My son’s eyes light up immediately whenever anyone mentions the fair. You should have seen his eyebrow gymnastics when I just asked him what he’s most excited about for this year.

“OH, you know, Mom,” he grinned.

Actually, I didn’t — I was assuming ice cream or candy of some sort, due to his very sweet tooth. I think he honestly enjoys clambering on all the farm equipment (since we don’t have enough over here), feeding the goats at the petting zoo, and riding the fairgrounds train more than the sugary treats…at least that’s what I tell myself.

So I was bracing myself to hear what giant candy something-or-other his fair-loving generous aunt got him last year, when he blurted out about the little trains. I had already forgotten about the six-track intricate model train display we had seen when we dropped off our fine arts entries, but clearly he hadn’t. The gentlemen working on it had been very gracious to my antsy children as I worked out the details on my photographs and Benson’s painting (his first entry!), and encouraged all the interaction my children wanted to input on the trains’ controls. Which was, incidentally, more than I was willing to stand around and wait for once I was done — but leaving while they wanted more worked out in our favor, effectively pushing out the sugar rush for top fair attraction.

For the time being. As of my writing this, the fair began yesterday, and Benson and a couple cousins went already that evening with their aunt, the Miller family Fair Queen. As told by Benson, their first stop was cotton candy, and their second stop was cotton candy ice cream.

To be fair, we’ll get ice cream at the Dairy Bar too when we go as a family tomorrow. How could we not? My in-laws have their photo on a banner there, I worked a bit there last year, and it’s ice cream. I’m honestly not a fair food fan in general — fried foods aren’t my jam, and though I’d love to try a sample bite here and a bite there, an entire corn dog or funnel cake has no appeal for me. It seems the goal of fair food is to be as over-the-top as possible, both ideologically and calorically, and I’m one hundred percent more the kind of person to bring in a bag of carrot sticks to munch on instead.

There is, however, another kind of fair food. Instead of the options lining the Midway, the collection within the Domestic Arts Building is more my jam, partially because some of the items are literally jam.

I entered the food contests several years, both the open classes (the pre-fair submitted baked goods and preserved jars you see arranged for viewing) and the special contests (the sponsored events with realtime entering and live judging). Entering is a bit addictive, I’ll admit. Every year I would tell myself I am not doing this again; every year I would win at least a couple ribbons and cash prizes, and find myself showing up the next September with a clutch of entries.

I did actually succeed in holding myself back this year, wisely reminding myself that being at the right place at the specific short receiving period isn’t as feasible as it used to be. Once all the kids are packed in the stroller, where does the food even go? is only one of the many navigational issues with presenting appealing contest food not accompanied by three falling-apart small children.

Even so, I was kicking myself for not entering anything this year. My favorite special contest to enter is the soy foods one, partly because I like experimenting with soy-based ingredients — anything from tofu to soy sauce or edamame — and let’s be honest, the money ratio if you win is good.

But please don’t get too excited; hypothetically I’ll enter again next year and the fewer contestants also make for a more winning-y ratio.

Funnel Cake Frostie

This recipe won’t be winning any contests, but I thought it was fun anyway to combine the kinds of fair food: classic funnel cake flavors mixed with soy-contest tofu in a dairy-bar-ish way. To be more fair-y, we should have adorned it with a mountain of whipped cream, some actual funnel cake pieces, a bunch of sprinkles, maybe dulce de leche caramel, likely a piece of bacon, probably even something dill-pickle-flavored to fit the trend, and on and on. Yet Kiah and I found the simple to be perfectly adequate.

Prep tips: any firmness of tofu will work fine, just adjust milk and ice amounts if necessary.

• 8 ounces tofu
• 8 ounces milk
• 1 ounce cream cheese
• splash vanilla
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• couple drops butter flavoring
• 2 graham crackers
• pinch salt
• 6-8 ounces ice cubes

Add all ingredients to high-powered blender; process until smooth. Pour into cups and top with powdered sugar, cinnamon, and crushed graham crackers.

Lettuce Eat Local is a weekly local foods column by Amanda Miller, who lives in rural Reno County on the family dairy farm with her husband and three small children. She seeks to help build connections through food with her community, the earth, and the God who created it all. Send feedback and recipe ideas to hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.