Painted Hills Natural Beef

(Fossil, Ore. ) - Painted Hills Natural Beef, based in Fossil, Oregon , this weekend held their 1^st Annual Country Cook-Off and Hoedown. The event brought over 60 people from around the area to sample numerous meatloaf recipes. Winners follow:

First Place : Lisa Reckling – Spray, Oregon : Ready to Eat Family Meatloaf
People’s Choice Award: Reneé Hansen – Condon , Oregon : Apple-Onion Meatloaf
Second Place : Terrie Maag – Ontario , Oregon : Everyday Meatloaf
Third Place : Reneé Hansen – Condon , Oregon : Apple-Onion Meatloaf

At total of 14 recipes were submitted covering everything from Mom’s traditional meatloaf to a spicy Mexican mix. Recipes were tasted by those attending the event. People’s Choice Award was chosen by all those in attendance. First, second and third places were chosen by the Painted Hills Natural Beef board of directors.

Prizes include: First Place prize - $250; People’s Choice Award – Gift Pack; Second place – PHNB Gift Pack, Gift certificate to Fossil Mercantile; Third Place – PHNB Gift Pack. These top recipes will be eligible to be used as the base recipe for the Meatloaf product, now in development.

The dinner buffet included Painted Hills Natural Beef as well as other homemade favorites. Local musical talent Merle Boehlke (pronounced Bówl-ky) & the Ole Country Band provided classic country entertainment for the evening. A portion of event proceeds will be donated to the local Food Pantry.

Painted Hills plans to make this an annual event, but is unsure what product will be highlighted next year. Projects Coordinator Jessica Bates was please with the event. “It was a lot of fun. We were really pleased with the amount of people who were able to come. The meatloaf competition was incredibly intense! There were some great meatloaf recipes. I’m excited to see what we’ve come up with!”