Award-winning recipes

By Staff
Staff reports
Senior division
First place
Ashleigh Kelly
Brewer High
12th grade
Ashleigh’s Magnificent Meatloaf
2 lbs. ground beef (about 70 percent lean is best)
1/2 roll Ritz crackers, finely crushed
1.2 of a 1.25 oz. bottle chopped dried onion
Pinch of salt
2 cups ketchup (one cup for topping)
1 teaspoon mustard
2 tablespoons brown sugar (for topping)
two large eggs
Mix thoroughly by hand all above ingredients (except 1 cup ketchup and 2 tablespoons brown sugar). Spread mixture into medium size baking dish. Top with ketchup, Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes uncovered.
Second place
Natasha Sullivan
Brewer High
11th grade
Natasha’s Beef Ribs
3 lbs. beef ribs
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon paprika
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 1/.2 teaspoons ground black pepper,
1/2 cup water, divided.
Wash ribs, pull off thin layer of skin on back of ribs (this makes them more tender). Mix brown sugar and seasonings and rub evenly over both sides of ribs. Place ribs separately in aluminum foil and fold to the top. Put 1/4 cup of water in the foil with the ribs as they bake. Let them bake 11/2-2 hours at 350 degrees or until tender. Roll back the foil and put them in a smoker and smoke for 1 hour with hickory chips. Remove ribs from foil, and coat with barbecue sauce. Garnish with lettuce and parsley. Serve and enjoy!
Third place
Ashle Parsons
Brewer High
Ashle’s Wonder Beef
1 lb. ribeye roast
1/4 cup low sodium Dale’s sauce
1/4 cup liquid smoke
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon Montreal steak seasoning
1/4 bottle Ranch dressing
4 ozs. crinkle cut carrots
2 red potatoes
7 stalks of whole asparagus
Cut 2 2-inch slices into top of roast. Combine low sodium Dale’s sauce and liquid smoke. Rub all sides and in sliced openings with mixture. Rub meat with black pepper and steak seasoning. Put meat, potatoes, carrots and mushrooms in crock pot and cook for 8 hours. Remove meat from crock pot. Cover with Ranch dressing and broil on high until golden brown. Garnish with mushrooms, parsley and kale before serving. Add whole potatoes and steamed asparagus as sides.
Fourth place
Courtney Scott
Brewer High
12th grade
Taco Soup
1 (15.5 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15.25 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (10 oz.) can tomatoes with green chilies
2 packages taco seasoning
2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 lb. ground chuck
1/2 small onion, diced
Combine first 8 ingredients in crock pot. Brown ground chuck and chopped onion in skillet. Drain and add to crock pot. Stir well, turn crock pot on low and leave to simmer all day, or turn on high and let it cook for 2-3 hours for a quicker version. Serve with low fat sour cream, reduced fat cheese and tortilla chips.
Fifth place
Whitney Root
Brewer High
12th grade
Whitney’s Slammin Stroganoff
1 medium onion
2 lbs. ground beef
1 large can cream of mushroom soup
16 oz. sour cream
12 oz. egg noodles
salt and pepper to taste
Dice medium onion. Combine with ground beef and cook until done. Drain. Add cream of mushroom soup and sour cream and bring to a boil. Let simmer while noodles are cooking. Drain noodles and add in the beef/cream mixture. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Junior division
First Place
Grace Wilhite
Falkville Junior High
8th grade
Beef Stew
2 tablespoons oil, divided
1 lb. beef top round steak, cut into bite size pieces
2 medium onions, chopped (about 2 cups)
1 medium green pepper, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup beef broth
1/4 cup A1 Steak Sauce
2 cups Minute white rice, uncooked
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a Dutch oven or large saucepan on medium high heat. Add steak. Cook and stir 4 to 5 minutes or until brown on all sides. Remove steak from saucepan, cover to keep warm. Add onions, pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon oil to same pan. Cook 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add broth and steak and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer 1 hour or until steak is tender. Cook rice as directed on package. Spoon onto serving platter. Stir steak sauce into stew. Serve over the rice.
Second place
Jessica Graveman
Cotaco Junior High
7th grade
Football Turnovers
1 (15 oz.) box refrigerated pie crusts or (2) 9” crusts
1 lb. ground chuck
1/3 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
2 tablespoons chopped onions
2/3 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 (8 oz.) marinara sauce
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
Set out crusts to bring to room temperature. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mix ground chuck, bread crumbs, chopped onion and salt and pepper. Mix with hands until well blended. Roll meat mixture into small, bite-size pieces. In large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium heat. Place rolled meat into skillet with oil. Cook on medium heat until meatballs are brown and no pink remains. Drain meatballs. In same skillet, add 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce. Add cooked meatballs. Simmer 15 minutes. While meatballs are cooking, place each crust on lightly floured waxed paper and use a rolling pin to flatten it slightly into a 10” circle. Use one crust at a time. Use a biscuit cutter to cut 4” circles into the dough (this should make 7 circles from each dough). Re-roll the dough scraps to make three more circles. Spoon one meatball into the center of dough. Sprinkle with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese. Use your fingertips to moisten the edges of the dough with water. Fold dough over the meatball to create a turnover. Press edges together to seal. Crimp the edge with a fork and transfer the turnovers to a lightly greased baking sheet. Poke each one twice with a fork for vents. Brush each turnover with milk. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to rack to cool. While turnovers are cooking, heat remaining sauce in either a saucepan or a microwave safe bowl. Pour heated sauce into a serving bowl. Serve with turnovers for dipping.
Third place
Elle Campbell
RCCA Home School
7th grade
Pepsi Pot Roast
3 lb. pot roast
2 (10 3/4 oz.) cans fat free, low sodium cream of mushroom soup
1 envelope dry onion soup mix
2 (16-oz.) bottles diet cola
Place meat in slow cooker. In large bowl mix together mushroom soup, dry onion soup mix and cola. Pour over roast in cooker. Cover. Cook on high 6 hours.