I'm A Winner

I am not a "winner." That is to say, I haven't won many contests in my life (my husband and kids would charitably tell you I'm a winner in the Game of Life, but that's irrelevant to our current discussion). I don't play the lottery, I never enter sweepstakes, and I don't gamble in general. Heck, I struggle to get by in Fantasy Football, a "sport" in which the player has approximately zero input on the outcome.

In other contests, involving skill or intelligence, I usually do well, but I rarely take home the top prize. This doesn't bother me at all, though...usually I enter contest for the personal challenge, not the promise of reward. However, it's always satisfying when I place in any contest, be it a piano competition (I haven't done one of those since high school), a writing contest (I was second runner-up at a short-story writing contest at Tucson's local sci-fi convention a few years back), or a cooking contest (I've never even PLACED at a ward chili cook-off, despite my best efforts!!).

But...last Thursday, I was the big winner!! Well, "big" relatively speaking...I wasn't exactly competing against thousands. The occasion was Nathan's fall company picnic (at Reid Park in Tucson); the contest was for "best dessert." I was by no means certain of victory, but I have a few strong contenders in my dessert repertoire, including a recent addition called...

...Berries On A Cloud. (The above picture isn't taken by me; it's from Tablespoon.com, and includes an almost identical version of the recipe I used. My version doesn't use cherries or peaches; it used fresh raspberries & blueberries on top, while the meringue & cream layers remain the same) I decided to try this recipe out for the picnic for a few reasons. First, Nathan suggested I make it and I always do what my husband says. Second, it's a pretty easy recipe to make. Third, I guessed that it would be a nice, summer-y dessert to contrast with the other desserts, which would probably be more fall/Halloween influenced. Fourth, it is darn tasty and I could eat a whole pan by myself.

So, the rest is history. I made the Berries On A Cloud, took it to the picnic, ate yummy catered food, had fun with the kids on the playground...and won the contest!! As I had suspected, most of the other desserts were apple pie or Halloween cupcakes or whatnot. My whole pan was cleaned out & several people asked for the recipe. It was all very flattering, and that's why I'm bragging about it.

And here's what I got in exchange for my paltry efforts:

Wow! I really thought I would get a pat on the back or something, and that would be all. It was very exciting to look at the big package and realize that it was MINE. The package was a large hodgepodge of fall food, decor, and fun! It also included a Wal-Mart gift card and a bottle of wine...which we quickly passed off to the runner-up, since we definitely wouldn't be needing it!

Here's what it looked like all unpacked...

...well, minus the pumpkins, we got those ourselves :)

I look forward to making some of the tasty treats that were included! Normally, I am a "dessert from scratch" kind of gal, but when I get so many dessert components for free, I'm not going to complain! I see sweet potato souffle, pumpkin Jell-O pie, pumpkin cookies, stuffing & gravy, Christmas cookies, and pumpkin cake in my future (hmmm...I see a "pumpkin" theme here, which doesn't bother me one bit!).