
Based on a Parisian cafe she visited on a trip to Washington D.C. with her grandmother
The snack set belongs to her great grandmother and is a lovely pink
The rose on the plate is really the napkin cleverly folded
Her dish that she made? Cream puffs!
That's not an easy dish and I was impressed with her skill
Mexican Fiesta
One of the youngest entrants
She had "Mexico" down pat!
And she even had real flowers!
Why tacos, I asked her,
"Because they're my favorite food", she answered
For 7, she made an amazing plate of tacos!
Mother's Day Brunch
I would love to be a guest at that table for Mother's Day!
Lacy and pink with a hint of casual with a burlap runner.
The colors went from table through centerpiece to even the menu
And her strawberry and granola pancakes looked amazing
But the rest of her menu -- the fruit, a ham and cheese souffle (I'd call it a strata but she called it souffle) would be a perfect brunch for Mother's Day or any day!
Brunch
With my love of blue and white, I found this table my favorite. Blue willow dishes, a blue goblet and a beautiful blue and white placemat (I'm to on the lookout for those pretty placemats!) and the vintage tablecloth with it's blue border and little tea pots in each corner. The birds and chicks were a cute addition and I've used chicks myself when I've hosted a brunch at Linderhof.
And this entrant understands which makes a brunch a brunch --
Dessert!
A fruit pizza made easy.
Farmer's Picnic
Casual with a disposable tablecloth and paper goods for it's a picnic!
To be taken to the farmers working in the field.
But not just any old ham between two slices of white bread --
no it's a BLT, a potato dish and . . .
This amazing strawberry dessert.
It was fun to do and I was happy that Jennifer from Southward Extension District invited me to judge this event.
It was hard to look at all of this amazing food and not be allowed to taste!
I do know that the dishes would taste as good as they looked.
I figured that out from talking to each participant.
I think it's a great project and I hope that I can find out how well the winners today do at the next competition against other county winners.
I'm sharing these delightful tables capes with Susan at Between Naps On the Porch for Tablescape Thursday. It's never too early to teach those tablescaping skills!
1 comment:
I love this idea that the 4H is doing! No pressure to be judged on cooking, just working on the beginnings. But some of those kids already have it down. Do you know, as a teacher, the kids in 4H were usually the best,brightest, and worked the hardest in school What does that tell you about kids and parents?
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