It's enough to make you drop your TV remote. You're watching the Food Network and realize that one of the cooks mixing and stirring looks a lot like your next-door neighbor.

In fact, it is your next-door neighbor, and her recipe might win $25,000. Who knew?

"Just the thought that you'll be competing on a national TV show is a mind-blowing concept," said Elaine Jones of Salt Lake City, one of the three Utah finalists on the "Ultimate Recipe Showdown," a new Food Network program that will air Sunday nights at 10 p.m.

The six-episode series features "everyday folks competing in a kitchen stadiumlike arena to pit their best dishes against one another," according to the Food Network's press release.

The first episode shows Amparo Alam of Syracuse cooking her Rotisserie Chicken with Fried Yucca Root.

Later segments feature Erin Renouf Mylroie of St. George baking Chocolate Buttermilk Layer Cake with Toffee and Toasted Almonds, and Jones competing with Mediterranean Pasta with Lamb Meatballs.

Another finalist, Anne Tegtmeier of Windsor, Conn., has a Utah tie. Seven years ago, Tegtmeier was reunited with her birth mother, Donna Kelly, a Utah County prosecutor. The two co-authored a cookbook, "101 Things to Do With Tofu" (Gibbs Smith, $9.95).

Tegtmeier's "Ultimate Vegetarian Chili" comes from the tofu cookbook and Kelly traveled with her to watch the showdown.

"It was just as exciting and a nail-biting, cliff-hanging thriller as you would think," Kelly said.

The Food Network had viewers send in their "ultimate recipe." Nine finalists were selected in each of six categories: chicken, burgers, comfort foods, cakes, pasta and cookies. For each episode, one category of finalists prepared their dishes in front of a studio audience, and a panel of food experts sampled all the dishes to choose the $25,000 winner of each episode.

Winners' recipes will also be featured on future menus of the T.G.I. Friday's restaurant chain.

Although the show was filmed several months ago, contestants and Food Network staffers have kept mum about the results, so as not to spoil the suspense for viewers.

This was Alam's first recipe contest. The 51-year-old mother of two said it was, "More than perfect. It was very exciting."

A native of Lima, Peru, she submitted a Peruvian recipe, "because I'm proud of where I came from, and nothing in the world compares to our food. I love to have friends over, and I would get so many compliments on the food. Peruvian cuisine is spicy with a lot of variety and wonderful condiments."

The condiments apparently piqued the interest of Food Network staffers, because she received a call asking where to buy some of the ingredients. She explained that huacatay is a Peruvian herb and ajies are Peruvian hot peppers. Achiote is a paste made from annato seeds. These ingredients are sold in specialty markets; Alam buys them at the Chevere International Market in Layton. Some cooks also may not be familiar with yucca root or cassava, a starchy tropical vegetable eaten like potatoes in Latin America, Africa and Asia.