Readers still have time to send in entries to the Leader’s Holiday Recipe Contest.
Cooks of any age who live in Jefferson County, Eureka or Wildwood are invited to send in their favorite recipes to be entered in five categories: appetizer, soup, salad, side dish and dessert. Readers are welcome to submit a recipe in any or all of the categories, up to a maximum of five entries per reader.
Recipes that are family favorites, that use ingredients in novel ways or have a history or story attached are preferred. Recipes taken directly from websites or cooking shows will not score well.
To be eligible for the contest, entries must include the following information:
■ The submitter’s full name and address.
■ A daytime telephone number.
■ Complete instructions for the recipe.
■ The category in which the recipe is submitted.
■ Any information about where the recipe came from and why it’s special.
Judges will choose the top recipe in each category, and each of those five finalists will win $50 cash. Then, those five recipes will be prepared and served at the Leader Holiday Dinner. Guests who attend the dinner will vote for their favorite of the five dishes, and that winner will receive an additional $250.
The annual dinner, which benefits the Jefferson College Culinary Arts Program, will be held on Friday, Dec. 12, at the Jefferson College Field House in Hillsboro. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.
Standard tickets cost $25 a person and include a six-course meal, live music, food demonstrations and a chance to sample and purchase the college culinary department’s infused vinaigrettes.
Tickets that include all of that, plus three drinks (beer or wine) from the Villa Antonio Winery in the Hillsboro area, are available for $45. To purchase a ticket, go to bit.ly/Leader-Dinner-2025.
The college’s culinary students and staff will prepare and serve the dinner, which will include a main dish chosen by the culinary staff.
The deadline for submitting recipes has extended and is now 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 31. Recipes may be submitted by email at news@myleaderpaper.com; by mail at P.O. Box 159, Festus, 63028; or in person at 503 N. Second St. in Festus.
The winning recipes and as many more as space permits will be published in a Holiday Recipe special section on Nov. 26.