Mr. Smith grilled tri-tip and tube steaks for the crowd, and the neighbors all brought amazing side dishes to share. There was no shortage of food, conversation, and neighborly cheer.
The first annual pie bakeoff was a success -- tasty, too. There were 10 delicious entries.
The very distinguished panel of judges took their job seriously. It was quite entertaining to watch the trio of pie connoisseurs at work as they thoughtfully considered the appearance of each entry, diligently taste-tested, considered the "mouth-feel," cleansed the palate with red wine, made notes, and repeated the process over and over and over again.
When their bellies were full and their wine glasses were empty, with a groan or two of satisfaction, the judges retreated to an undisclosed location to tally the votes -- and refill their empty glasses. ;-) The competition was fierce, but the judges were fair and balanced. This was a blind tasting, so they only knew the number assigned to the dessert, but they had no idea who the baker was.
Lexie was crowned the 2010 Marshall Point Pie Queen! This ten-year-old's very first attempt at making a lemon meringue pie was obviously a success. (FYI, her dad was NOT one of the judges!)
Tori, Olivia, Liesey, and Kaytlynn prettily posed for my camera. :-)
The first annual pie bakeoff was a success -- tasty, too. There were 10 delicious entries.
The very distinguished panel of judges took their job seriously. It was quite entertaining to watch the trio of pie connoisseurs at work as they thoughtfully considered the appearance of each entry, diligently taste-tested, considered the "mouth-feel," cleansed the palate with red wine, made notes, and repeated the process over and over and over again. 
When their bellies were full and their wine glasses were empty, with a groan or two of satisfaction, the judges retreated to an undisclosed location to tally the votes -- and refill their empty glasses. ;-) The competition was fierce, but the judges were fair and balanced. This was a blind tasting, so they only knew the number assigned to the dessert, but they had no idea who the baker was. "Honorable Mention" went to Millie's coconut cream pie. (That's my girl!)
Helen's Pumpkin Crunch Pie took 2nd place.
And the winner...
Lexie was crowned the 2010 Marshall Point Pie Queen! This ten-year-old's very first attempt at making a lemon meringue pie was obviously a success. (FYI, her dad was NOT one of the judges!)I didn't take very many photos, as I was too busy fulfilling the role of hostess, but I did manage to capture a few grinning faces.
Tori, Olivia, Liesey, and Kaytlynn prettily posed for my camera. :-)
Adrianna was feeling a little camera shy.
Too cute!
Katie, Millie, and Lexi had no trouble smiling.
The Thomson triplets are ALWAYS smilin'!
I'd better wrap up this blog entry so I can start researching pie recipes for next year's neighborly bake-off. I still cannot believe that my twelve-year-old bested her own mother in the competition. I'm proud of my girl's efforts. Really! This was the first time that Millie made a pie all by herself. Beginner's luck? I don't think so. I am certain that Grandma Florence would be proud of her granddaughter -- coconut cream pie was her specialty. :-)
Do you think that a coconut creme gene exists?!
