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Congratulations to Peggy Logan of Chester, Va., who won the Virginia's Best Pound Cake Contest sponsored by the Virginia Egg Council.
Some of you might recall that I recently ran a recipe for Cinnamon Pound Cake that was created by Donna Manthey of Salem. Donna, whose cake won first place at the Salem Fair this year, did not place at the state fair in Richmond, but her recipe has so far been one of the most requested recipes I've run.
Clearly, Southwest Virginians love their pound cake!
Logan's winning recipe is for a basic pound cake with a touch of lemon extract, but I'm told the judges were awed by the cake's richness and fineness of crumb. A delicious, simple pound cake can be the basis for a number of easy desserts, from strawberry shortcake to pound cake with chocolate sauce or fresh peaches.
The second and third place winners also got my attention, however. Second place went to Elizabeth Cunningham of Midland for her Orange Blossom Pound Cake, and third place was awarded to Rachel Kelly of Purcellville, who entered Apple Pound Cake with Cinnamon Apple Glaze.
Oh, MAN! An essence of orange or big chunks of apple in a pound cake? I can't decide which one to make first!

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Several months back, I blogged about Cooking Light magazine's 20th Anniversary Ultimate Reader Recipe Contest. I don't know if any of you entered the contest, but if you did, I'm afraid you didn't win. Still, I thought it would be interesting to see who did:

Grand Prize Winner: Katherine Hinrichs; West Boothbay Harbor, ME; Caribbean Shrimp Salad with Lime Vinaigrette.
Starters and Drinks Winner: Mollie Lee; San Jose, CA; Korean Spiced Mini Runzas.
Salads and Sides Winner: Melissa Hinrichs; Omaha, NE; Oatmeal Knots.
Entr

Photo courtesy Wagner International Photos.

It's been a long week, but Friday is finally here.
Maybe your idea of a relaxing Friday evening is heading out to dinner. In that case, you might check out the review of Nico's Italian restaurant in yesterday's Inside Out. If that doesn't suit you, try out our restaurant directory. You can plug in the location and cuisine of your choice and the guide pops out suggestions for places to dine.
If you see anything missing there, feel free to let me know!
If crowds are more your thing, the Salem Avalanche are in town tonight. I'm heading out there for a pre-game judging of our hot dog contest. To see who won, check out tomorrow's Extra section!
Perhaps you're so tired of seeing people that you just want to hole up at your house, maybe sit out on the deck and enjoy a cocktail or an iced tea to get the weekend rolling. In that case, take a look at this winning recipe from the 47th National Chicken Cooking Contest.
It's called Thai-Inspired Stuffed Chicken Breast and Slaw. I like the unusual sound of the crunchy Thai slaw, so I think I'll test it out myself this weekend.
Have a great weekend and thanks so much for taking a peek at my blog this week. As always, any comments or suggestions are welcome!

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Tent? Check.
Sleeping bag? Check
Bug repellant? Check.
Whisk and microblade? Say what?
That's right. Serious campers who are also serious cooks can find many a way to make campfire eating gourmet.
Of course, to me, the campfire is the very best part of every camping experience. Not only can you stare, dazed, into the flames and poke a stick at the coals while the socializing happens all around you, but you can also toast marshmallows and whip up a breakfast over those flames that'll make your tongue want to smack your face.

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Everyone's heard of the Pillsbury Bake-Off, right? The contest takes place every year and challenges inventive cooks to come up with new and exciting ways to use products like Pillsbury refrigerated crescent rolls, Old El Paso salsa and Smuckers jelly. The grand prize totals more than $1 million! Read on for more deets and a recipe...

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