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The ADVANCE, May 5, 2021 /Page 4A (51?e Aftuante
Augusta Woman Wins Overall Prize in Vidalia Onion Cookoff
OVERALL WINNER — Deborah Wakefield of Augusta, above left, with her sister Peggy
NeeSmith, is shown at the Vidalia Onion Cookoff. Wakefield won Overall Prize and First
Prize in the Miscellaneous category with her Vidalia Onion Danish.
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
A first-time entrant
from Augusta won top
honors in the Vidalia On
ion Recipe and Public
Tasting Contest Saturday
during the Vidalia Onion
Festival. Deborah Wake
field went home with the
Overall Prize for her Vida
lia Onion Danish. She also
placed first for the dish in
the Miscellaneous catego-
ry.
Wakefield’s recipe was
inspired by one that she
found in the original Vida
lia Onion Festival Cook
book published by the
Chamber of Commerce.
She combined two reci
pes to come up with her
winning entry. A native of
Toombs County Wake
field is the sister of Peggy
NeeSmith, Director of The
Dream Center in Vidalia.
Wakefield asked her sister
and a few other volunteers
to sample some of the dish
es she selected to prepare
for the contest. She made
six dishes, two for each of
the three categories that
she planned to enter, and
let her “committee” of tast
ers select the entries.
Wakefield was amazed
at how good the Danish
was. “It’s sweet and I would
serve it right alongside a
cherry or apple Danish.”
Wakefield recently retired
from a position with the
Veterans Administration
and loves to cook. In the
past, she has been unable
to participate in the coo
koff, but 2021 turned out
to be her year.
In all, 16 dishes were
submitted in three catego
ries: Appetizers, Side Dish
and Miscellaneous.
Other winning recipes
in Saturday’s Onion Recipe
Contest were:
• 1st Place Side Dish,
Jerrie Mckenzie — Smokey
Vidalia Onion Dressing
• 1st Place Appetizer,
Todd Helms — Vidalia
Onion Bruschetta
Winning Recipes
Sweet Onion
Cheese Danishes
Ingredients:
1 roll Crescent Rolls
Flour, just for dusting
Filling
4 ounces soft cream cheese
1 cup sugar
splash vanilla
Sweet Onion Topping
1/4 cup butter
1 tbsp. honey
2 medium Vidalia Onions,
sliced or diced
1/4 cup sugar
Glaze
1/3 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk
Open container of rolls
and do not unroll them.
Use a sharp, serrated knife
to cut through them like
slice/bake cookies. Make
10 slices. Lay each slice on
a parchment lined cookie
sheet. Use a measuring cup
to flatten each rollout and
build a small wall around
the edge. Use a drop of
flour to prevent sticking
and press with your finger
tips, too.
Cream Cheese Filling
Electric mix cream
cheese, sugar and vanilla
until smooth. Dollop a
small amount into each
“danish.”
Onion Topping
Saute onions in butter
until tender. Add sugar and
honey. Add a teaspoonful
of topping on top of cream
cheese filling.
Bake at 350 for 18-20
minutes. Let cool and add
a drizzle of glaze.
Glaze
Combine milk and
sugar and drizzle on dan
ishes. Can use a pastry bag
if desired.
Deborah Pittman
Wakefield
Smokey Onion
Dressing
5 medium Vidalia Onions,
smoked and cooled
2 cups Mayonnaise
2 cups Sour Cream
1 cup Buttermilk
1 tbs. Fresh Dill
1 tbs. Garlic
2 tbs. Worcestershire Sauce
1 tbs. Hot Sauce
1 tbs. Onion Powder
1 tsp. Chives
Juice and Zest of 1 Lemon
1 Small Vidalia Onion,
grated
Salt and Pepper to taste
Blend onions until
smooth, mix mayonnaise,
sour cream, and buttermilk
with onions. Add the rest
of the ingredients. Add salt
and pepper to taste. Re
frigerate. Dressing is better
after refrigerated for 3-4
hours or overnight.
Jerrie Mckenzie
Onion Bruschetta
1 Baguette, sliced
Olive Oil
2 cups Ricotta Cheese
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tbs. Chives
1/2 tsp. Onion Powder
1 cup Goat Cheese Mousse
Pickled Onions
Slice baguette and
brush with olive oil and
then toast. Mix ricotta
cheese, nutmeg, salt,
chives, and onion powder.
Spread over toasted bread.
Top with dollop of goat
cheese mousse and a piece
of pickled onion.
Todd Helms
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH — Toombs Central Elementary School has announced March
Students of the Month, (L to R): Front Row: Emilee Ascencio (Kindergarten), Dariel
Aguilar (First Grade), Miley Smith (Second Grade), Back Row: Rainie McBride (Fourth
Grade), Cole Russell (Fifth Grade), and Jovany Tinoco (Third Grade),
ask y
M®o Magnolia
Letters have been edited for length and clarity.
Dear Ms. Magnolia,
Our son and his fiancee are gradu
ating from Georgia Southern in May
and plan to marry in June. So far,
we’ve paid all of his tuition and liv
ing expenses in college. We’re encour
aging him and his future bride to be
practical and get their careers started
before they marry. We have told them
we can’t afford to support them finan
cially after they are married. They are
now mad at us and say we don’t want
them to marry. Are we wrong ?
BW
Dear BW,
No, you aren’t wrong. Perhaps
you should have encouraged your son
to be paying some of his way through
college by working part-time and put
ting some money aside for his future,
and he would be more aware of the
importance of financial planning.
Your son is actually a grown per
son now and responsible for his own
decisions. Explain that you love him
and his future wife and will give them
your emotional support and the ben
efit of any wisdom you have gained
over the years to help them, but they
are now a well-educated couple who
should be able to support themselves.
They are adults and need to make
adult decisions about their future.
Standing by our children when
they follow our good advice is easy,
but standing by and encouraging
them when they don’t is more diffi
cult, but often more valuable.
If you have a question for Ms. Magnolia, please mail it to P.O. Box 669, Vidalia, GA
30475, or e-mail to msmagnoliaadvance@yaboo.com.
Lyons Lions Club Announces
Students of the Month of April
The Lyons Lions Club Student of the For the month of April, the awards
Month program recognizes deserving stu- were presented to Christina Tinoco of
dents for their “Dedication, Commitment Toombs County High School and Jus-
and Service to Others” and is sponsored tin Walker of Robert Toombs Christian
by Peoples Bank. Academy.
L to R: Lion Larry Griggers, Lyons Lions Club President Christina Tinoco, TCHS Student of
the Month; and Megan Morris, TCHS Teacher.
L to R: Lion Larry Griggers, Lyons Lions Club President; Justin Walker, RTCA Student of the
Month; and Lion Jacob Lord, RTCA Coach.
Alamo
continued from page 1A
ing north on Wheat Road
and negotiating a right
curve when the driver lost
control of the vehicle. The
vehicle impacted the west
ditch and overturned
onto its left side, striking a
fence in the process.
The victim suc
cumbed to her injuries
while enroute to the city
of Alamo to meet an am
bulance. The wreck is still
under investigation and
the identity of the driver
has not been determined.
