My friend Melissa won the Northeast Region in a contest for "gourmet campfire cooking" recipes--whatever that is. And look what she won: a giant check!

About the contest, Melissa writes:

So I entered this crazy competition about a month ago...a "gourmet campfire cooking" competition. What's more crazy, is that I was chosen as a semi-finalist. The winery that hosted the competition paid for me to go down to D.C. to battle it out at a food and wine festival. Think Iron Chef without the cool special effects, the cool costumes, and the gross ingredients.

Strangely...(enter drumroll) I WON. Which, as it turns out, was pretty wicked because, not only did I win $, they presented me with one of those ridiculously fantastic giant checks. It was like being a Publishing Clearing House winner...only without the van and Ed McMahon.

Melissa now moves on to the national competition, while We The People get to vote on our People's Choice. So do me a favor and go give Melissa some votes. You can vote every day, actually--so yeah, vote early and vote often!

But what exactly did Ms. M create that makes her such a winner. Why, Blackberry Hand Pies with Jar-whipped Lavender Cream, of course! And why not? Sounds delicious to me, if I were to be anywhere near a campfire, that is (highly unlikely). But I like the idea of it anyway.

Her recipe is here. Check it out, give her a little vote, and cross your fingers for the national competition on June 26. Good luck, Melissa!