I've been a bit of a slacker with my cooking contests in recent years, due to a significant lack of time (and, admittedly, sometimes a lack of inspiration). But I'm trying to get ye olde groove back again.

So when my friend Angela of Foodie Road Show told me about the Blogger Mushroom Recipe Challenge — in which the very generous Marx Foods would send me samples of dried mushrooms to then use in creating a masterpiece, with a very fine prize awaiting the winner at the end of the event — I thought it sounded like a fabulous opportunity.

First I took care of the cooking part of the contest, making Fried Eggs with Bacon and Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce. (See below for the recipe, and you can click here for the story of how I came up with the dish).

Now it's time for the voting part!

Point blank, I'm begging for votes. On my knees, hands pressed together as I plead and grovel, begging for votes.

The poll will be on the Marx Foods blog, and will close Friday at midnight. You can vote once per IP address. As the company explains it: "That means that if you vote from work, for example, (depending on your network setup), your co-worker will not also be able to vote if they share the same IP address. They will, however, be able to vote from home. Just an FYI."

So make sure not to lose your chance!

So, what can I win? In addition to glory — always a nice perk! — I could win three shipments of fresh mushrooms (which I love!) and eligibility to compete in the "Ridiculously Delicious Contest" in December. "Now, what is the 'Ridiculously Delicious Contest'? We don’t know yet. We’re still trying to decide on something ridiculously big enough and awesomely delicious enough to be worthy of the name." But it sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it? Please help me to get there, whatever it might be!

Marx Foods is also hosting a random drawing for anyone who's interested in entering. The prize for that contest will be pretty amazing too: an order of fresh truffles.

So go to the Marx Foods blog and please vote for me! Enter the random drawing for your own sample of their fabulous mushrooms. Then after that, you can ...

Email this to all your loved ones.

Post this on Facebook.

Tweet this.

Send it along on any social media you can think of that I'm too much of a Neoluddite to be aware of.

Many thanks, ahead of time, for any love and support you can show me! I'll let you know the results as soon as I know them myself....

Fried Eggs with Bacon and Mushrooms in Cheese Sauce

1 1/2-ounce packet Marx Foods dried Porcini mushrooms
1 cup boiling water
3 strips bacon, chopped fine
1/2 small red onion, chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
pinch of kosher salt
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup skim milk
4 eggs, separated
1/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese
1/4 cup shredded orange cheddar cheese
4 slices caraway rye toast, buttered, each slice halved

Break up the dried mushrooms and place them into a bowl.

Cover with the boiling water and let rest for 30 minutes.

Place the butter into a small saucepan and melt it over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until well combined, then whisk in the seasoned salt, salt and pepper.

Slowly whisk in the milk and the egg yolks until smooth, and bring just to a boil.

Lower heat to simmer, then whisk in the cheeses until smooth and thickened. Keep warm, stirring occasionally.

Drain and finely chop the mushrooms.

In a large skillet, saute the bacon for 2-3 minutes. Add the onion and saute for another 2-3 minutes, until the onions are tender. Add the mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes; place mixture into a small bowl and set aside.

In the same skillet, carefully place the egg whites so they don't touch each other; it's easiest to do this two at a time.

Cook just until the outer portion is set but the center is still soft; place 1/4 cup of the bacon mixture over the center of each egg white.

Cook for 1 minute, then place one bacon-topped egg white onto each of four plates. Spoon a scant 1/3 cup of sauce over the mushroom mixture, to resemble the yolk of a fried egg. Drizzle any excess sauce around the plates once the eggs are ready.

Serve immediately, with toast. And if you have the time and the inclination, placing the egg over some nice crispy hash browns would likely be a perfect touch.

Serves four.

Mary Bilyeu has won or placed in more than 60 cooking contests and writes about her adventures in the kitchen. The phrase "You Should Only Be Happy" (written in Hebrew on the stone pictured next to the blog's title) comes from Deuteronomy 16:15 and is a wish for all her readers as they cook along with her ... may you always be happy here. Check out her blog -- Food Floozie -- in which she cooks, reviews restaurants and generally enthuses and effuses over all things food-related. Or send an e-mail to yentamary@gmail.com.