Pork, molasses cookie recipes win at county fair

Mechanicsburg woman wins top daily prize for her pork roast.

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By Mark McGregor, Staff Writer Updated 9:26 AM Tuesday, July 26, 2011

SPRINGFIELD — Pam Locke’s cranberry-glazed pork roast recipe took the blue ribbon Monday among 13 pork dishes in the Dish of the Day competition at the Clark County Fair.

“The dish was very tender, very sweet and is exactly what you want,” one of the four pork dish judges told the crowd gathered to watch judging take place and sample the dishes afterward.

Locke’s entry in the Pork Dish of the Day competition, held as part of the fair’s 2011 Homemaker Contests in the Arts and Crafts Building, was the first time she had made the dish, she said. She got the recipe from a relative.

“I was shocked,” Locke, of Mechanicsburg, said of the win. “It’s just a plain thing.”

Locke is no stranger to being at the top of cooking competitions though she said she’s not known for her baking. She placed second in the Best Cookie in the County competition two years ago at the fair, and her dessert bars took first place in competition during this year’s fair, she said.

She began entering her dishes and baked goods as a way to take part in the fair while her children, and now grandchildren, show their sheep as part of 4H and FFA, she said.

“I enjoy doing it,” she said of taking part in cooking competitions. “It’s fun to see how things turn out.”

Cally Jones, using the same recipe all molasses cookie contestants were given, took the blue ribbon in that portion of the Dish of the Day competition Monday.

Jones, 18, an incoming senior at Northwestern High School, said she made the cookies Monday morning while baby sitting. Her mother, Nina Jones, also entered the competition using the same brands of ingredients and baking sheets and took third. The only difference in their baking system was ovens.

“It’s amazing the difference,” Cally said.

She is volunteering at the fair as a cadet in the Junior Firefighter Academy with the German Twp. Fire and EMS Department. She plans to attend college for nursing after graduating from high school and working as a volunteer on a fire department.

The winner of Sunday’s Cheese Dish was Cally Jones for her taco dip, and the Youth Dish winner was Matt Holland for chicken quesadillas.

Pam Locke’s  Cranberry-Glazed Pork Roast

4 pounds of boneless pork loin roast

2 teaspoons of corn starch

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1 teaspoon of grated orange peel

2 tablespoons of orange juice

16 ounce can of whole cranberry sauce

In a small saucepan, stir together all ingredients except pork. Cook, stirring until thickened. Place roast in shallow baking dish. Roast at 325 degrees for 45 minutes. Spoon 1/2 cup glaze over roast and continue roasting for 30 to 45 minutes until 160 degrees. Slice and serve with remaining sauce.

Molasses Cookie

3/4 cup of shortening

1 cup of granulated sugar

1/4 cup of molasses

1 egg

2 cups of sifted all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons soda

1/2 teaspoon of cloves

1/2 teaspoon of ginger

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of salt

Melt shortening in sauce pan. Remove from heat and cool. Add sugar, molasses and egg. Beat well. Sift together flour, soda, cloves ginger, cinnamon and salt. Add molasses mixture to flour mixture. Mix well. Chill for one hour. Form in one-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet until cool. Remove and store in tins.

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