Whose fare at the fair is finest?

To me, every season has its own foods and flavors. I'm always reluctant to see the end of summer — the cookouts, the casual picnics, the roadside stands selling fresh corn on the cob, the aroma of hot dogs at a ball game. But, the cooking contests of the Utah State Fair are a hint that autumn's cooking season is fast approaching.

The fair starts Thursday, so those who want to bake for bucks should stop by the fair office for a copy of the handbook with the schedule and rules. First-place prizes vary between $75-$300. New this year is Hidden Valley's Family Friendly Food Contest, where contestants must create an appetizer, stew, stir-fry, vegetable or other prepared dish that includes the company's seasoning mix.

Some contests call for creativity as well as cooking expertise. For instance, the Gold Medal Kids' Cookie Contest asks that kids design and bake a cookie based on a favorite book.

Here's the competition lineup:

• Sept. 4: The C&H Cookie Contest
• Sept. 5: Fleischmann's Yeast Breadworld.Info Bread Competition and Utah Beef Council's Dutch Oven Mystery Bag Cook-Off
• Sept. 6: Spam Kid Chef of the Year, the The Hidden Valley Ranch Family Friendly Food Contest, Camp Chef's Ultimate Dutch Oven Challenge and Ultimate Turkey Challenge
• Sept. 8: Nestle Toll House Baking Challenge
• Sept. 10: SACO Bake Your Best Pie Contest
• Sept. 11: Chili Cook-Off, Fresh-Made Salsa Contest and the American-Grown Lamb Cook-Off
• Sept. 13: The Gold Medal Kids' Cookie Contest and Baking with Lehi Mills

For rules and entry fees, you can call the fair office at 538-8440.

As the weather cools, Dutch-oven cooking is more comfortable. A couple weeks ago, Ben and Debbie Auxier of Orem won the Davis County Fair's Dutch oven cook-off with St. Louis Ribs and Cheesy Baked Potatoes, Rolls Supreme and Italian Cream Cake. The couple now has a berth in the International Dutch Oven Society Championship Cook-off next March. That may be a lucky sign, since the 2003 champs (Randy Macari of Roy and Corey Phillips of Pleasant View), and the 2002 champs (Rosa and Marisela Sanchez of Clearfield) also won the Davis contest. Here are some of the Auxiers' winning recipes:

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ITALIAN CREAM CAKE

2 10-inch regular Dutch ovens