‘Taste the thrill’ all year long

We know you’re as disappointed as we are that the Fair has come to a close, but with the official Dixie Classic Fair Cookbook, you can enjoy the tasty traditions in your very own kitchen all year long. The cookbook, which costs $15 at the Fair or $20 by mail order, is chock-full of recipes from special food contest winners and friends of the Fair.

Having company over? Why not make Kimberly Goss’s Upside Down Chocolate Pecan Pie that took 2nd place? Or how about making Cary Hester’s crowd-pleasing Potato Chip-Crusted Chicken Tenders?

The Dixie Classic Fair Cookbook makes a lovely gift for friends and family. Get yours today and keep on tasting the thrill!

Around the world in 10 tasty days!

Do you wish you could travel internationally and taste all the different foods the world has to offer? Well, admission to the Dixie Classic Fair allows you to do just that. In addition to those Fair favorites like corn dogs, popcorn and candy apples, there are many concessions offering a variety of cultural cuisines. Here is just a sampling of the diverse foods one can enjoy:

Italian — Pizza, pasta and Italian sausage

Asian – Chinese food and wok-fired soba noodles

Greek — Gyros, souvlaki and shish-kabobs

Cajun — Gumbo, jambalaya and bourbon chicken

Mexican –  Tacos, burritos and quesadillas

Over the 10-day run of the Dixie Classic Fair, you’ll have the chance to sample a wide variety of cuisines from numerous countries, so don’t miss out. And if you get homesick, there’s always Mom’s old-fashioned, all-American apple pie….deep fried, of course.

Calling all chocoholics!

Chocoholics, listen up! We’ve got a delicious tip that you will want to play close attention to. If you love chocolate (and most normal people do), then you’ll want to make sure to be present at the Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship at 7 pm on Thursday, October 8 at Dixie Classic Fair’s Yesterday Village. Entrants have spent months perfecting their most decadent homemade chocolate recipes using Ghirardelli premium baking products. 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners will receive prize money and ribbons, but perhaps the greatest victory will be that of the randomly selected contest entrant who will win a gargantuan gift basket loaded with Ghirardelli goodies.

While you won’t be able to sample any of the contest recipes, you will get to see the judging process and contest results. This is a popular event with Fairgoers, so show up early to get a good view and enjoy the delicious chocolate aromas wafting through Yesterday Village. Good luck to all the entrants, and to the winner of the gift basket, we ask: Need help carrying that to your car?

What the heck are elephant ears, anyway?

Everyone knows and loves funnel cakes, those ooey, gooey fried delicacies that are fixtures at fairs, outdoor sporting events and the beach. But not everyone is familiar with elephant ears, the fried treats that people think are synonymous with funnel cakes but are actually quite different.

Elephant ears—also called beaver tails, whales tails, tiger ears, flying saucers or doughboys—are made by deep frying risen yeast dough. Funnel cakes are made with unleavened batter, such as pancake or corndog batter, put into a funnel and then poured into hot oil in a circular pattern which gives a funnel cake its trademark shape. What elephant ears and funnel cakes have in common are their toppings—powdered sugar, cinnamon, fruit sauce, maple syrup, whipped cream or anything else you can think of.

Elephant ear or funnel cake? If you can’t decide, we suggest trying both during your visit to the Dixie Classic Fair. There are numerous stands selling both types of fried Fair favorites, so there’s no reason to choose just one!

Fried Foods Paradise

Just walking through the Midway at the Dixie Classic Fair is enough to make your stomach start rumbling with hunger. The aroma of yummy goodies deep fried in peanut oil lingers in the air and entices Fairgoers to try something new. Elephant ears, foot-long corn dogs and even fried butter (!) are just a sampling of the Fair foods offered this year. But not everything offered at the Fair will give your doctor a heart attack. Noodles, chicken pitas and barbecue are relatively healthier options giving something for everyone to enjoy.

However, the Dixie Classic Fair only comes once a year. And with all the walking you’ll do at the Fair, we think it’s okay to indulge with a funnel cake or a fried Oreo. Or two.

It’s time to pull out all the stops. For special food, that is.

Empty stomach? Check.
Water on stand by? Check.
Open mind? Check.

If you’re a special foods judge at the Dixie Classic Fair – these three things are imperative when judging the special foods contests.

Contenders will once again defy taste buds as they prepare for the 2009 special fun-food contests. Out of all of the special foods contests, only 14 contestants will be able to claim the champion title.

In talking with special foods contest judge Baxter Cromer, typically 200 entrants come through vying for the highest superlative. And he’s seen it all.

Ready to try your secret Ghiradelli Chocolate recipe? Got a “Fresh Taste For The Family” using Hidden Valley Dressing or Seasoning? Or maybe you’re a Spam aficionado and have the ultimate recipe that will sweep the judges. Test your culinary skills and enter! Click here to register!

The full list of special food contests are:

Make it with Malt-O-Meal Receipe Contest – Oct. 2 at 7:00 p.m.
Great American Spam (R) Championship – Oct. 3 at 2:00 p.m.
Winston-Salem Journal’s Budget Meals Contest – Oct. 3 at 7:00 p.m.
Hidden Valley Dressings “Fresh Taste For The Family” – Oct. 4 at 2:00 p.m.
Village Tavern’s Favorite Dessert Contest – Oct. 4 at 7:00 p.m.
Karo Corn Syrup “Kids Cookie Contest” – Oct. 5 at 7:00 p.m.
Ganache Restaurant & Bakery Cupcake Contest – Oct. 6 at 2:00 p.m.
Lowes Foods “Good For You, Good For Your Family” – Oct. 7 at 7:00 p.m.
Ghirardelli Chocolate Championship – Oct. 8 at 7:00 p.m.
WBFJ Heavenly Layered Cake – Oct. 9 at 7:00 p.m.
Smitty’s Fried Apple Pie – Oct. 10 at 2:00 p.m.
Fleischmann’s Yeast Bake For The Cure – Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
Fleischmann’s Yeast Best Batter Bread – Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
21st Annual Homemade Ice Cream Contest – Oct. 11 at 2:00 p.m.

It takes how many apples?

After talking with apple pioneer, Smitty of Smitty’s Apples, we’ve learned that it takes roughly 3,000 apples for the entire 10-day run at the Fair. That’s right, 3,000!

Now you may be wondering what can be made with 3,000 apples. Well, we can tell you.

Fried apple pies, apple chips, apple butter, peeled apples, candied apples, apple cider, apple dumplings….did I mention fried apple pies?

This delicious fall fruit is a family favorite at the Dixie Classic Fair. People from all ages stand in line to get their fruity fix – sometimes topped with powdered sugar, doused with sweet sauces or smothered in hot caramel.

Makes our mouths start watering just thinking about all of the yummy combinations. But the best part about it all is that Smitty’s Apples is located right next to a homemade ice cream vendor…coincidence? We think not.