A Loaf-asis

Greetings and welcome to today's random thought.

Last night our church had one of its famous food contests. We have these every so often but mostly in the winter months. Typically there are (3) food categories and a small prize is awarded for the winners (as determined by the volunteer judges). Eight years ago (when we started attending this church) we actually entered dishes and vied for the coveted prize (a $10 gift certificate to a local bookstore). We came from a church where we were high in the standings as far as good cooks go but after a few failures (i.e. not winning any category) we discovered that we were a big frog in a small pond and this church was the big leagues as far as cooks go. I even tried a White Castle casserole once and did not even get an honorable mention. It was at the point in time that the wife and I gave up and she became a judge. We knew when were outgunned.

About a month ago, one of the categories was soup. Let me tell you, we all ate good that night. These recipes must have come from the old country or something and I have no idea how the judges could have possibly chosen a winner from the 9 or 10 that were outstanding (I think a coin toss might have been involved, it was the only fair way). Another favorite is anytime that breads is a category. Anyway, last night the (3) categories were hot veggies, potato dishes, and meatloaf. There were about (10) entries and the contestants cut their loafs (side though, is the plural of meat loaf "meatloafs" or "meatloaves"?) up into small enough pieces so we all could try a little of each. There as a ham/sausage loaf, something called a pizza-loaf and (the winner) a gyro-loaf (complete with toasted pita bread). The gyro-loaf was the winner (a dish submitted by our pastor, whose secret wish is to be Emeril) though we did have to launch a small investigation into vote tampering (just kidding).

I braved the hard metal chairs from the get together (my neck was / is still bothering me) for the loaf-asis and it was worth the discomfort. With a stomach full of meat, I should have slept well but the neck would not let me (that and Oreo kept trying to find a comfortable spot on my pillow, pulling my hair in the process). Well, it is time to head to work so I better finish this up.

Thanks for reading my Random Thoughts.

Jon