Malt-O-Meal Company has been recognized as Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce’s 2010 Industry of the Year.

At the 85^th annual meeting of the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce, held Friday, January 21, 2011, vice president of Business and Industry Kim Markham spoke highly of Malt-O-Meal’s impact on the Asheboro community.

Referring to Malt-O-Meal’s support of organizations like the United Way, Randolph Hospital and the N.C. Zoological Society, Markham said, “This investment of time and money is vital to the continued development of Asheboro and Randolph Country and to the continued enhancement of the quality of life we have all come to expect and enjoy.”

Founded in 1919, Malt-O-Meal has grown to become the nation’s largest family-owned cereal company. The company opened its $160 million production facility in the summer of 2009 and recently announced plans for a $135 million expansion to begin later this year. Malt-O-Meal employs 200 people in Asheboro and is Randolph county’s largest taxpayer. Read more in the full article, below.

Malt-O-Meal has been recognized as the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce's 2010 Industry of the Year.

Contrary to Kermit the Frog’s famous saying, it IS easy being green! That’s especially true this time of year, when saving time and money is as important as ever! This holiday season; keep our planet on the top of your gift list with these five easy tips for an earth-friendly celebration:

Send holiday cards online: Writers’ cramp affects millions of people every year. Or at least tens of people. Give your favorite fountain pen the year off and instead address your holiday greetings electronically. It doesn’t just cut back on paper; it saves you money, too! Plus you’ll need all that hand-strength for wrapping presents…

Wrap gifts in gently used materials: Remember all that tissue paper your Aunt Sally used to wrap that teeny tiny birthday gift in a big huge bag? You can use it again! Re-gifting wrapping paper isn’t the same as sending that fruit cake from last year to your neighbor down the block. Consider it a gift for the environment and your pocket book. No used gift wrap at your house? Use the comics section of your favorite newspaper and remember to save the paper you unwrap from gifts this year for next holiday season.

Give homemade gifts or give the gift of an experience: Are you a three-years-running tri-state area cookie-baking champion? Create a catalog of your ten favorite recipes and enclose a batch of your best cookies as a gift.  Not culinary or crafty? Give tickets to a concert or purchase a service: zero packaging, tons of fun.

Twinkle and glow efficiently: Need to replace some holiday lights this year? Look for the LED kind! They’re more energy efficient than the incandescent variety.

Buy Smart Packaging: During your holiday shopping trips keep an eye out for sustainable packaging.  Start at the grocery store! Malt-O-Meal® cereals come in bags, instead of bags inside of boxes.  If there’s less packaging to begin with, there’s less to dispose of later!

What better way to make pancakes than to include another favorite breakfast food: Malt-O-Meal® cereal! Adding Corn Bursts® to her pancake recipe won Naomi Kress the blue ribbon at this summer’s Utah State Fair.

It was only after sampling a several Malt-O-Meal varieties in her recipe that Naomi selected Corn Bursts® as being the best contender for her blue-ribbon winning creation. She thinks the key to her success was using quality ingredients, like real whipped cream, fresh blueberries and real maple syrup.

Carol Bartholemew brought home second place honors with her Peaches and Cream dessert, which included Malt-O-Meal Honey Graham Squares® cereal.

Naomi Kress shows off her 1st place ribbon.

Utah State Fair Winning Recipes:
Naomi Kress, 1st place, Utah State Fair 2010

Deluxe Corn Bursts® Pancakes
Ingredients:
1 cup Malt-0-Meal® Corn Burst Cereal crumbs (finely ground in blender)
1-1/2 cups flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup plain yogurt
1/4 butter, melted
2 cups milk

6 slices bacon, finely diced
Butter
Maple Syrup
Whipped Cream
Blueberries

Cook the bacon in a frying pan until crisp. Drain fat and set aside. Stir together dry ingredients in a bowl. In separate bowl, mix eggs, yogurt, butter, milk, and bacon. Pour dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Pour 1/4 cup mixture onto hot oiled skillet. Cook until bottom is lightly browned. Turn pancakes and cook other side until done. Repeat with remaining batter. Serve with warm maple syrup, whipped cream, and fresh blueberries. Yields: 15 pancakes.

Carol Bartholomew, 2nd Place, Utah State Fair

Peaches and Cream

Crust:
1 ½ cups crushed Malt-O-Meal® Honey Graham Squares® cereal
1 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
1/3 c. melted butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a 2-quart mixing bowl, stir together cereal, sugar and cinnamon. Mix in the butter thoroughly. Press into the bottom and sides of a 10” springform pan. Set aside.

Filling:
3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 ½ tsp. almond extract

In 4-quart mixing bowl, using electric beaters whip together cream cheese with sugar, beat in eggs one at a time, then add almond extract. Pour this mixture into the prepared crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. While baking, prepare peach topping. Remove to cooling rack and allow to cool.

Peach Topping:
3 c. peeled, pitted and diced peaches (fresh or frozen)
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
¾ c. sugar
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. almond extract

In 2-quart heavy pan, place prepared peaches and lemon juice. Separately, stir together sugar, cornstarch, and cinnamon; add this gently into diced peaches. Cook on medium heat, gently stirring, until juice from peaches is thickened. Stir in almond extract. Allow to cool. Pour over cooled backed cheesecake. Chill well.

Makes 12 servings.

Esther May, 3rd Place, Utah State Fair

Raspberry Crunch Bars

Ingredients:
4 c. Malt-O-Meal® Berry Colossal Crunch®
½ c. butter
1 can sweet and condensed milk
1 cup raspberry jam
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a saucepan, melt butter. Crumble cereal then mix with the butter. Pat the crumb mixture into a 9×13 pan. Pour sweet and condensed milk over the cereal mixture. Place dollops of jam throughout the milk. Sprinkle coconut and white chocolate chips on top. Bake in oven for 25-30 minutes. Bars should be a little brown on top. Let cool, slice and enjoy!

Putting a bag of cereal inside of a box makes about as much sense as putting pants on over shorts or wearing two MP3 players at the same time. That’s the central theme of the Bag The Box™ video contest’s grand prize winning entry, titled “Redundability.” Joe Dunlap of Ohio won an electric bicycle for his hilariously relevant depiction of common sense packaging.

Coming in second place was Elvina Beck of Los Angeles. Her spoken word narrative called “Evolution of Box to Bag” lyrically chronicles the many reasons that buying Malt-O-Meal® cereal in bags is not only better for the environment*, but smarter in general. Justin Thomas of Salt Lake City, Utah won third prize with his “Cereal Factory Tour” that features great acting as well as a great message.

Contest entrants were given the artistic challenge of creating a video that told its viewers what “75% Less Packaging. 100% Smarter.™” means to them. A panel of judges selected these winners after viewing the more than fifty entries received.  Prizes included an electric bike, an iPad™ and an HD Flip Cam™.

Malt-O-Meal congratulates all the winners and consumers who are 100% smarter every day.

Putting cereal in a bag, then into a box? That's a symptom of "Redundability."

*75% less packaging based on the net weight of empty consumer packaging per pound of cereal delivered. Even when their box size is smaller, the net weight of their box and empty inner bag is still greater than the net weight of the larger Malt-O-Meal bag when empty.

New York State Fair’s winner was hiking enthusiast Jeff Case, who likes to create healthy and filling recipes. He featured his favorite Malt-O-Meal® variety, Honey & Oat Blenders® in the blue ribbon winning Breakfast Muffins. Jeff attributes his success to trying something new with every contest entry. Jeff owns a cleaning business with his wife. In addition to backpacking, he enjoys photography.

Second place honors went to Jane Wojtaszek who created a creamy, decadent dessert called Coca Dyno-Bites® Delights.  Combining cream cheese and peanut butter, the bite-sized treats are also dipped in chocolate. These morsels are perfect for entertaining!

Elaine Reilley came in third with her aptly named Incred-O-Berry Tart. Using Malt-O-Meal Blueberry Muffin Tops® for a crust, then marshmallow crème and cream cheese and three kinds of berries to create a filling, Elaine wowed the judges with this fruit-filled creamy sensation!

Jeffery Case and his 1st place ribbon

New York State Fair Winning Recipes:

Jeffery Case, Mattydale, NY, 1st place, New York State Fair 2010

Malt-O-Meal® Breakfast Muffins

Ingredients:

4 1/2 plus 1/2 cup crushed Malt-O-Meal Honey Oat Blenders® cereal

2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

2 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups dried cranberries

2 eggs, beaten

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

Coarse sugar for topping

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl combine 4 1/2 cups cereal, flour, sugar, baking soda, salt; Stir well; Add the dried cranberries and mix in. In a small bowl combine the eggs, buttermilk and oil. Slowly spoon dry ingredients into wet ingredients and stir until just moistened. Spoon into muffin cups or greased tins and sprinkle crushed cereal on top; Sprinkle sugar on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until a pick inserted comes out clean.

Makes approx. 18

Jane Wojtaszek, 2nd Place, New York State Fair

Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno Bite® Delights

Cream together:

1 8 ounce block of soft cream cheese

1 1/2 of powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups of creamy peanut butter

1/4 teaspoon of vanilla

3 cups of Malt-O-Meal Cocoa Dyno Bites cereal

Chill for 1 hour

Roll into balls

Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes; 2 cups of chocolate chips; mix when smooth this will be your dipping mixture.

Dip balls into melted chocolate so they are evenly coated. Place into a small muffin cup or on wax paper, chill. Drizzle as desired, keep refrigerated until you serve this delicious treat.

Elaine Reilley. 3rd Place, New York State Fair

Incred-O-Berry Tart

Crust:

4 cups Malt-O-Meal® Blueberry Muffin Tops® cereal, crushed (should make approx.1 3/4c)

1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup chopped almonds

Filling:

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

1 1/2 cups marshmallow crème

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

Topping:

2 cup raspberries

2 cup blackberries

2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoon flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoon seedless blackberry jam

Piping:

1 cup heavy cream, whipped

1/2 cup confectioner’s sugarribbonJeffery Case and his 1st place

Preheat oven to 350. To assemble crust, mix crust ingredients together and press into bottom and up sides of a 10” tart pan with removable bottom. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely. Cream marshmallow crème and cream cheese together with mixer until smooth.  Fold in whipped cream until well blended. Spread over cooled crust. Gently toss all the berries together in a large bowl. Measure out 2 1/2 cups of mixed berries. Puree the 2 1/2 cups berries in a food processor until very smooth, about 1 minute. Strain the puree through a fine mesh sleeve into a small saucepan, pressing out as much puree as possible. Should be approx. 1 1/2 cups and discard seeds. Mix together the sugar and flour in small bowl. Whisk in puree. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, until as thick as pudding, approx. 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice. Cool. Spread the cooled puree mixture over the cream cheese layer. Melt jam in microwave on high for 30 seconds.  Pour over remaining berries and toss to coat.  Spread the berries evenly over puree layer and lightly press down. Chill for at least 1 hour to set. Remove from pan. Mix whipped cream and confectioner’s sugar. Pipe around edges.

Minnesota State Fair first place Malt-O-Meal® recipe contest winner Alice Seuffert wowed the judges with her creative entry. This young working mother combined Malt-O-Meal Cinnamon Toasters® and stuffing mix, then wrapped it in a pork tenderloin. She titled it French Toast Stuffed Pork. Alice says that when you make this recipe, your house smells like French toast and Thanksgiving all in one!

Second place honors went to Connie Sandler. Connie’s “no bake” entry features fresh dates and just 5 total ingredients. That’s a sweetly easy creation.

Coming in third was April Weinreich with a wholesome and delicious take on cranberries.  She used Malt-O-Meal Honey and Oat Blenders®, cranberries, honey and orange zest among other ingredients to make Honey Oat Cranberry Bread.

Minnesota State Fair Winning Recipes:

Alice Seuffert, 1st Place, Minnesota State Fair

French Toast Stuffed Pork

Ingredients:

1 box of chicken stuffing mix (6 ounces)

2 cups of Malt-O-Meal® Cinnamon Toasters®

1/4 cup butter

2 cups of water

1/3 cups of chopped walnuts

1 pork tenderloin (Bourbon Maple, 27.2 ounce package)

1/2 cup of brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Maple syrup (for dipping)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Mix stuffing, Cinnamon Toasters, butter and water in a covered microwave safe dish. Heat for 5 minutes. Once done heating add walnuts and set aside.

Remove pork tenderloin from package and cut lengthwise but do not go all the way through. Pound tenderloin flat. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon together.  Rub tenderloin with brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Stuff tenderloin with stuffing mixture.  Wrap aluminum foil tightly around tenderloin. Wrap an additional layer of foil around tenderloin and bake in the oven on a cookie sheet for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let sit for 10 minutes then slice.  Serve with Maple Syrup.

Connie Sandler, Golden Valley, 2nd Place, Minnesota State Fair

Golden Date Balls

2 1/2 cups Malt-O-Meal® Golden Puffs®

1/2 lb chopped dates

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1/2 tsp vanilla

Powdered sugar

Whirl Malt-O-Meal Golden Puffs in a food processor to crush cereal. In a small saucepan, combine dates and butter; cook over low heat until mixture is mushy, about 5 minutes.  Remove from heat. Stir in cereal and vanilla. Roll into small balls while mixture is still warm. Roll balls into powder sugar.

Makes 3 1/2 to 4 dozen balls.

April Weinrich, Wahlcon, MN, 3rd Place, Minnesota State Fair

Malt-O-Meal® Honey Oat Cranberry Bread

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons salt

1 egg

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

1/4 cup buttermilk powder

2 tablespoons of honey

1 tablespoon orange zest

1 1/3 cups warm water

2- 2 1/2 cups bread flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/2 cups Malt-O-Meal Honey Oat Blenders® cereal

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1 package instant dry yeast

Directions:

Place in bread machine in order suggested by manufacturer. Set bread machine on dough setting. Add more water or flour if necessary, may need to re-start the machine for extra kneading time.  After dough cycle is complete, remove dough from bread machine and shape into 2 loaves or braids. Let rise until double and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done. Drizzle with icing if desired.

The Make It With Malt-O-Meal® recipe contest at the 2010 Illinois State Fair on August 20, 2010 was a chocolate lover’s paradise!  All three winning recipes contained Malt-O-Meal Cocoa Dyno-Bites® as an ingredient, and all three are sure to satisfy even the most persistent chocolate craving.

Jone Schumacher took the first place honors with her decadent Cocoa Peanut Butter Bites.  Jone, a grandmother to seven, credits a family favorite recipe for her success. She dressed it up by making it “more chocolately and chewy.” She thinks these attributes were the winning elements of her recipe.

Second place went to Jeanette Malafa who created Cocoa Dyno-Bite Bars with cereal, marshmallow fluff, peanut butter and chocolate chips. The magic ingredient in this recipe is the quick and easy foundation of brownie mix, over which the other ingredients are layered.

Coming in third was Linda Cifuentes with an innovative take on S’mores. Using Coca Dyno-Bites and marshmallows, graham crackers and peanut butter chips alongside other ingredients, Linda created a bar recipes that reminded judges of the timeless campfire favorite.

Illinois State Fair

Winning Recipes:

Jone Schumacher, First Place, Illinois State Fair

Cocoa Peanut Butter Bites

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup light karo syrup1 cup smooth peanut butter
6 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 additional cup Cocoa Dyno-Bites1/3 cup finely chopped peanuts
Cooking spray

Directions:

Spray large mixing bowl with cooking spray. Place 6 cups of Malt-O-Meal Cocoa Dyno-Bites® in the mixing bowl. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar and syrup and bring to boil over medium heat; stir in the peanut butter. Pour sugar mixture into the cereal and stir until well mixed. Spray cup cake pans with cooking spray and spoon to place 1/4 cup cereal mixture in each cup, filling each cup about 1/2 full. Repeat to make 3 dozen cookies. If needed, use a fork to remove cookies after set a minute and place on a tray to reuse the cup cake pan. Combine the chips and microwave on high for 30 minutes, and then stir. Heat additionally as needed until melted, stir until smooth. Use a small dipper or tablespoon to put a small amount of melted chocolate on top of each cookie. Sprinkle on 1/4 teaspoon chopped peanuts and heaping 1/4 teaspoon Cocoa Dyno-Bites on top and press slightly into the chocolate. Place in the refrigerator to set chocolate.

OR, use this simpler method: press cereal mixture into prepared 9 x 13 pan. Spread with the melted chocolate and toppings as directed for the individual cookies.

Jeanette Malafa, Second Place, Illinois State Fair

Cocoa Dyno-Bites® Bars

Ingredients:1 box of brownie mix ( + normal ingredients for making mix; egg, oil, etc.)
1 cup marshmallow fluff
1/2 cup salted peanuts, coarsely chopped
2 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites cereal
2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line 9″ square pan with foil, then grease foil on bottom. Make and bake brownies as directed on box. Cool completely.

Frost brownies with marshmallow fluff. Sprinkle peanuts on top. Refrigerate while making the cereal topping.

Melt peanut butter and chocolate chips in a saucepan over low heat. Add cereal and mix until well covered, spread over frosted brownies. Refrigerate 1 hour or until set before cutting. Store tightly covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator.

Linda Cifuentes, Third Place, Illinois State Fair

Peanut Butter S’more Dyno-Bites

Ingredients and Directions:
Combine these two ingredients in a small bowl and press in a sprayed 13x 9 baking dish:
1 1/2 cups graham crackers; crushed
1/2 cup butter, melted

Top with these items, in the order listed:
1 can condensed milk
1 1/2 Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
2 cups mini marshmallows1 cup peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chocolate chunk pieces

Place in preheated 350 oven for 30 minutes. Cool on rack then cut into bars.

The Washington County Fair in Pittsburgh, PA was a sweet event for the Make It With Malt-O-Meal® Recipe Contest! All three winners made delectable desserts that are sure to please even the most discerning sweet-tooth!

Mark Loar took home the blue ribbon for his twist on S’mores, called Easy Cocoa Dyno-Balls. Family campfires inspired these simple and scrumptious morsels. “These are a huge hit around the holidays and family get-togethers” Mark shares.

Second place winner Kathy Redick didn’t consider herself much of a baker until she entered the Make It With Malt-O-Meal® competition this year. This first time entrant took home the red ribbon for her Malt-O Yummy Treats. A local cookie exchange sparked her recipe idea. Her family gladly helped with taste-testing.

Blueberry Muffin Tops® Pops were the third prize winning creation from Bonnie Mortimer. Bonnie is a long-time fair competitor who enjoys entering contests with her whole family (who are huge fans of this recipe)!

Mark Loar, Kathy Redick and Bonnie Mortimer showing off their winning ribbons.

Washington County Fair Winning Recipes:

Mark Loar, First Place, Washington County Fair
Easy Cocoa Dyno-Balls

Ingredients:
8 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
1 10oz. bag of coconut marshmallows
1/2 stick butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Directions:
Heat Butter, vanilla and marshmallows. Pour over Cocoa Dyno-Bites; mix well. Butter your hands and form mixture into balls. Place on wax paper lined platter. Great for holidays or parties!

Kathy Redick, Second Place, Washington County Fair
Malt-O Yummy Treats

Ingredients:
1 cup white sugar
2 sticks of butter
1 tsp vanilla
6 milk chocolate bars
1 cup chopped cashews
6 cups malt-o-meal Cinnamon Toasters® cereal
cooking spray

Before Mixing Ingredients:
1. Foil line a 13 x 18 in. cookie sheet with a lip. Spray the foil with cooking spray and set aside.
2. Fill bottom of cookie sheet with 6 cups Malt-O-Meal® Cinnamon Toasters cereal.
3. Unwrap 6 milk chocolate bars and set aside.
4. Chop 1 cup of cashews to fine consistency and set aside.

Directions:
In a heavy 3 quart sauce pan, dissolve 1 cup of white sugar in 2 sticks of butter and bring to a boil. Cook for two minutes longer. Remove from heat and add in vanilla, stir carefully, and pour the boiling mixture over the Malt-O-Meal Cinnamon Toasters cereal. Do not stir.
Place in the oven and cook at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Use oven mitts as you don’t want bubbling sugar to get on your skin.  Take tray out of the oven and chocolate to melt enough to spread with spatula. Use spatula and spread chocolate all across the mixture. While chocolate is still soft, sprinkle the cup of cashews on top of the chocolate.
Put entire pan in the refrigerator until firm (about 45 minutes). Take out of the fridge and remove from pan, peel foil away from solid treat and break into pieces about 1 inch each. Place in airtight container and store in cool place or eat and enjoy!

Bonnie Mortimer, Third Place, Washington County Fair
Blueberry Muffin Tops® Pops

Ingredients:
3 cups crushed Malt-O-Meal® Blueberry Muffin Tops® Cereal
40 lollipop sticks
40 large marshmallows
1 lb. bag of white chocolate candy melts
15 drops blueberry candy oil

Directions:
Crush Blueberry Muffin Tops cereal and set aside. Put lollipop sticks into the marshmallows and set aside. Melt the candy melts and add the blueberry candy oil, dip the marshmallows into the melted candy and the roll in the crushed cereal. Place on wax paper to dry.

As fall unfolds and kids go back to school, parents are often given an extra dose of eco-consciousness. With the emphasis that schools place on helping children become good stewards of the world around them, kids, in turn, often remind their parents of how important it is to do things like reduce, reuse, recycle and “Upcycle.”

Wait a minute, “Upcycle?” Yes! At schools across the country, a company called TerraCycle^TM is offering students the chance to turn in empty consumer packages instead of throwing them out. TerraCycle then “upcycles” and recycles these items into eco-friendly products ranging from pencil cases to umbrellas.

Malt-O-Meal Company is back to school as well, proudly beginning the second year of its partnership with TerraCycle. In over 2500 schools (and counting!) kids can turn in their family’s empty Malt-O-Meal® cereal bags to be “upcycled” or recycled by TerraCycle.  Each participating school’s “Cereal Bag Brigade^TM” then receives 2¢ per bag from TerraCycle!

Best yet, Malt-O-Meal cereal bags already result in 75% less packaging* than boxed brands. For each bag that’s “upcycled”, that number jumps to 100%!  Join a Brigade^TM today!

Want to learn more about what Malt-O-Meal is doing to reduce packaging waste? Click here!

Malt-O-Meal® cereal bags can be "upcycled" to reduce packaging waste even more!

*75% less packaging based on the net weight of empty consumer packaging per pound of cereal delivered. Even when their box size is smaller, the net weight of their box and empty inner bag is still greater than the net weight of the larger Malt-O-Meal® bag when empty.

Jan Trometer was a first-time Make It With Malt-O-Meal® contest participant this year, and she won first place at the Iowa State Fair!

When Jan read about the contest, a particular family recipe immediately came to mind. The winning recipe, Crispy Cheese Bites, is both simple and sassy. She mixes hot sauce, cheddar cheese, butter and flour with Malt-O-Meal® Crispy Rice. The “dough” is formed into balls and, after just a short time in the oven, creates some tasty, cheesy snacks.

Jan runs a family farm with her husband and in her spare time enjoys gardening, horses and her grandchildren.

Runner up at the Iowa fair was Anita Van Gundy for her delectable treat, Coco Roos® Chocolate Almond Pie.  With a healthful approach to sweet treats, Janine Knop won third place with Wealth-O-Health Granola Goodies that include THREE popular Malt-O-Meal® cereal varieties.

Jan Trometer with her 1st place ribbons

Iowa State Fair Winning Recipes:

Jan Trometer, 1st place, 2010 Iowa State Fair

Crispy Cheese Bites

Ingredients:

1 cup butter
3 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1-1/2 teaspoon Tabasco®
2 cups flour
2 cups Malt-O-Meal® Crispy Rice cereal

Directions:

Mix butter and cheese together with hands like you would for pie crust. Add Tabasco®, flour and cereal. Mix until well blended. Form into balls. Chill until ready to bake. Bake at 350 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes depending on size of balls. Good to eat either hot out of oven or at room temperature.

Anita Van Gundy, 2nd Place, Iowa State Fair
Coco Roos® Chocolate Almond Pie

Ingredients:

Crust:

1 1/4 cups crushed Coco Roos® Malt-O-Meal® brand cereal
1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
6 T butter

Mix together and press into a 9 inch pie plate

Filling:

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. almond flavoring
3/4 cup pasteurized egg product
8 oz. cream cheese
3 oz. melted unsweetened chocolate

In a medium bowl, beat sugar and butter until fluffy, add vanilla, almond flavoring and cream cheese. Beat well. Add chocolate and mix well. Pour into pie crust and chill for at least 4 hours.

Whipped topping:

1/2 pint whipping cream
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring

Beat until soft peaks form. Put on top of pie and sprinkle with silvered almonds and chocolate curls.

Janine Knop, 3rd place, Iowa State Fair
Wealth-O-Health Granola Goodies

Ingredients:

1 cup Malt-O-Meal® Honey Graham Squares®
1/2 cup Malt-O-Meal® Cocoa Dyno-Bites®
1/2 cup Malt-O-Meal® Crispy Rice
3 Tbsp. Chopped Pecans
2 Tbsp. flax seed
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/2 cup sweetened coconut
1/2 C. old fashioned oatmeal
2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. honey
2 Tbsp. peanut butter
2 Tbsp. apricot preserves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the first 7 ingredients (the dry ingredients). Melt together the butter, honey, peanut butter and apricot preserves and pour over the dry ingredients. Put this mixture into a baking pan and bake for 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Cool. Delicious eaten alone or served with yogurt, ice cream, or fresh fruit.