Every year Sharon Miller can be found in the Fancy Work & Sewing Show (department) at the Clark County Fair. Most evenings she’ll walk over to the staging area for the Dish of the Day contests and register an entry. Sharon’s a veteran fair volunteer and enjoys cooking. She knows the look of a good recipe and remembers from year to year what the judges look for. This year she placed first in two of the cooking contests. When asked about the recipes she said one was from Taste of Home magazine and the other off the internet. She also admitted she made them for the first time for the contests. When sampling was over, her dishes were bare. I tasted both dishes; you won’t go wrong with them.

Beef Dish of the Day saw a first for the fair. Two men decided to pit their expertise against a row of female contestants. Good thing Curt Studebaker and Chris Yake weren’t intimidated. Curt took first place and Chris took fifth. Curt also placed second in the raspberry contest with his raspberry pie. No doubt next year they’ll be back. NOTE: All recipes are shown here as they were written and turned in by participants at competition.

Next week finishes up the best recipes from the fair. Contact Connie at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Baked Beans

Sharon Miller

• 6 slices bacon, chopped
• 4 cans (16oz.each) baked beans
• 1 can (20oz.) apple pie filling
• 1 can (12oz.) root beer
• ½ teaspoon ground ancho chili powder, optional
• 1 cup shredded smoked cheddar, optional

In skillet, fry bacon till crisp. Drain, discard drippings. In a casserole dish, place bacon, baked beans, apple pie filling, root beer. Stir to blend. If using chili powder, add it too. If using cheddar, can be stirred in or put on top. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

6-Cheese Mac & Cheese

Sharon Miller

• 6 cups cooked pasta
• 1 stick butter
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 2 cups half & half
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 4 cups shredded cheese, your choice (I used provolone, smoked Colby, pepper-Jack, Farmers, parmesan & Velveeta)
• ½ cup sour cream
• Shredded cheese for topping

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Melt butter, then stir in flour and cook for 60 seconds while stirring constantly. Add in half & half and heavy cream and continue to stir periodically while on high heat. Mixture will come to boil and should thicken. Remove from heat and fold in cheese, salt, pepper and sour cream. Allow cheese to melt down into a smooth sauce. Mix with cooked pasta and pour into baking dish. Top with more shredded cheese. Bake until golden brown and bubbly.

Smoked/Grilled Beef Tenderloin

Curt Studebaker-1st. place

• Use Louisiana Grill Butcher trimmed beef tenderloin

Marinate beef overnight with A-1 steak sauce and Worcestershire sauce

Rub in Louisiana grill competition series beef brisket rub. Place in refrigerator

Smoke at 200 degrees for one hour, increase temp to 350 degrees and grill until internal temp is 140 degrees. Slice and place in pan of Au jus.

Cheddar Bacon Burger Bowls

Chris Yake-5th place

• 2 lb. ground beef
• 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• ½ cup real bacon bits
• 2 jalapenos, minced
• ½ cup ranch dressing
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon lemon & pepper seasoning
• 2 teaspoons McCormick Grillmates Hamburger seasoning
• 6 hamburger buns

Combine cheese, bacon bits, jalapenos and ranch dressing in bowl. Mix and refrigerate.

Season the ground beef with salt, pepper, lemon/pepper and hamburger seasoning.

Mix in a large bowl with your hands.

Pick up a baseball size portion of the beef. Roll it with your hands into a ball and place on parchment- lined cookie sheet.

Using a clean empty soda or beer can press ball of meat around the can to create a bowl. Smooth out any cracks.

Fill the bowls with the cheddar mixture and refrigerate for two hours.

Preheat grill to 350 degrees. Cook burger bowls over indirect heat for 25-30 minutes. Serve with or without bun and your favorite toppings.