The 4th Official Freeze-Off

Foiled yet again! Kib continues her reign as Freeze-Off Champion. Gosh darn it!!! (If you're unfamiliar with the Freeze Off, click here for an explanation.)

The 4th installation of our famed family competition included 12 original frozen treats (6 from each of us) judged by a distinguished panel of adults and children alike on the basis of taste, originality, presentation, and appropriateness. While some dishes were dreamed up months in advance, the actual work of putting them together took place over a 24-hour period in which the contestants (i.e., my sister and I) battled inconsistent freezer performance, toxic vinegar fumes, a teeny workspace, and a few instances of public embarrassment.

A quick run-down of the dishes:

Sangria Slushie

Cookies and Cream Ice Cream Pizza

The Gourmet Sampler (Ginger Chai, Curried Chocolate, Balsamic Strawberry Basil and Pistachio Cardamom ice creams)

Cool As a Cucumber Melon Slushie

PB&J

Here's To The Freeze Off!

Scrumptious Snowmen

Shiverin' Shortstack

Irasshaimase!

The Autumn Sandwich

The 4 (strawberry in graham cracker crust, mint in oreo crust, lemon in shortbread crust, and peanut butter in pretzel crust)

Strawberries 'n Cream Bars

There were some real winning entries this year that I would be happy to eat, Freeze-Off or no Freeze-Off. We avoided any major flops (no apple hearts this time around) and managed to come up with some actual good ideas despite having done this many times by now. (You might think we'd run out of things to freeze by this point, but oh how wrong you'd be!)

Theo's Baloney Bacon Swirl Face

If it's possible, the Freeze-Off may have been taken a step too far this time around. One judge became quite literally physically incapable of ingesting any more frozen food after round 7 or so. We wasted obscene amounts of food in both preparation and serving. The official lawyer-drawn "rules" of judging were 2 full pages long. I was so sick of all things frozen by the time the last dish rolled out, I hardly even minded not winning. I think we'll go back to basics next time- fewer dishes, a simpler judging system, and a shift in focus to what matters most to the spirit of the competition: us and the freezer.

Until next time, Kibby, until next time... Savor your victory while you can.