County Fair Time

Jill's very first year of 4-H foods judging

Today is the first day of the Stafford County Fair. Even though I haven't had 4-Hers at my house for the past seven years, I'm still a superintendent for 4-H Foods and Nutrition. Yesterday, I spent part of the day setting up for the judging and calling workers.

She looks scared to death to talk to the judge. The innate talker finally won out in subsequent 4-H years! I also remember that cake. It was entered in a microwave division. It wasn't that good, but we didn't know much at the time. There's no microwave class at the 2013 Stafford County Fair. That's a good thing!

This is the third year we're doing the judging in a nearby church basement, which certainly helps combat the heat on the fairgrounds (until I need to set up the displays and get everything organized there).

Randy will help weigh in pigs and then will help during the swine judging on Thursday morning. So, even though this is the seventh year we are "4-Her-less," we still find small ways to help out. (True confessions: We are definitely not as involved as we once were. We retired after a dozen years as community leaders when Brent graduated. And I gave up the local foods leader job last year after beginning when Jill was a young 4-Her.)

Still, why do we (and a bunch of other 4-Her-less people) continue to show up to work? It's because of what 4-H did for me and my family.

A 4-H talk circa 1973 or so

Both Randy and I are 4-H veterans, he in Stafford County and me in Pratt County. (I'm sad that the two fairs are the same week this summer, so I won't make it to my home fair this year.)

Randy in 1967, a 5th grader and his first year in Stafford County 4-H with his first 4-H steer.

Jill and Brent both joined 4-H as soon as they were old enough. I look at that photo of Jill with her first-year cake (the photos at the top of this post), and I think about how much she (and I) grew and learned. She went from that uneasy first-year 4-Her to a confident leader.

She chose her profession - a registered dietitian - at least in part because of 4-H foods and nutrition.

Randy continues to advise people on their bucket calf and beef projects (when asked) for much the same reason. Our kids learned so much through that project. And their livestock premium auctions proceeds also helped them pay some of their college expenses.

They both learned that it takes perseverance. You sometimes have to dig in your heels to get things accomplished. There's no better lesson on that than trying to break a bucket calf to lead.

4-H is a powerful youth program:

Young people in 4-H are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youth not participating in 4-H. 4-Hers all across the nation are empowered to take on the leading issues of their towns, counties and states and make a lasting difference. ... 4-H youth get the hands-on, real-world experience they need to become leaders and to make positive differences in their communities.

"The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development"

 from Tufts University 

I, too, have case study after case study to back it up. My research isn't done in the hallowed halls of a university like Tufts. It's more in the sweat produced by working side-by-side with 4-Hers, parents and other volunteers on a hot day in July.

Brent's final year of 4-H - 2006

I'll have even more real-life examples when the last of the exhibits comes down Saturday evening. Good luck 4-Hers, parents and volunteers! And, if you're in the neighborhood, stop by the Stafford County Fairgrounds on North Main in Stafford, Wednesday through Saturday, and be part of the fair!

This post is revised from the archives.

Over the (Crescent) Moon

My bread baking skills were slow to evolve. As a Pratt County 4-Her, I was lucky if my yeast bread entry earned a red ribbon. And, back in my day, 4-H judges didn't mind handing out white ribbons either. I certainly got my share of those in the yeast bread department.

I learned more as the 4-H parent than I did as the 4-Her. When Jill and her friend, Holly, got interested in yeast breads, my personal education began in earnest.

Pretzels provided their first foray into the world of yeast breads. They gave a demonstration called Fit To Be Tied for county 4-H club day and an enterprise was born. Their purple-ribbon talk earned them the right to give the demonstration at regional club days and at the Kansas State Fair. Then they sold pretzels - hundreds of them - at Stafford's Oktoberfest. (Jill's 4-H book says each girl made around 300 giant pretzels.) It was a learning experience for all of us - for Jill and Holly and for me and Tami, Holly's mom. (I recommend pretzel making as a first step for beginning 4-H cooks who want to try yeast breads.)

The year after the pretzel demonstration, they decided to try their hand at shaping yeast dough into rolls and gave another talked called Shape Up! Holly mastered the more complicated rosettes and twisted braids. Jill and I were better at crescent rolls.

From Jill's 4-H Foods and Nutrition story that year:
We showed how to make cloverleaf, crescent, Parkerhouse and rosette rolls. We made somewhere in the neighborhood of 864 homemade dinner rolls while we practiced for county and regional club days, made rolls for our families and prepared entries for the county fair.

That's a lot of rolls. But all of us - the 4-Hers AND the moms - got better at yeast bread baking. What was the secret? Practice. If you only bake yeast bread once a year for the county fair, you're not going to become a master at it.

I'm still not a master at it, but I have become my family's bread baker for the holidays. I still prefer making crescent rolls, and I have some step-by-step photos to help you conquer fear of yeast roll shaping, plus other links for recipes and videos.

Because of preferences for some of the extended family, I make some white rolls (and that's what is pictured in the step-by-step photos). But for better nutrition, use at least half whole wheat flour.  You can use hard red winter wheat flour. Now there is also white winter wheat flour available, which is often more appealing to white bread fans.

A little investment of time and effort will have your holiday guests over the (crescent) moon when you serve them homemade rolls.

Classic Crescent Rolls

2 pkg. dry yeast
2 1/4 cups warm water (105 - 115 degrees)
2/3 cup nonfat dry milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup margarine, melted
2 tsp. salt
3 cups whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
3 to 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add dry milk, honey, margarine and salt. Stir well. Using a heavy-duty stand mixer, beat in whole wheat flour until well blended. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes to allow the whole wheat flour to absorb moisture. (If you do this, you won't have to add as much additional flour and you'll have a lighter dough, so a little patience is warranted here!)

Add 3 cups of all-purpose flour and use a dough hook on the mixer to incorporate the flour. After it has been mixing for awhile, add additional flour, a little at a time, until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Using the dough hook, knead the dough mechanically for 4 to 7 minutes.

Turn out onto very lightly floured surface and knead for just a few more minutes until smooth and elastic. Take care to not add more flour than is needed. (If you don't have a heavy-duty stand mixer, you may knead by hand for 8 to 10 minutes.)

Place dough in a lightly-greased bowl, turning it over once to allow the dough to have a little of the oil (or cooking spray) on its surface. (If a skin forms on the dough, it hampers its stretch and it may cause streaks in the finished bread.) Cover the bowl with a lightly dampened tea towel while the dough rises.

Allow to rise in a warm place (80 to 82 degrees) until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour. To test dough for doubled bulk, press two fingers lightly and quickly about 1/2 inch into dough. If the dent remains, the dough is doubled.

Punch down and turn onto a board for shaping. Do NOT have additional flour on your board. Let it rest for 5-10 minutes before shaping. For crescent rolls, use a knife to divide the dough into four equal pieces; you want to cut the dough, rather than tearing it. Roll 1/4 of the dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/4-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, cut the circle into 8 equal parts. Pick up each triangle at the wide edge and roll up tightly. Pinch the point to prevent unrolling and lay it point side down on a lightly greased baking sheet. Curve ends of each roll on baking sheet to make the crescent shape. Repeat for each of the 4 parts of the dough, making a total of 32 rolls.

Cover the rolls and let rise until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes or until light, golden brown. Turn out onto cooling rack. Brush hot rolls with butter, if desired. (A note to 4-H bakers: Don't put the butter on your hot rolls for the fair. Just use that for rolls for home use!)

Roll shaping 101 via photos:

This is how the dough looks after it has doubled in bulk after about 1 hour.

Turn the dough out onto a NON-floured board. I never add more flour at this stage as it will cause streaks in the finished dough. If you've incorporated the right amount of flour when you were mixing, you don't need more flour.

Divide the dough into four equal parts, using a knife. Don't tear the dough - cut it.

Roll each 1/4 portion into a 12-inch circle using a rolling pin. It will make it about 1/4-inch thick.

Cut each into 8 equal parts using a pizza cutter or knife. (I like a pizza cutter.)

Starting at the wide end, roll toward the point, keeping the roll as tight as you can. Tuck the point under the roll and squeeze it so that the point won't come undone as it rises. Curve the roll toward the center to form the crescent shape.

After the rolls have risen for another 45 minutes to 1 hour, they'll look puffed and ready to go. If you look at the close up photo above, you can see at the curve how the dough has stretched and risen.

Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 12 minutes. Keep a close watch. You know your oven. You don't want to go to all this work and then burn them in the end!

For more information about shaping (like shaping into these pan rolls), go to Recipe Tips: Shaping Rolls.

Want other ideas and recipes? Winter is the perfect time of year for experimenting with yeast breads and yeast rolls. You won't mind heating up the house when the winter winds are blowing outside. 

Here are some links for you to explore the world of bread baking:

Kansas Wheat

America's Bread Basket (includes recipes from the National Festival of Breads)

Wheat Foods Council

Homemaking Association and its link to videos that show step-by-step the how-tos of making bread and rolls.

4-H: The Legacy Lives On

Jill's very first year of 4-H foods judging

She looks scared to death to talk to the judge. The innate talker finally won out in subsequent 4-H years! I also remember that cake. It was entered in a microwave division. It wasn't that good, but we didn't know much at the time. There's no microwave class at the 2012 Stafford County Fair. That's a good thing!

Today is the first day of the Stafford County Fair. Even though I haven't had 4-Hers at my house for the past six years, I'm still superintendent for 4-H Foods and Nutrition. Yesterday, I spent part of the day setting up for the judging and calling workers.

This is the second year we're doing the judging in a nearby church basement, which certainly helps combat the 100-degree heat on the fairgrounds (until I need to set up the displays and get everything organized there). I'm thinking I should have written more notes to jog my memory, but Randy says it will come back to me.

Yeah. Either that or I'll wing it.

Randy will help weigh in pigs and then will help during the swine judging on Thursday morning. So, even though this is the sixth year we are "4-Her-less," we still find small ways to help out. (True confessions: We are definitely not as involved as we once were. We retired after a dozen years as community leaders when Brent graduated. And I gave up the local foods leader job this year after beginning when Jill was a young 4-Her.)

Still, why do we (and a bunch of other 4-Her-less people) continue to show up to work? It's because of what 4-H did for me and my family.

A 4-H talk circa 1973 or so

Both Randy and I are 4-H veterans, he in Stafford County and me in Pratt County. (I'm sad that the two fairs are the same week this summer, so I won't make it to my home fair this year.)

Jill and Brent both joined 4-H as soon as they were old enough. I look at that photo of Jill with her first-year cake, and I think about how much she (and I) grew and learned. She went from that uneasy first-year 4-Her to a confident leader.

She chose her profession - a registered dietitian - at least in part because of 4-H foods and nutrition.

Randy continues to advise people on their bucket calf and beef projects (when asked) for much the same reason. Our kids learned so much through that project. And their livestock premium auctions proceeds also helped them pay some of their college expenses.

They both learned that it takes perseverance. You sometimes have to dig in your heels to get things accomplished. There's no better lesson on that than trying to break a bucket calf to lead.

There's an article in this week's High Plains Journal that says:

Young people in 4-H are three times more likely to contribute to their communities than youth not participating in 4-H.
4-Hers all across the nation are empowered to take on the leading issues of their towns, counties and states and make a lasting difference. ... 4-H youth get the hands-on, real-world experience they need to become leaders and to make positive differences in their communities.

"The 4-H Study of Positive Youth Development"

 from Tufts University 

I, too, have case study after case study to back it up. My research isn't done in the hallowed halls of a university like Tufts. It's more in the sweat produced by working side-by-side with 4-Hers, parents and other volunteers on a 100-degree day in July.

Brent's final year of 4-H - 2006

I'll have even more real-life examples when the last of the exhibits comes down Saturday evening. Good luck 4-Hers, parents and volunteers!

This 4-Her Loafs Around!

We live in an instant world. Our cell phone is literally attached at the hip. Kids are just as likely to text a friend across the room rather than take 10 steps to ask them a question in person.

Bread baking doesn't exactly fit the "instant" mode. So it's encouraging to see 4-Hers still learning about bread baking, an art that's been around practically since the beginning of time.

Cody Burnett earned the Grand Champion rosette at the Stafford County Fair this year with a loaf of Oatmeal Whole Wheat Bread. And, fittingly enough, she baked it in her Grandma Nina Seibert's kitchen with a family recipe.

That's what 4-H is all about. It's about moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas standing behind kids and teaching them things like how to bake a loaf of bread or how to clip a steer. But it's about way more than that: It's about learning to work side-by-side toward a common goal. And the feeling of family extends beyond bloodlines. It's that veteran 4-Her showing a new 4-H family how to get a bucket calf ready for a show. It's that older 4-H cook standing alongside the first-year 4-Her and showing her how to measure flour ... and gently correcting when the novice inevitably taps it on the counter in an effort to get more in the cup.

Cody is 13 years old and will be an 8th grader at Macksville Junior High next school year. She's been baking bread for about three years now.

She doesn't let the Kitchen Aid mixer do all the work, though she does use it to get started.

"I like to knead," Cody said. "That's the fun part."

What 13-year-old girl doesn't need a stress reliever every now and again? (Don't you remember junior high and adolescence in general?)

She practiced the recipe four different times, perfecting the kneading time and learning how to shape the loaf. By the time fair baking rolled around, she only had to make the recipe once to get the Grand Champion entry, which the judge praised as "a nearly perfect loaf."

It might not be instant. But it's sure gratification.

Oatmeal Whole Wheat Bread

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup quick oatmeal
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cups boiling water
1 tbsp. yeast
1/4 cup warm water
1 egg
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp. dough enhancer
3 cups bread flour

Put margarine, oatmeal, salt and brown sugar in large mixing bowl. Add boiling water. Mix well. Dissolve yeast in warm water. Cool slightly. Mix in egg after cooled. Add to first mixture. Add whole wheat flour and dough enhancer. Mix for 3 minutes in mixer. Put on dough hook. Add bread flour. Mix 4 to 6 minutes. Remove from mixer bowl and knead well.

Let rise until doubled. Punch down and then shape into 2 loaves or 24 rolls. Let rise again. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

Yankee "Doodles" Dandy!

Whole wheat is definitely part of the dietary "buzz" these days as Americans are urged to add more whole grains to their diets.

And while I'm not sure cookies are what the experts had in mind, this Whole Wheat Snickerdoodle recipe is one we've been using around here for years.

It was a county fair winner back when Jill was just a beginning 4-H cook. What judge doesn't like a little bit of extra nutrition when choosing a winner? (So far, most 4-H fairs haven't figured out a way to have their young cooks enter their favorite salad recipes.)

Brianna & Jaycee make the Snickerdoodles at a recent 4-H cooking meeting.

Freshly grated orange rind packs a punch of flavor, along with the nutmeg and the cinnamon.

A cookie scoop is a great tool to use to make all the cookies the same size, especially important when baking for 4-H. If your family is like mine, a uniform cookie isn't their chief concern. But I guess a little beauty never hurts.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles

1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. finely grated fresh orange rind
2 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
***
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

Cream shortening and 1 cup sugar in mixer bowl until light and fluffy. Blend in egg. Mix flour, baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg in separate bowl; add orange rind. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk and vanilla, mixing well. Use a small cookie scoop to make uniform balls. Roll in mixture made from combining 2 tablespoons of sugar and the cinnamon.

Place on greased cookie sheet; flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack. Makes 3 dozen.

Let Them Eat Cake!

Seeing a happy winner was the best part of my day at the Stafford County Fair on Wednesday.

The youngest of three sisters, Jena started hanging out at the fair long before she was old enough to actually enter the 4-H division. This year, she won the overall grand champion prize in the 4-H foods contest with her Tropical Chiffon Cake. Though she has raised a grand champion steer before, I think this was her first grand champion in cooking.

Jena lives across the county from us, so I don't see her very often. But it's a pleasure to watch someone stick with something from the time they are a little ponytailed 7-year-old entering no-bake cookies until they are a soon-to-be senior in high school able to make a perfect chiffon cake.

I personally think chiffon and angel food cakes are difficult to make. When Jill was in 4-H, we attempted an angel food cake one year. It was an unmitigated disaster. When Jill turned it upside down on a bottle to cool it, it wasn't long before the entire cake was on the kitchen counter.

No, that was not supposed to happen.

But Jena had not only the prize-winning chiffon cake, but a good-looking angel food cake and a pretty Bundt cake, too.

Bundt cakes we can do. However, I wish I had been interested in learning to bake an angel food cake back when my Grandma Neelly was alive.

I have always been interested in eating angel food cakes. That was my birthday cake of choice. And nobody could make an angel food cake like my Grandma.

I know I need to take my own advice. It's always easy to dish out advice ... not so fun to take it.

I'm always telling my 4-H foods project kids that they can't expect to bake perfect bread loaves or roll out a fault-free pie crust if they don't practice during the year. I learned that the hard way as a Pratt County 4-Her long ago. So, I know if I'd practice, I could probably learn to make a decent chiffon or angel food cake.

Not that we need to eat the attempts around here. And not that I could ever compete with Jena or the other Cloverleaf 4-H cooking kids.

Three of my Corn Valley 4-H foods and nutrition project kids also got champion ribbons for their cooking divisions. Matt earned a purple ribbon in the beginner's division with his nutritionally improved chocolate chip cookie recipe, a recipe he got from me at a cooking project meeting. His sister, Allison, earned her champion ribbon with a loaf of white yeast bread in the intermediate division. Brianna was champion in the advanced category with her apple pie.

And the other Corn Valley 4-H cooks got their share of blue ribbons, too. Seeing the 4-Hers excel and learn from the judges was definitely the highlight of the day.

Being in the unairconditioned exhibit building from 8 AM to 7:30 PM was not.

After I finished up the foods paperwork in mid-afternoon, I saw the 4-H photography superintendent needed some help. So I volunteered. Even though I've given up duties as the photography leader to someone who actually knows something, I still have a soft place in my heart for that project, too. I was our local leader for several years when it was one of Brent's favorite projects.

Though some entries are down at the Stafford County Fair, I think the photography project is alive and well.

I enjoy the 4-Hers. I enjoy seeing their work - whether it's food or photography. But I can't say that I enjoy the heat.

As I drove down Main Street at about 7:45 PM, I noticed the bank thermometer was still at 97 degrees.

Just imagine 100 degrees earlier in the day. Put a bevy of 4-Hers, parents and judges in a metal building. The TV weatherman said the heat index was 115 on Wednesday.

I believe it. And so did my body by the end of the day. I wasn't feeling so well by the time I pulled into the driveway here at home.

But I've recovered, and I'm ready to take in the beef show this morning. Randy helped with the hog show yesterday morning, and they lucked out with cooler temperatures after an overnight rain. I don't think we'll be as lucky today.

This afternoon, we'll see how Aubrey does with her bucket calf she got from us this winter.

And if you're in the mood for a chiffon cake, here is Jena's prize-winning cake recipe. Enjoy!

Tropical Chiffon Cake

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup oil
3/4 cup egg yolk
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
3/4 cup orange juice
1 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

Sift dry ingredients into bowl. Make well in center. Add in order: oil, egg yolks, lemon peel and orange juice. Beat until satin smooth. Beat egg whites with cream of tartar until stiff peaks form. Pour batter in thin stream over entire surface of egg whites. Fold in gently. Fold in coconut.

Bake in 10-inch tube pan at 325 degrees for 55 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from pan.

Jena didn't frost it for the fair, but it would be delicious with a light frosting glaze. I would make a thin frosting with butter, powdered sugar, orange juice and maybe a little lemon peel. After glazing, you could also decorate the top with toasted coconut. Yum!