Bill Ahrens, winner of the Golden Chili Pot Award, submitted the following recipes:

Potato and Cheese Soup

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1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt

3-4 slices bacon, diced (optional)

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon minced or crushed garlic

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

3 cups milk

In a large pot or saucepan, bring potatoes, water and salt to a boil over high heat. Cover and reduce heat to medium. Simmer about 10 minutes until potatoes are tender. Put potatoes and cooking liquid in a food processor and process until smooth.

In the same pan, saute bacon until crisp. Drain cooked bacon on paper towel and set aside. Drain bacon grease, leaving several tablespoons in the pan.

If not using bacon, add 1-2 tablespoons oil to pan. Saute onion, garlic and parsley until onions are translucent. Add to potato mixture and process until smooth.

Pour soup back into the pan, and cook over low heat, adding shredded cheese. Cook until cheese is melted. Stir in milk and heat several minutes until warm. Serve with cooked bacon. Makes about 9 cups.

Pear Cranberry Crisp

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Filling:

6 cups sliced, peeled pears (about 4-5 pears)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup maple syrup (or substitute with 1/4 cup dark corn syrup and 1/2 teaspoon maple extract)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

cooking spray

Topping:

3/4 cup regular rolled oats

3/4 cup flour

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

To prepare filling, place sliced pears in large bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, tossing well to coat. Stir in cranberries and remaining filling ingredients. Spoon pear mixture into a 2-quart baking dish coated with cooking spray.

To prepare topping, combine oats and remaining ingredients, tossing until evenly moistened. Sprinkle topping evenly over pear mixture. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes, or until topping is golden and fruit mixture is bubbling.

Crockpot Red Beans & Rice

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1 14-16 ounce package kielbasa or smoked sausage, sliced or cubed

1 medium onion, diced

4-5 stalks celery, diced

1 bell pepper, seeded and diced

1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and finely minced

4-6 cloves garlic, crushed or minced

1 smoked ham hock

2 14-ounce cans red beans

1 14-ounce can diced or crushed tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

2-3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

1-2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon oregano

4-5 dashes hot sauce

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup green onions, chopped

Cooked rice

In skillet, saute sausage over medium heat until browned. Remove sausage and drain. Saute onions, celery and peppers until softened and tender, adding garlic at the end from 1 to 2 minutes. Combine sausage, cooked vegetables and the rest of the ingredients except green onions and rice in crockpot. Cover and cook on low heat from 10 to 12 hours.

Before serving, discard bones and skin from ham hock and pull apart ham pieces and return to crockpot. Serve over cooked rice and top with green onions.

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