September 22, 2026
Pickle Pizza (at the Minnesota State Fair) with Copycat Recipe, A Butter Cow (at the Iowa State Fair), Plus, Posh Toilet Paper (in my Bathroom)
Pickle Pizza (at the Minnesota State Fair)
August 30, 2026
What does one do when in Minnesota around Labor Day?
Go to the Minnesota State Fair, of course!
My festive souvenir tea towel from the Minnesota State Fair
My tea towel came from Adam Turman’s booth in the Grandstand Building.
The Minnesota State Fair was well-attended!
My son in-law enjoyed a Pumpkin Bar Funnel Cake.
This Chocolate Milk Shake from the Gopher Dairy Barn was delicious!
Big Fat Bacon was a wonderful fair treat.
A photo of Fat Bacon from last year’s fair.
This year, I was so anxious to eat this “delicacy” ,
that I forgot to take a photo!
My daughter and I enjoyed creating personalized items at the
State Farm booth.
I chose to customize my cap with ice cream and pizza images,
flanking the encouragement to “be nice”.
One of my favorite items at the fair was Rick’s Pickle Pizza.
The cooks were busy at the Rick’s Pickle Pizza booth.
Truly Awesome!
A Copycat Recipe for State Fair Pickle Pizza
Ingredients
1 pound purchased ready-made pizza dough
(I bought mine at my local grocer.
I had to request for it in the deli section,
as it is kept in the back refrigerator.)
1/4 cup pre-made ranch dressing
(I used bottled Hidden Valley dressing)
1 Tablespoon dill pickle juice
(From the dill pickles listed below)
1 clove garlic, minced, or to taste
(I used one teaspoon of Natures’s Promise organic minced garlic in a jar.)
1 and 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill
(1/2 teaspoon for the sauce, and 1/2 teaspoon for garnish)
1 cups shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
(I shredded my own part skim mozzarella)
1 cup dill pickle slices (coins)-patted dry with paper towels
(I used Hamburger Dill Chips)
Directions
Prep Dough
Preheat the oven according to pizza crust instructions.
(I started out at 425, but felt that the temperature should be a bit higher, so I turned it up to 450. My dough instructions said 475, which I probably should have done.).
Spray pizza pan with non stick spray.
Prep pizza dough by rolling onto a pizza pan.
Make Sauce
Whisk together until smooth,
1/4 cup ranch dressing,
1 Tablespoon pickle juice,
1 teaspoon minced garlic,
and 1 teaspoon fresh dill
into a small bowl.
Assemble
Spread the dill ranch sauce evenly across the surface of the pizza dough.
Spread 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over sauch
, then arrange the (paper towel dried) dill pickle coins over the cheese.
Bake
Bake according to your pizza dough instructions (usually 400°F to 475°F) until the crust is golden and the cheese is melted and bubbly (Probably around 12-15 minutes).
Garnish
Remove from the oven, garnish with 1/2 teaspoon fresh dill.
Slice, and serve warm.
Enjoy!
My Notes
On this first attempt, I did not get the dough as done as I would have liked, so I would recommend a higher baking temperature/according to dough instructions,
and making sure the crust is a bit more of a golden brown.
The copycat recipe that I used, as a guide, recommended adding red pepper flakes after baking. I did so, but felt this did not represent the flavor of the pickle pizza at the state fair. I will not be using them again, and did not include them in this recipe.
Please, do not skip the drying of the dill pickle coins, or the crust will be soggy.
The package from the ready made pizza dough that I used.
I had to ask for this item in the deli area,
as it was kept in the cooler in the back.
A Butter Cow (at the Iowa State Fair)
August 17, 2026
While accompanying my cousin to the Iowa State Fair,
I was asked what I would like to see and do.
My response?
“I want to see the butter cow, visit the Iowa State University booth,
and eat some fair food.”
And, that is just what we did! :o)
My cute souvenir tea towel from the Iowa State Fair
The painted Iowa State Fair sign at the entrance to the fair.
The famous Butter Cow behind glass in the 40 -degree display case
in the Agriculture Building.
I just couldn’t pass up this cute Butter Cow coin purse souvenir.
Of course, there was real-life live stock, as well!
I enjoyed seeing Iowa State’s trophies.
I was happy to get this Iowa State University give away, a tote bag,
We enjoyed a new fair food-
The All-American Scrambled Egg Roll
This breakfast treat was a feast that included,
bacon, sausage, hash browns, and scrambled eggs with melted cheddar cheese, all wrapped in a crispy egg roll,
and topped off with a drizzle of cheesy ranch.
It was delicious, and so filling!
The doughnut stand is always a must!
A milkshake at the Dairy Goodness Barn was the perfect treat.
Toward the end of my Iowa State Fair visit, it was a pleasure to stumble upon this booth of USA winter Olympians (Competing in bobsled and skeleton events.).
Sydney Milani, an Iowa native, along with her teammates,
Dan Barefoot and Mystique Ro,
were spreading the word about fund raising through
www.teampeerlessusa.org.
Stating,”Our mission is to eliminate (these) financial barriers that prevent athletes from competing at the highest level”.
Why does the Iowa State Fair have a rubber chicken throwing contest?
(My answer-Because they don’t have any rubber ducks. hee hee)
There was a time when the Iowa State Fair used to have a rolling pin throwing contest, that is, until a contestant accidentally heaved a rolling pin through the windshield of a police car.
It was at that time, that a weighted rubber chicken was replaced for the rolling pin.
More State Fair, and Related Posts!
Our State Fair (Iowa) is a GREAT State Fair-Here
The Tale of Two Fairs: The Iowa State Fair and The Minnesota State Fair-Here
Happily Eating My Way Through The Minnesota State Fair-Here
Food Glorious Food! Kickoff to Summer at the (Minnesota) State Fair-Here
Family Fun at the Fair, and Other Minnesota Stuff-Here
Hot, Hot Hot! (Minnesota Hot Dish that is!)-Here
“Posh” Toilet Paper (in my Bathroom)
I’m not sure who needs to hear this, but someone showed me how to
“posh” up my toilet paper.
So here goes…
1. Take a roll of toilet paper.
2. Fold the beginning of the toilet paper roll into a triangle shape.
3. After cleaning the faucet (You’d be surprised just how dirty it is!),
turn on the water, and then turn it off.
Press the dampened faucet against the tip of triangle at the beginning of the roll.
4. You have now created a posh toilet paper roll.
5. Place the rolls of posh toilet paper in a pretty display.
Thank you for reading I’m Annette!
May your days be blessed, and your taste buds happy!
I’m Annette Stuff
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Enjoying some fresh and delicious sweet corn,
on my recent Iowa visit.
You look like you had a blast at the fairs . All the foods looked mouth watering. Thanks for sharing
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It was a blast, and delicious.😀
Thank you for reading and your kind comments!
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