National Cornbread Festival Calls for Recipes from 4th Grade 4-H’ers

It is time for 4th grade 4-H Club members to enter their best cornbread recipe in the National Cornbread Cook-Off Competition.

It is exciting when a child successfully manages to prepare a simple dish. Cooking helps youth develop self-confidence and skills. It requires hands on use of math concepts, planning, thinking and management. It also requires youth to be attentive to details and following directions. Youth can master these skills while having fun participating in the 4-H National Cornbread Cook-Off.

4th grade 4-H Club members are invited to enter a recipe in the National Cornbread Cook-Off Competition. The cornbread or cornbread dish recipe must contain at least one cup of Martha White Cornmeal or one package of Martha White Corn Meal Mix. It must also be cooked in Lodge Cast Iron cookware.

Last year’s 4-H National Cornbread Cook-Off Winner was McKenna Layman (pictured), a student at Northview Intermediate School in Sevier County, Tenn. Mckenna’s winning recipe “Best Quichebread Ever” was cooked in Lodge Cast Iron and contained Martha White Corn Meal.

Recipes should be submitted to Marion County 4-H at 302 Betsy Pack Drive, Jasper, TN 37347 by March 1, 2016. Recipes will initially be judges on the written recipe. For a complete list of guidelines contact your 4-H agent or visit the National Cornbread Festival website at www.nationalcornbread.com.

Ten lucky finalists will be invited to prepare their recipe at the National Competition, which will be held on April 23, 2016 at the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tenn. Their finished cornbread recipes will be judged on creativity, flavor, texture and appetizing appearance, ease of preparation and appropriate use of products. Prizes are as follows: 1st Place – $500; 2nd Place – $250; 3rd Place – $100 and the other seven finalists will each receive $50. All 10 finalists also receive special gifts from Lodge Cast Iron and Martha White. The 4-H agent or 4-H Assistant and the teacher of the winning contestant will each receive $50. Youth traveling more than 100 miles to competition will receive $100 travel money.

Past winning recipes include Razzle-Dazzle Cornbread, Apple-Sausage and Cheese Cornbread, Country Boy Cornbread and Stuffed Mexi-Melt Cornbread Muffins, to name a few. Creativity is a must for developing a winning recipe.

This activity is an educational way for novice cooks to experience the joys of cooking, master skills and develop a lifelong love of good food and healthy eating.