Ina Mikalauskas, Heather Flynn and Anita Stevens have years of experience in the kitchen, and that experience helped each win blue ribbons Aug. 4 through 9 at the Butler Farm Show.

Competition in the three divisions these women represent can be challenging. In the Supplied Recipe division, in which Mikalauskas took first prize, 15 to 20 contestants vied for the blue ribbon by following the same recipe.

In the Apple Pie division, won by Flynn, competitors must work hard to find something that stands out in the crowd.

Hardest of all, some believe, is the Angel Food Cake division. Stevens swooped in with a "huge square" Angel Food cake, according to Flynn, who admired many of the baked goods.

Following is a sampling of the winning recipes.

And the winner is... Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins

Mikalauskas, 76, of Evans City has been baking since she was 9 years old.

"Istarted baking on a coal stove, no electric,"she said.

The first recipe she made was a white butter cake. She made it all by hand as mixers weren't typically in homes then.She remembers baking that cake every year for an aunt she visited.

Growing up on a farm helped Mikalauskas to learn all she needed to know about keeping a garden, baking and competing in the farm show.

Over about 40 years, she has entered "thousands of items," winning ribbons for many, she said. Also she volunteers each year and spends a good portion of her time at the farm show helping out where needed. She also bakes homemade bread each week for the Mars Farmer's Market.

The supplied recipe she followed this year for Zucchini Oatmeal Muffins was tough for one reason — it called for one medium zucchini. That may sound simple, but to a baker, exact measurements can be crucial to the item turning out moist or dry.

Mikalauskas' secret? Make sure that the amount of shredded zucchini is about equal to the amount of dry ingredients.

Frosted Caramel Apple Pie

A mother of eight, Heather Flynn of Valencia decided this would be the year to enter something in the farm show. It also turned out to be the year she won first prize in the Apple Pie division.

Unlike the Supplied Recipe division, in which contestants all follow the same recipe, divisions such as Apple Pie and Angel Food Cake allow contestants to adjust their own recipes and be very creative with how they make their item.

Flynn, 43, along with her teenage daughters Maggie and Daisy, brainstormed to "make something that will stand out."

They started with a recipe for Kentucky stack pie. After many adjustments to the recipe and experiments the children enjoyed, the frosting-drizzled, brickle-chip-sprinkled Frosted Caramel Apple Pie came out of the oven.

A key to winning in the pie division is to have a sturdy pie, Flynn said. She used half lard and half shortening in her crust to ensure it would stand up to the time between baking, entering and judging. Also, she used Rambo apples from Shenot Farm in Wexford.

"Rambo is a really nice, nice apple," she said. "I want to take it to state, but I'm stressing about how to get the apples in January."

First place winners in the Butler Farm Show qualify to go to the Pennsylvania Farm Show in January in Harrisburg.

"It was fascinating just to go (to the Farm Show)," Flynn said. "There are so many creative people."

Orange Dream Angel Food Cake

For the second year in a row, Angel Food Cake champion Anita Stevens of Butler earned a blue ribbon with her "lucky cake pan."

In 2007, a Lemon Angel Food cake won the prize, and this year an orange one did the same.

"Ihave an old, old square Angel Food cake pan. I've never seen anyone take a square cake to the farm show," she said.

It's not surprising that Stevens, 49, found success again as she's been entering items in the farm show for several years. Those items have earned her 40 to 50 ribbons, about 25 of which are blue.

Stevens said that she grew up in a family that was "family oriented and always in the kitchen."

For Stevens' first birthday her grandmother made an Angel Food cake with 7-minute icing, coconut and maraschino cherries.

"It was always my favorite cake," she said.

Stevens maintains a garden and enjoys teaching her family how to garden, can and bake. She attributes her love for cooking to her grandfather and her love for baking to her grandmother and mother.

This year, Stevens entered white yeast bread, fancy rolls in a basket, tomato juice, stewed canned tomatoes, beets and angel food cake.

For the winning cake, Stevens adjusted a few things from last year's recipe. Her secret to success with the egg whites is, "I always make sure my egg whites are at room temperature. For a meringue, the whites should be cold, but for angel food, they should be room temp."

"If the recipe calls for you to sift (flour and dry ingredients) twice, I sift three or four times. It doesn't hurt," she said.

<B>Pie Crust</B>½ cup shortening, room temperature½ cup lard, very soft1 teaspoon salt½ cup boiling water3 cups of all-purpose flourPlace shortening, lard, and salt in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Pour boiling water over all and stir again. Let cool to room temperature, then gradually add the flour. Chill. Divide in 2 pieces, roll out half in a 9-inch pie pan. Chill remaining dough.<B>Pie Filling</B>3 pounds Rambo or Granny Smith apples1 cup of light brown sugar, packed4 tablespoons cornstarch2 tablespoons flour½ tablespoons small tapiocaPeel, core, and slice the apples. Combine sugar, cornstarch, flour, and tapioca. Toss with the apples. Pour into prepared pie crust. Roll out and top with second half of crust, cover, and flute. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then 45 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool.Frosting3 tablespoons butter1½ cup powdered sugar½ teaspoons vanilla2 to 3 tablespoons evaporated milk½ cup English toffee bitsHeat butter in saucepan over medium heat. Cook until golden brown. Remove from heat. Add powdered sugar and enough milk for pouring consistency. Drizzle over baked pie and add toffee pieces.<B><I>Recipe courtesy of Heather Flynn</I></B>

2 ½ cups flour1 ½ cups sugar1 cup chopped pecans½ cup oatmeal1 tablespoon baking powder1 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon cinnamon4 eggs1 medium zucchini, finely shredded¾ vegetable oilGrease 12 muffin pan cups. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.Mix first seven ingredients. In another bowl beat eggs slightly with fork. Stir in zucchini and oil. Stir second mixture into first until flour is moistened. (Batter will be lumpy.) Spoon batter into muffin cups. Bake 25 minutes.Makes 12 muffins.<B><I>Recipe courtesy of the Butler Farm Show Premium Book</I></B>

<B>Cake</B>1½ cups powdered sugar1 cup cake flour12 large egg whites1 cup granulated sugar1½ teaspoons cream of tarter1 teaspoon vanilla extract1 teaspoon orange extract¼ teaspoon saltPreheat oven to 375 degrees.In a medium bowl, sift together powdered sugar and cake flour. Stevens recommends sifting two to three times. In a large metal or glass bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tarter on medium spread until foamy. Turn mixer on high speed and add the granulated sugar a little at a time. Continue beating on high speed and add the vanilla and orange extracts. Add salt. Continue beating on high speed until mixture is stiff. It will form peaks with you lift beaters out of the bowl. Using a wire whip, gently fold in the flour mixture, adding about ⅓ of the mixture at a time and until it is blended in.Spread batter in an ungreased tub pan and cut through the mixture with a butter knife to remove air bubbles. Bake on the lowest rack of the oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Invert pan onto a metal funnel or glass pop bottle until cool. To loosen cake from pan, use a metal spatula or knife and slide it around edges, turn pan over and tap sides until cake comes out.Orange Glaze4 tablespoons fresh orange juice½ teaspoons orange extract4 tablespoons grated orange rind1½ to 2 cups sifted powdered sugarCombine first three ingredients and add powdered sugar a little at a time until desired consistency. Drizzle over cake and garnish with orange slices.This cake is delicious served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.<B><I>Recipe courtesy of Anita Stevens.</I></B>