How we got started in the Dutch Oven cook-offs

We decided thatt we needed to do something, maybe by keeping track of what we cooked at each contest, and what went good or bad with the food we made...we might start winning again.
Let me go back a couple of years and tell how we got started in this.  We had a ward dinner, that was Dutch Oven.  They needed more Dutch Ovens to cook in, we all brought over our Dutch Ovens and they wouldn't even use our ovens, they were dirty and stinky.  So, I spent the day cleaning our ovens enough that they would use them.  Then I went home and recleaned our ovens, so they shined.  Now whenever we go anywhere with our ovens, they are the best looking ovens around.  We have pride in our ovens now. 

Pictures taken from Mesquite Cook-off















I decided that we needed to get involved in Dutch Oven cooking so could do things together.  With church callings and work, seems like we never had any time to do things together.  I signed us up to be helpers at the Dutch Oven World Cook-offs in 2009.  It was a blast!  And we thought it looked like so much fun, we wanted to cook in it the next year, in 2010.  So in 2009 I entered us in every cook-off around, and we won just about every cook-off we entered.  We had qualified our selfs to cooking in the Dutch Oven World Cook-offs for 2010.  We didn't expect to win anything, we were just thrilled to be there.  It was a very fun experience. 
Then in 2010, our luck for winning was going downhill fast.  We really had a hard time qualifing to cooking in the World Cook-off's.  Seems like we were always in the top 3, just could not make the 1st place.  We finally made 1st place at the Utah County Cook-off.  So we are cooking in the World's again this year.  Only by the skin of our teeth.
We have so much fun cooking together in these cook-off's.  We have made new friends and enjoy renewing friendships at each cook-off or DOG (Dutch Oven Gathering). 
The packing up of the truck and unpacking and packing it back up after the cook-off and then unpacking it when we get home...that part is not the funnest.  We are thinking about getting a trailer to pack up and leave everything in.  That would be nice, but we need to save up some money to do that.  Maybe some day...
The best part is just spending time with Mark, cooking and spending time together.