Plenty to eat this weekend at Relay for Life
By Becky Barclay
Published in News on May 17, 2006 1:54 PM
Food is big business at the annual Relay for Life. Whether you have your tastebuds set for poultry, seafood, barbecue, fries or something sweet, you are sure to find it there.
Most of the teams set up camp and a cooking area and serve up such tasty items as turkey legs, shrimp on a stick, grilled sausage, hot dogs, cheeseburgers, egg rolls and ham sandwiches. Top any of that off with homemade cake, strawberry shortcake or ice cream. And if you're still hungry after dinner and crave a snack, there's popcorn, candy apples, applejacks or candy. Quench your thirst with a variety of sodas, water and even slushes.
The Rainbow Crusaders will be cooking up a storm both Friday and Saturday. Tasty fare will include funnel cakes, hot dogs, candy and caramel apples, brownies and cookies.
Team co-captain Bethany Jones said the team's biggest seller in past years has been turkey legs. Her husband, Jimmy, and his father and her uncle and father will once again grill the turkey legs over charcoal.
"My husband actually heard about turkey legs from a Relay team in Snow Hill," said Mrs. Jones. "So we thought we'd try them. The first year we got 50 turkey legs and they were gone in no time. We got 150 last year and sold them all. We are grilling 120 turkey legs this year."
Something new and different this year will be fried pickles. Co-captain Brenda Robinson said it's a dill pickle slice battered and deep fried then served with ranch dressing dipping sauce.
She said there's a special batter that's used and that's a secret. Of course, there's also a secret ingredient.
"They're cute so I think they'll sell well," said Ms. Robinson.
For those with a sweet tooth, the team will have slices of homemade cake. "My mom makes a 10-layer chocolate cake," Mrs. Robinson said. "She doesn't slice layers in half; she bakes each layer separately.
"We'll also have a Swiss chocolate cake that's fabulous."
For breakfast Saturday, team members will grill fresh sausage and serve the links on hot dog rolls along with hot coffee.
"We have done breakfast the past two years," said Ms. Robinson. "We usually start serving breakfast about 5:30 a.m. By the time the campers start stirring, we've got the grills going. Not very many people cook breakfast."
Got a taste for seafood? Then visit Coker Memorial Church's campsite for some shrimp on a stick. Team captain Michelle Hill said the shrimp is grilled with peppers and onions and is served either plain or with honey mustard or barbecue sauce.
The team will also sell hot dogs, fresh sausage dogs, drinks and water.
This is the team's fifth year of participating in the Relay and its third of cooking at the event.
"We do it to have fun and raise more money," said Mrs. Hill. "We have some men in our church who love to cook and they do it. They are Ken Sauls, David Lancaster and Don Mitchell."
She said last year the team raised between $500 and $1,000 selling food at the Relay.
"We've decided to introduce something new each year and see if we want to continue it the following year," Mrs. Hill said. "Our biggest seller last year was the shrimp on a stick. We also sold barbecue, but everyone came around wanting the shrimp."
Here's a sampling of other food fare at this year's Relay:
*Goldsboro H.O.G. Chapter -- hot dogs and drinks.
*General Electric -- barbecue plates and sandwiches.
*Elaine Mason Circle of Saulston United Methodist Church -- hamburgers, cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chips, drinks and apple turnovers. Saturday -- sausage sandwiches and country ham sandwiches.
*Marga-Relay-Ville -- lemonade.
*First Free Will Baptist Church -- Wilber's barbecue sandwiches, chips, drinks, popcorn and slushes.
*Walnut Creek Free Will Baptist Church -- turkey plates with potatoes, string beans, rolls and a drink; and assorted candy.
*Skill Creations Inc. -- homemade egg rolls with hot sauce, hot dogs with homemade chili, homemade applejacks, drinks and water.
*First Baptist Church of Mount Olive -- ice cream novelties, pancakes, sausage and coffee.
*Goldsboro News-Argus Misprints -- homemade strawberry shortcake and strawberries dipped in chocolate.
*Pine Forest United Methodist Church -- grilled pork sandwiches and chili beans.
*Torrell's Tornado's -- ribeye steak sandwiches, curly fries, French fries, chicken kabobs, brisket, corn on the cob, drumsticks, turkey tenders and barbecued pork ribs.
*Zion Marchers -- popcorn and relay suckers.
*United In Christ -- breakfast foods.
The Relay will open at 4 p.m. Friday and close at 10:30 a.m. Saturday.