Beef bonanza: The recipes

Crispy Lettuce Wraps win

children's division at cook-off

Contestants Shannon Mitchell and her twin daughters, Danielle and Riley, won the "Kids in the Kitchen" division with this recipe, featuring "wowee" sauce. They suggested that

3/4 cup crushed baked tortilla chips could substitute for the sliced water chestnuts.

Crispy Beef Lettuce Wraps with "Wowee" Sauce

1 can (8 ounces) crushed pineapple in juice, drained

1/3 cup orange marmalade

1/4 cup reduced-sodium or regular soy sauce

1 pound ground beef

1/3 cup sliced green onions

Freshly ground pepper

8 large lettuce leaves, such as bibb, leaf or iceberg

3/4 cup each: sliced water chestnuts, shredded carrots

To make "wowee" sauce: Combine pineapple, orange marmalade and 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce in a small bowl; set aside.

Cook ground beef, stirring occasionally to break meat into small crumbles, in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat until beef is no longer pink, about 8-10 minutes. Pour off drippings, if necessary; add green onions and remaining soy sauce; season with pepper to taste. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Evenly spoon beef mixture onto each lettuce leaf. Top with equal amounts of water chestnuts and carrots; spoon sauce over top. Wrap lettuce around filling. Serve with remaining sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 10 minutes

Nutrition information per serving: 323 calories, 26 percent of calories from fat, 9 grams fat, 4 grams saturated fat, 69 milligrams cholesterol, 37 grams carbohydrates, 24 grams protein, 637 milligrams sodium, 3 grams fiber.

This is Christine Riccitelli's winning recipe in the National Beef Cook-off. She took home the $50,000 grand prize.

Nuevo Chipotle Beef in Butternut Squash Boats

1-1/2 pounds stew beef

1/3 cup water

1/4 cup tomato paste

2 tablespoons each: brown sugar and balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons ground chipotle chili pepper

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon each: salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 medium butternut squash, about 3 pounds

1-1/2 cups water

1 tomato, cored, chopped

1 small ripe avocado, peeled, pitted, cubed, optional

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the beef, water, tomato paste, brown sugar, vinegar, chipotle pepper, cumin, salt and black pepper in a Dutch oven; cover. Bake until beef is fork-tender, about 2 hours.

Meanwhile, cut the squash lengthwise into quarters; remove seeds. Place squash cut side down in 13-by-9-inch glass baking dish, overlapping if necessary; add the water. Bake until fork-tender, 1 hour.

Place each baked squash quarter onto a serving plate. Fill with equal amounts of the beef mixture; top with tomato and avocado. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Yield: 4 servings

Preparation time: 25 minutes

Cooking time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Nutrition per serving: 578 calories, 31 percent of calories from fat, 20 grams fat, 7 grams saturated fat, 173 milligrams cholesterol, 44 grams carbohydrates, 57 grams protein, 582 milligrams sodium, 10 grams fiber.