My favorite recipes

Many Whitman County young people have a variety of entries in the Palouse Empire Fair, and the Fulfs and York sisters are good examples of these multi-entry kids. All four girls are in Mockonema 4-H Club, with Eric and Shannon Appel leading. The club includes animals, cooking, arts and crafts.

Hayden is in eighth grade, Kierstyn in seventh, and Hope and Lauryn in fourth grade in Colfax schools. The four girls find the fair very entertaining, especially on Sunday when nearly 40 parents were in the show ring with their children’s sheep and goats, doing fitting and showing competition. This seemed to be the highlight of their fair experience.

The judge was Dr. Busboom, and the first person to be sent out was his wife. Shannon Appel was sent out next, they said, for not looking at the judge or smiling. Carey Fulfs made it to the second round, and Heather York was in the final round, placing third. The kids enjoyed watching the parents “mess up,” especially on things about which they constantly reminded their children. Their leaders are surprised at how much the students and their parents enjoy this event that’s just for fun.

The rides are always fun, they said, but the Typhoon broke down, which was very disappointing. Lauryn was happy that the Zipper broke down-none of them liked it, although the Tilt-a-whirl was popular, as was the Mean Machine. Hope’s favorite ride is the Ferris wheel, and the York family loves most of the rides.

The girls had food favorites, as well. Fried Oreo were loved, as well as anything from the Steptoe Firemen’s booth and Southfork in the Road. The Fulfs family takes their travel trailer to the fair, while the York’s stayed at home, using their aunt and uncle’s RV to rest and change.

It takes lots of clothes to show animals-Hayden took and used seven pairs of jeans. Livestock exhibitors need clothes to wear when showing, clothes for feeding and cleaning barns, clothes to wear on hot days and clothes for cool mornings and evenings.

These sheep exhibitors’ favorite barn is the sheep barn, of course, with cattle and goats following.

“You work hard all summer so you can walk them without a halter,” Hayden noted, “and without the halter, you have to learn techniques to get your sheep started walking and stopped, too.”

Sheep can get away from the showman in the show ring because they can jump away from their person, or they are resisting starting to walk and suddenly take off. The girls gave kudos to Travis Anderson for catching bolting sheep. Hope suggested he should get a sheep wrangling award.

To calm sheep, the girls learned ways to settle them. Points can be lost if the showman is petting the sheep’s back, but rubbing under their ears works well. Kierstyn said that she gave her sheep “the look,” and it settled down.

Other than the animal barns, Hayden’s favorite building is the display building. Lauryn loved racing the pedal tractors provided by Jones Truck and Implement against Hope. Hope also enjoyed relaxing and watching a movie in the trailer with friends. Kierstyn loved watching her friend Sydney Berquist barrel racing her horse. All of the girls enjoyed the rodeo.

When it comes to entries, these girls were very busy preparing for the fair. Foods that would be judged by tasting were made the day before entry, and foods not tasted, two days before. Canning was done when the fruit was ripe. Some art work was done earlier in the year.

Hope entered a lamb, a Lego barn, peaches canned with her grandmother Jane Shrope and she demonstrated decorating a school locker.

Hayden entered a lamb, peaches canned with her grandmother Jane Shrope, a sign made by woodworking, a pillowcase and a demonstration on how to hollow out a beck.

Lauryn entered a lamb, a lamb poster, a Lego magician studio, a duct tape wallet, a decorated cake, a big cookie, drop cookies, decorated cookies, Lunch Lady brownies, a sheep made of yarn and demonstrated how to make a magnet board.

Kierstyn entered a lamb, Ultimate Gooey brownies, a decorated cake, a duct tape wallet, a bubble art project, a cow poster made on canvas, a yarn sheep and a funnel drawing.

This is Hayden’s last year in 4-H, and she is planning to be in FFA next year. 4-Hers get their lambs in June and begin working with them, trying to have them make weight by fair time. Too heavy or too light means that they cannot be shown.

After all of this excitement, they got home from the fair on Sunday evening about six o’clock. Monday morning; they were very tired!

“Eyes were open, brains were not,” said Kierstyn. They had not recovered by Tuesday morning, but the girls still thought the fair was worth it.

They gave advice to first-time showmen. Stay calm (keep calm and sheep on) because it helps the lamb stay calm. Be quiet in the barns and at the show ring. For everyone, they urged people to be kind to the animals in the barns, and people should ask before petting or feeding someone else’s animal.

Long-sleeve shirts are best, and be sure to go to the bathroom before showing. Listen carefully to the judge and watch the judge at all times. Don’t step on sheep hooves to get them to move their feet.

Get your school assignments done before going on rides during the fair so that you can relax when you get home on Sunday night. Oh, and change your clothes in the bathroom of a trailer or RV. You never know when someone is going to walk right in!

Recipes:

Lunch Lady Brownies

by Lauryn York

1 cup butter, melted

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

4 large eggs

4 teaspoons vanilla

Chocolate Frosting

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

3 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and spray foil with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

In the mixer bowl, add melted butter and cocoa powder.

Add the flour and sugar. Beat together, then add eggs and vanilla. Batter will be thin.

Pour batter into prepared baking dish and spread evenly. Bake 25-30 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean. Remove from oven and let stand 15 minutes before frosting.

For chocolate frosting, beat together all of the frosting ingredients until smooth. Pour and spread over warm brownies. Let cool before cutting and serving. Yield: 12 large or 24 small brownies.

Ultimate Gooey Brownies

by Kierstyn York

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips, divided

1 1/2 sticks (6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8 x8-inch baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large microwave-safe bow, combine 1 cup chocolate chips, burrer, and unsweetened chocolate. Heat for 1 minute and stir. Continue heating in 30-second bursts and stirring until the mixture is melted. Remove and cool.

In an electric mixer bowl, beat eggs and sugar. Add vanilla an cooled chocolate mixture. Add flour and salt, folding gently until combined. Pour half of the batter into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove brownies from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of chocolate chips and pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top. Pour the remaining batter over. Return to the oven and bake about 35 minutes. Do not over bake Let brownies cool to room temperature, then place in refrigerator to chill. The brownies are easier to cut when chilled.

If I do this again, I will use a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta

by Hayden and Hope Fulfs

8 ounces penne noodles

2 Tablespoons butter

2 Tablespoons flour

2 Tablespoons ranch dressing mix/seasoning

2 cups milk

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

4-6 slices cooked bacon, chopped

2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded

Cook the noodles according to package directions, drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter, stir in the flour and cook for one to two minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk, then add the ranch seasoning, followed by the cheese. When the cheese has melted, add the noodles, chicken and bacon, stir gently, serve when heated through. Enjoy!