I am still preening from winning ribbons at the honey judging for my entries in the contest.
I have been busy making the items for sale at my church Christmas fair. My garage smells so good of Almonds and Honey from the Lotion Bars and Lip Balm. I have to get going making some soap and bath salts and candles. It is really a busy time and lots to do.

Here are the prize winning recipes from the cooking entries in this year's Long Island Beekeepers Club Show.

First Prize
Charlotte DiStefano
Oatmeal Honey Cake

1 ½ cups raw oatmeal
1 cup boiling water
1 stick butter( or margarine)

Mix these 3 ingredients in bowl and place a plate or cover over bowl and let sit until it absorbs. Add:
1 cup honey
1 ½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch pan and bake at 350 oven for 30-35 until toothpick poked in center comes out dry.

Top with following:
1 cup coconut
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
4 tablespoons butter (or margarine)
Mix and put over warm cake and place in broiler until brown.

Third Prize
Conni Still
Honey Ginger Cookies

½ cup butter, softened
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
¼ cup honey
1 medium egg
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 dashes ground clove
1 dash cayenne pepper
2 ¼ cups flour- scoop measured (use your measuring cup to scoop flour from the bag, then level)

Thoroughly cream the softened butter by hand, or with a mixer Add brown sugar and honey and mix. beat in the egg (if using a mixer, use slowest speed). In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients then stir them into the butter mixture. Knead for a minute. chill the dough for 30 minutes and mold cookies in brown bag cookie molds following directions as follows.

• lightly oil cookie mold using a pastry brush and vegetable oil. wipe with a paper towel to remove as much oil as possible.
  ▪ dust with flour, then tap edge to remove excess.
  ▪ firmly press a piece of dough into the prepared mold.
  ▪ using a sawing motion with a sharp knife, level the cookie dough so it is flush with the back of the mold.

Give your cookie an even edge by using your thumb to pull the dough slightly away from the edge of the mold. Hold the mold perpendicular to a cutting board and strike the edge sharply 3-4 times. Rotate and repeat. Drop the cookie out of the mold onto a baking sheet. Re-flour mold and repeat. Do not re-oil it.

Bake at 375 degrees in the top third of your oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
Yield: 6-9 cookies depending on the size of your mold.