Fair Season 2014- Adair County Fair

It's Fair Season in Iowa! That means every county has put on their best show of the year- live entertainment, agriculture displays and competitions, artistic competitions- and the best part of all- FAIR FOOD. This year the Adair County Fair really caught my attention with their Pride of Iowa Cooking Contest. This year twenty chefs-in-the-making are competing in three divisions: Senior, Intermediate and Junior. The requirements? Each chef must prepare a dish using at least one Iowa product, in front of the audience and judges. How fun, right?

The competition took place in the 4-H and FFA Center on the Adair County Fairgrounds in Greenfield. According to the department superintendent Grace Evans "We have an excellent variety of foods to be prepared during the contest."  Each chef is judged on their skill level in preparing food, safety in the kitchen, how they chose to use Iowa products and the final product.

MaKenna Lilly makes Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes.
I wish I could have judged her recipe. Sounds yummy!

Competing in the Senior Division this year, and their dishes, we have- MaKenna Lilly- Individual Oreo Turtle Cheesecakes; Hank Bohling- South of the Border Casserole; Katharine Hrubetz- Loaded Chicken Alfredo Gnocchi Bake; and Bailee Huddleson- Bailee's Breakfast Bacon Bowls.

Check out Alan Evans- he had meatballs ready for the
oven in just ten minutes!

The Intermediate Division is bringing some serious competition- Alan Evans, Meatballs; Cody Mertz- Chicken Pot Pie; Kyra Evans- Cheese Puff; Jill Wallace- Jill's Petite Hamballs; Reba Lonsdale- Sausage and Pepperoni Pizza Puffs; Skyler Rawlings- Korean Beef Bowl; and Alexis Shelley- Italian Salad. 

Two cooks compete side-by-side, each with a judge just for them.

Can you believe these are kids cooking? I need to figure out how to be a JUDGE for next year's fair!

Every cook made a poster of their recipe

The Junior Division also is showing some pretty impressive kitchen know-how with Erin Ford- Delicious Corn Bread; Gaige Schwochow- Gaige's Omelet; Zayden Rawlings- Enchilada Meatballs; Riley McCall- Tortellini Soup; Shelbee Woosley- Pizza in a Pan; Ethan Blomme- Red, White and Blue Smoothie; Storm Hoadley- Pepperoni Bubble Pizza; Rylie Mertz- Breakfast; and Bella Rubio- Chicken Nuggets.

Erin Ford makes her Delicious Cornbread recipe. She was very
confident in the kitchen, got right to work and impressed the
heck out of me!

Gaige Schwowchow sits with his judge during the tasting part of judging.
Gaige's omelet was a meaty, cheesy omelet I want to make myself!

I am SERIOUSLY impressed! I was most definitely NOT cooking when I was a kid- not even in high school. Enchilada meatballs? Pizza puffs? Individual cheesecakes? We're talking Superbowl Food here! And how did they do?

Zayden Rawlings makes Enchilada Meatballs. I am anxious
to make his recipe at home myself- it looked delicious.

The Junior Division Champions-

Ethan Blomme, Erin Ford, and Isabella Rubio

The Intermediate Division Champions-

Alan Evans, Skyler Rawlings and Alexis Shelley

And the Senior Division Champs-

Bailee Huddleson, MaKenna Lilly and Hank Bohling

The weather couldn't have been more perfect for a day to visit the fair. The breeze was brisk and cool, lots of shady places to sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of a laid-back rural county fair. I wandered through all the exhibits and saw everything from beautiful floral arrangements to vintage quilts and, of course, canned foods! It's really gotten me even more excited for my county's fair, which takes place next month. Guess I better get busy canning!

Sponsors included Hometown Foods, Stuart; Fareway, Greenfield; HyVee, Creston; Adair County Pork Producers; Adair County Cattlemen; Rose Acre Farms, Stuart; Adair County Corn and Soybean Growers Association; Midwest Dairy Association; Iowa Egg Council/Iowa Poultry Association; 3 Bee Honey Farms; and Adair County 4-H Booster fund.

*** Thanks to the Adair County Extension Office for providing pictures of the winning kids

Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I mentioned. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 55: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."