Princess Kay of the Milky Way...a 60 year tradition!

Well... maybe 27 years for me, but none the less, it's a big deal. Princess Kay of the Milky Way - if you've never heard of her, you're about to.

See - when I was a little girl, my parents, sisters and I would get on the county-organized bus to ride down to the Twin Cities and watch the coronation of Princess Kay of the Milky Way. I always went. Even if I had eye surgery that day. I had a minor cyst under my eye, but that's besides the point. She was who I dreamed of being some day. This girl that got to be at the Minnesota State Fair every single day (12 days) and talk with people about how good milk is and how much we love our cows. I literally dreamed about it.

If you've kept up with my blog, you already know that I was a Princess Kay finalist back in 2006. No, I didn't win the big crown, but I still got to walk around the Minnesota State Fair for a few days representing the few thousand dairy farmers in our state. I worked in the milking parlor at the Moo Booth for the remainder days - so I still got to spread my annoying love for cows and dairy products.

My point is - that on that bus ride to the bandshell at the Minnesota State Fair - we got a Milky Way candy bar for dessert. Every year. I think it was the only time I would eat a Milky Way candy bar. So I decided to bring back memories, celebrate Princess Kay's 60th and make some homemade Milky Way bars. It's actually quite easy, but way better because you can make them as big as you want.

Tonight's the coronation - I can't wait!

Princess Kay of the Milky Way Bars

Ingredients
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 7oz container marshmallow cream
Caramel (this could be Kraft caramels, homemade caramel, I used leftover caramel from Christmas)
2 cups milk chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Directions
Line an 8 inch square pan with wax or parchment paper.

Over a double-boiler, melt semi-sweet chocolate chips.

Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat melted chocolate for about 30 seconds. Add marshmallow cream to melted chocolate and beat until well combined and fluffy, 30-60 seconds more.

Spread chocolate mixture evenly into prepared pan with a rubber spatula. Place in freezer for 15-30 minutes.

Melt the caramel; allow to cool slightly. Spread all of the caramel on top of the frozen chocolate mixture. Return to freezer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt milk chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil and stir until well combined.

Remove pan from freezer and turn chocolate mixture onto a cutting board; cut into the size you'd like your candy bars. Dip frozen chocolate squares into melted chocolate to coat. Place on wax paper or cooling rack to set. Keep chocolates in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

So good!

Our State Fair is a Great State Fair! {Winner Announced}

Blackberry Malt - Don't Forget!

You haven't forgotten yet, have you (referring to pic above). I'm seriously salivating. Well guess what? The wait is over. We have picked a random winner for the 4 Minnesota State Fair entry tickets and 4 free malt tickets (courtesy of the Midwest Dairy Association).

But first! Don't forget about the All You Can Drink milk stand - $1 for a glass of regular or chocolate milk - all you can drink... all day long. Get a bucket of Sweet Martha's cookies (per Beth's comment) and head over to the milk stand. It's like the best deal ever - and so dang good.

Ok fine - I'll announce the winner. She'll get to head over to see the Princess Kay of the Milky Way and her finalists get their likeness carved out of butter AND enjoy a good ol' malt. Blackberry, perhaps? I hope she reports back.

Congratulations Brittnie Homstad! Thanks for entering!

Now... to get you guys to comment like that on all of my posts... You're the best! Thanks to everyone for entering and sharing your favorite Minnesota State Fair moments with us. I hope you have some new great memories this year.

It's Minnesota State Fair Time + A Giveaway!

Even though I love summer, I ways tend to 'wish it away' until August. Why? Because the Minnesota State Fair starts in August - why else? If you know me at all, you're not surprised. Who wouldn't dream of milk shakes, deep fried candy bars, pickles, cheese curds, mac 'n cheese, bacon... don't worry, I've signed up for the Milk Run and will be pushing a stroller. I'm not concerned.

I do miss my time showing dairy cattle during the Minnesota State Fair. It's completely awesome when someone stops my cow and me on the way to the milking parlor, asking if they could take a picture with the cow. 'Of course you can!' Be sure to stop by and visit those 4-H'ers... they love their animals and are happy to spend a few minutes with you. Speaking of 4-H, the State Arts-In performance is always on my to-do list. As a past theatre nut, I still regret not participating in the State Arts-In, my cows were more important. My mom was a performer back in the day, so I just live off of her stories.

Ok, so here's the fun part - butter heads. I know... 90lbs of butter carved into the likeness of a dairy farmer's daughter is a little bizarre - but it's a dream come true for them (including myself). I still have mine in my parent's freezer. I'm kind of hoping my daughter will compete in 20 years and we can pose our 'heads' together. We have to dream big, right? Princess Kay of the Milky Way 2033!

Why is this so fun? Because I have tickets, FREE TICKETS to give away. So while you're sitting there watching the butter heads spin around in circles, you can enjoy my favorite shake, with blackberries. Or whatever you want. But the blackberry ones are good. Blackberries. You can win four Minnesota State Fair entry tickets as well as four malt tickets (valued at $60.00). I am hosting this giveaway in partnership with Midwest Dairy Association.

How do you enter? Use the form below - option #1 requires a comment to this blog post. Don't delay, as you have 10 days to enter. That's it. I'm closing it down the morning of August 16th, 2013. If you win, I will see YOU at the Minnesota State Fair! (maybe... if we happen to go on the same day). Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My Favorite Things: 2011 MN State Fair

This post is long passed due, but I couldn't skip it. The Minnesota State Fair is my life, really. Even when we lived in Vermont, we flew back for the fair. Even when I got my appendix out as an 8th grader the week before, I went for the dairy show to show my registered Holstein winter calf. Even after I had eye surgery as a 7 year old the day of Princess Kay of the Milky Way, I got on that bus. I'm not crazy. I know so many people who wouldn't miss the Minnesota State Fair if their lives depended on it. It's 12 days of awesome food, animals and the best people watching you've ever witnessed.

This year, I had the 'opportunity' to walk around with my sister and two nieces for the day. Imagine walking amongst 60,000 people with a double-long stroller that isn't easy to turn, with a 2 and 4 year old. *smiling*
Our first stop was for a blueberry snow cone. The best deal is in the Horticulture building where you can get them for a dollar. Most places were around $3.00. I personally am not a huge fan of snow cones, so I got an apple cider freeze instead. I know, they're practically the same thing.

We were starting to crave actual food, so we got some Pronto Pups. Pronto Pups are not corn dogs, as they are not covered in a 'corn batter' rather a 'wheat batter'. They're delicious and you can wear the awesome hat while eating one.

Check out that awesome nail polish.

After you attend the Minnesota State Fair for so many years, you start to know what you want to eat and what certain things taste like. This allows you to try new things each year. Though, deep fried cheese curds, candy bars and pickles are still on the top of my list. We decided to go for the pizza on a stick. The stand was over by machinery hill (the pizza on a stick by the beer gardens was not so good, nor picture worthy).  It had cheese, sauce and pepperoni. The dough was awesome - that's honestly what made this so dang good.

It's always good to finish off your day with either a blackberry malt at the Dairy Products building (brought to you by Minnesota's dairy producers). Or a 'half chocolate, half strawberry' shake at the Gopher Dairy Club stand next to the dairy barns.

Two days later, I got to spend the day in the dairy barns helping my sister with her heifer (female dairy animal that is yet to have a calf) and watch her show in the arena. It always brings back great memories of my 4-H years. Maybe I'll get to show again in Open Class, someday.

Whether you come for the food, a concert, the butterheads, or the 4-H'ers. The Minnesota State Fair can't be beat. Whether you'd like to admit to it or not. <- That comment is for my Wisconsin friends.