Battle of the Sexes Cook-Off
“When I was in college, I looked forward to returning home for Winter Break to see all my friends from high school. Even if we hadn’t kept in touch during the school year, it was like we had never left each other. During those 3 weeks, we hung out every day, and at the end of Winter Break, we celebrated New Year’s Eve with a Battle of the Sexes Cook-Off.
“The most memorable one was the year before we all graduated; it was the last time we were all together. That year, both teams (guys and girls) had to prepare 6 dishes: appetizer, salad, main entrée, side dish, dessert, and one surprise.
“The Boys’ Lineup: Sushi Wrapped in Thinly Sliced Cucumber; Salad with Steak and Honey Dijon Dressing; a homemade Turducken (chicken stuffed into a duck stuffed into a turkey) with Twice-Baked Mashed Potato Stuffing; Potato Casserole; and for dessert, Cranberry-Lime Pie. Their surprise was indeed unexpected: Japanese Character & Power Puff Girl Sushi, made of seaweed, rice, egg, carrots, and condiments. Let’s just say that this dish won top points for originality and presentation, but not much for taste. Everyone got a good laugh from it, though!
“The Girls’ Lineup: Stuffed Mushrooms with Bacon, Cheddar, Onions, and Cream Cheese; Langostino Salad; Garlic Mashed Potatoes; Banana Chicken over Rice with Creamy Sauce, Bacon, Corn and Cannellini Beans; and for dessert, Apple Cinnamon Cheesecake. Their surprise was Cosmopolitan Chocolate Cake with Ice Cream.
“Dishes were scored ‘Iron Chef’-style, with 10 points for taste and 5 points each for presentation and originality. A family we all knew from church agreed to judge our dishes.
“It was a really close competition — and the winner was… the ladies! The guys definitely took bigger risks and came up with some really original dishes. The homemade turducken was a big hit! As happens so often in cooking competitions, however, consistency won over production value — the girls scored well across their menu in taste and presentation, which ultimately pulled them ahead by two points.
“After the judging, we all enjoyed the feast, swapping recipes and counting down to New Year’s.”
