How many Hot Beef Sundaes would you like to order up? Images of ice cream and roast beef come to mind, and somehow they don't mix. That's why it seemed maybe Julia Wickard's staff at the Indiana Beef Cattlemen's Association had gone off the deep end when they announced they would celebrate their 25th anniversary at the Indiana State Fair by offering this new food dish.

Or perhaps they watched too many Kentucky Fried Chicken TV commercials about their 'famous bowls' with chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and whatever else mixed together. Who declared those products were 'famous,' anyway?

Instead, Wickard assures that the joke will be on the person who doesn't try one of these new delicacies. She reports that Iowa Beef cattlemen introduced it at the Iowa State Fair last year, and that fairgoers named it as one of their most favorite foods at the fair.

Truly famous in Hoosier lore for their Ribeye sandwiches, the Indiana Beef Cattle Association will again be offering up those sandwiches all 12 days during the fair. In addition, the new kid on the block, the Hot Beef Sundae, will be offered at the Cattleman's location on the north side of the fairgrounds.

So just what is a Hot Beef Sundae? You've truly got to see it to believe it, but it boils down to something like this, according to Wickard. It's prime roasted beef smothered in mashed potatoes and gravy, with a topping of cheese and a ripe red cherry tomato, just for good measure. No wonder it looks like an ice cream sundae!

The theme of this year's 2007 Indiana State Fair is corn, so the cattlemen are cooperating. "We'll add a sprinkling of corn kernels on top just for good measure," she notes.

If you're into fair food, like deep-fried Snickers or Twinkies and the like, this is probably one to put on your 'must try' list. Wickard assures that it's more wholesome than many of the other foods that will be offered at the fair. Earlier, fair officials announced that all those state fair goodies would be prepared with trans-fat free oils this year.

The Indiana State Fair officially begins Wednesday, August 8, and runs through Sunday, August 19.