Homemade noodles and more at Fulton County bazaar
6/11/2006Homemade noodles are among the hallmarks of the Black Swamp Benefit Bazaar to be held 4 to 9 p.m. Friday and 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at Fulton County Fairgrounds, 8491 State Rt. 108 in Wauseon in Fulton County.
The bazaar is also known for its wide selection of homemade foods, including dinner on Friday and breakfast and lunch on Saturday.
Then head straight for the Noodle Booth at the bazaar, where 250 pounds of homemade dried and packaged noodles will be for sale. About 100 pounds of these homemade flat noodles were made by the Nafziger family at the annual Nafziger Noodle Fest last Friday and Saturday at the home of Julie Beck, one of seven adult Nafziger children.
Thirty to 40 of the 65-member extended family helped with this project, which benefits the Mennonite Central Committee and Sunshine, Inc., of Northwest Ohio (formerly the Sunshine Children's Home).
On the evening of June 2, 15 to 20 people gathered to crack 100 dozen eggs and separate the whites from the yolks. The eggs were stored overnight in commercial refrigerators at Central Mennonite Church. Bright and early the next morning, the eggs were taken to the Doughbox Bakery of the Sauder Village complex, where the dough was blended in large mixers. Then it was returned to Mrs. Beck's house, where the noodles were cut and dried before packaging later in the week. "We let them dry for three days," says Norma Kauffman, sister of Mrs. Beck. Noodles are sold at the Noodle Booth for $3.50 per pound.
Other food booths include Fulton County Beef Producers beef sandwiches, homemade milk shakes from the Fulton County Dairy Association, Mexican food, Candy Cane Christmas Shop fudge, strawberry shortcake, Knights of Columbus pancakes and sausage, trail bologna and cheese, and pies and other baked goods.
The event includes an extensive craft area and a quilt and wood auction. A ground cherry pie made from the fruit of a garden plant also will be auctioned. The Black Swamp Benefit Bazaar is a celebration of Mennonite heritage. There is no charge for admission or parking. Information: Call Kelly Garrow at 419-335-3763.
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
4 ounces noodles
1 teaspoon onion, dried and minced
1 cup milk
1 can mushroom soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
In boiling water, cook noodles for 10 minutes. Brown ground beef and onion. Add milk, soup, salt, and noodles. Bake in greased casserole at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Source: Norma Kauffman
The 2006 Food & Wine Celebration, with a new format, will be from 5 to 9 p.m. July 15 at the Culinary Vegetable Institute at 12304 State Rt. 13 in Milan, Ohio. This year's event will have an outdoors grand tasting with 20 visiting chefs and many vintners from around the country. It will be a one-evening event without the sit-down dinner of past years.
Visiting chefs will offer tastings of creative foods. These include Ann Blackwood of Casually Elegant in Norwalk; Kathleen Blake of JW Grande Lakes Marriott in Orlando; Harvey Christie of Gourmet Central, Romney, W.Va.; Scott Crawford of Cloister Hotel at Sea Island Resorts, Ga.; Jeff Fisher of Tre Amiche in Cleveland; Kenny Gilbert of the Ritz-Carlton in Jupiter, Fla.; Dale Hawkins of Stonewall Resort near Weston, W.Va.; Brad Kelly of Lautrec at Nemacolin in Farmington, Pa.; Melissa Kelly of Primo in Rockland, Maine; Johannes Klapdohr of Lodge at Sea Island in St. Simons Island, Ga.; Patrick McElroy of Hyatt Regency in St. Louis, Mo.; Chris Perkey of the Sierra Room in Grand Rapids, Mich.; Drew Sayes of the Ritz Carlton in Dearborn, Mich.,; Nori Sugie of Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental in New York City; John Suley of Joely in Miami; Eric Wadlund of Azur, La Quinta, Calif.; Bob Waggoner of the Charleston Grill in Charleston, S.C.; Rob Wilson of the Ritz-Carlton in Marina del Rey, Calif.; Don Yamauchi of Tribute in Farmington Hills, Mich., and Gregg Zeringue of Grand Hyatt Atlanta.
At 7:30 p.m. in another tent, cast members from Bravo TV's reality show Top Chef will go knife-to-knife during a cook-off competition. Bravo chefs include Lee Anne Wong, Miguel Morales, Dave Martin, Harold Dieterle, Andrea Beaman, and Stephen Asprinio, with additional appearances by Candice Kumai and Cynthia Sestito.
Proceeds benefit Veggie U, the program that teaches fourth-graders to make healthy food choices. Cost is $125 per person. For tickets, call 419-499-7500.
Patty Mazur, director of Taste of the Town, reports Best of the Taste results for last weekend's downtown event: Fine Dining, Frog Leg Inn; Casual Dining, Smokey Bones Barbecue & Grill; Food On the Go, Shrimp Hut, and Confections (Sweet Treats), Darryl's Homemade Ice Cream. Great Lakes Marketing coordinated the public voting and tabulated the results for the four-day food festival.