NASHVILLE, Tenn. and
MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At the
47th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest in
Nashville, Tennessee yesterday,
100 amateur cooks from across the country competed for their chance
to win more than $1.3 million in cash
and prizes. Late Monday evening, Bake-Off® Contest host
and celebrity chef Carla Hall
announced the four category winning recipes selected by the judges
to advance to the competition's final stage—an online public
vote.
The four recipes in the running for the Bake-Off®
Contest's $1 million grand prize
are:
- Amazing Doable Dinners Category Winner: Cuban-Style Sandwich
Pockets by Courtney Sawyer of
Bellingham, Washington
- Savory Snacks & Sides Category Winner: Creamy Corn-Filled
Sweet Peppers by Jody Walker of
Madison, Mississippi
- Simply Sweet Treats Category Winner: Peanutty Pie Crust
Clusters by Beth Royals of
Richmond, Virginia
- Weekend Breakfast Wows Category Winner: Chocolate Doughnut
Poppers by Megan Beimer of
Alexandria, Virginia
"It's inspiring to see the creativity and originality from home
cooks across the country," said Lynn
Blanchard, 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off®
Contest Head Judge and Better Homes and Gardens Test Kitchen
Director. "We were truly impressed by the caliber of each dish
submitted. Each category finalist showed how creative, simple and
delicious home cooking can be. Now it's up to America's vote to
help determine the $1 million grand
prize winner."
America to Help Determine the Grand Prize Winner
For
the first time in the Bake-Off® Contest's 65-year
history, the public is invited to help select the $1 million grand prize winner. America may go
online to vote.bakeoff.com now to view and choose their favorite of
the four recipes selected by the judges to compete in the public
vote.
Voting will remain open until 9:59 p.m.
CT on December 2, 2014. At the
Contest Finals, the judging panel ranked and assigned points to
each of the four recipes competing online; similarly, the four
recipes will each receive points based on the results of the public
vote (points awarded by the judging panel will account for 55
percent of the total possible points versus 45 percent for the
public vote). The recipe that receives the most total points will
be deemed the $1 million grand prize
winning recipe, which Carla will reveal for the first time on the
December 3, 2014 episode of ABC's
popular lifestyle series "The Chew" (1:00
p.m. Eastern / Noon Central and Pacific).
Leading up to the grand prize winner announcement on ABC's "The
Chew", Carla will chronicle the Contest and heart-warming stories
of the talented home cooks competing for the grand prize. Tune in
to ABC's "The Chew" on December 1-2,
2014 for Carla's behind-the-scenes look at the iconic
Bake-Off® Contest as well as recipe demonstrations from
the four category winners.
Narrowing the Field to Four
Earlier this year,
Pillsbury invited home cooks to submit original recipes in one of
four categories: Simply Sweet Treats, Savory Snacks & Sides,
Amazing Doable Dinners or Weekend Breakfast Wows. To reflect busy
families' need for recipes that are both delicious and easy to
make, submissions could include no more than seven ingredients and
take 30 minutes or less to prepare.
The Bake-Off® Kitchens evaluated each eligible entry
and selected the best 100 recipes to compete in the Contest Finals
on November 3, 2014. At the Contest
Finals, the finalists prepared their dishes side-by-side in 100 GE
mini kitchens for judging. A panel of judges, made up of 12 food
professionals, selected the best recipe in each category based on
taste, appearance, creativity and crowd appeal.
Recognizing Special Prize Winners
During the Contest's
Awards Show, Carla also presented eight recipes with special
sponsor awards:
Muffuletta Mini Pies by MaryJo
Watkins of Scottsdale,
Arizona was recognized as the most innovative recipe with
the GE Imagination At Work Award and won $5,000 in GE kitchen appliances.
Macaroon-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Tartlets by Brenda Watts of Gaffney, South Carolina won the $5,000 Jif® Peanut Butter Award, which
recognized the best recipe using at least 1/4 cup of
Jif® Peanut
Butter.
Grilled Potato and Roasted Salsa Verde Pizza by Greg Fontenot of The
Woodlands, Texas won the $5,000 Crisco is Cooking™ Award, which recognized
the best recipe using at least one tablespoon of Crisco® Cooking
Oil or at least one tablespoon of Crisco® Baking Sticks
All-Vegetable Shortening.
Peanut and Pretzel-Peanut Butter Thumbprints by Barbara Estabrook of Rhinelander, Wisconsin won the $5,000 Eagle Brand® Signature Recipe
Award, which recognized the best recipe using one 14-ounce can of
Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk.
Herbs and Seeds Parmesan Crackers by Merry Graham of Newhall, California won the $5,000 Pillsbury™ Gluten Free Award, which
recognized the best recipe that used a Pillsbury™ Gluten Free
product and did not contain wheat or any products that include
wheat as an ingredient.
Spinach Dip-Stuffed Garlic Rolls by Marie Valdes of Brandon, Florida won the $5,000 Pillsbury™ Clever Twist Award, which
recognized the recipe deemed the most clever twist on a family
favorite dish.
Very Vanilla Lemon Tarts by Antoinette
Leal of Ridgefield,
Connecticut won the $5,000
Watkins™ Vanilla Award, which recognized the best recipe using at
least 1/4 teaspoon of Watkins Vanilla Extract.
Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Filled Pretzels by Elizabeth Bennett of Seattle, Washington won the $5,000 Reynolds® Baking Magic Award,
which recognized the best dessert recipe made using
Reynolds® Parchment Paper.
About the Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest
The
Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest began in 1949 and the first
$1 million grand prize was awarded in
1996. Glori Spriggs of Henderson, Nev. won the $1 million grand prize for her Loaded Potato
Pinwheels recipe at the finals of the 46th Pillsbury
Bake-Off® Contest, held in November 2013 in Las
Vegas.
Sponsors of the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off®
Contest include The J.M. Smucker Company, GE Appliances, Green
Giant, The J.R. Watkins Company, Reynolds Consumer Products and
Pyrex.
Visit www.BakeOff.com to view all winning recipes along with
hundreds of other delicious recipes to try at home.
About Carla
Hall
Carla Hall is a
co-host of ABC's popular lifestyle series "The Chew," seated
alongside restaurateurs and "Iron Chef America" stars Mario Batali and Michael
Symon, entertaining expert Clinton
Kelly and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne Oz. Hall is best known as a competitor on
Bravo's "Top Chef," where she won over audiences with her fun catch
phrase, "Hootie Hoo" and her
philosophy to always cook with love. Hall is the owner of Carla
Hall Petite Cookies, an artisan cookie company that specializes in
creating sweet and savory "petite bites of love." Her approach to
cooking blends her classic French training and Southern upbringing
for a twist on traditional favorites. She is committed to health
and balance in everyday living. Her newest cookbook, Carla's
Comfort Food: Favorite Dishes from Around the World was published
March 2014, and her first
cookbook, Cooking with Love: Comfort Food That Hugs You, was
published in November 2012 and
recently re-released in paperback.
A native of Nashville, TN, Hall
received a degree in Accounting from Howard
University, but traveling through Europe awakened her passion for food and
inspired a new career path. She attended L'Academie de Cuisine in
Maryland where she completed her
culinary training, going on to work as a Sous Chef at the Henley
Park Hotel in Washington, DC. She
also served as Executive Chef at both The State Plaza Hotel and The
Washington Club, and has taught classes at CulinAerie, Sur la Table
and her alma mater, L'Academie de Cuisine. Hall is a true believer
that, "If you're not in a good mood, the only thing you should make
is a reservation." She lives in Washington, DC with her husband, Matthew Lyons, and stepson Noah.
About "The Chew"
Celebrating and exploring life
through food, "The Chew," is an innovative and groundbreaking
daytime series co-hosted by a dynamic group of engaging, fun,
relatable experts in food, lifestyle, and entertaining. Produced by
Gordon Elliott's Chew Productions
for the ABC Television Network, "The Chew" serves up everything
food -- from cooking and home entertaining to food trends,
restaurants, holidays and more -- all aimed at making life better,
fuller and more fun. Featuring celebrity chefs Mario Batali, Michael
Symon, and Carla Hall,
entertaining expert Clinton Kelly
and health and wellness enthusiast Daphne
Oz, "The Chew" is a leap forward into a delicious new kind
of lifestyle series. Follow "The Chew" (@thechew) and hosts
Mario Batali (@mariobatali);
Michael Symon (@chefsymon);
Clinton Kelly (@clinton_kelly);
Carla Hall (@carlahall) and
Daphne Oz (@DaphneOz) on Twitter
™
About the 47th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest
Sponsors
General Mills is one of the world's leading
food companies, operating in more than 100 countries around the
world. Its brands include Cheerios, Fiber One, Haagen-Dazs, Nature
Valley, Yoplait, Betty Crocker,
Pillsbury, Green Giant, Old El Paso, Wanchai Ferry, Yoki, and more. Headquartered in
Minneapolis, Minn., USA, General
Mills had fiscal 2014 worldwide sales of US $17.9 billion. Pillsbury products have been
trusted by families to make meal times special times for more than
130 years. Favorite Pillsbury products include refrigerated
cookies, crescent dinner rolls, breads, biscuits, pie crusts and
sweet rolls as well as frozen biscuits, pie crusts and breakfast
items. For product information and great-tasting recipes, visit
www.pillsbury.com. Log on to www.generalmills.com for company
information.
Few companies enjoy a heritage as rich as that of Green Giant.
It all started more than 110 years ago in 1903, when the
Crosby family created the first
cannery in the rich valley of Le Sueur,
Minnesota, where glaciers carved out some of the richest
soil in the world. For generations, Green Giant farmers have been
growing the best quality vegetables and freezing them quickly to
lock in the freshness. That's how we've made our vegetables
deliciously unforgettable for years, and made Green Giant a trusted
household brand. For more information and delicious recipes, please
visit www.greengiant.com.
For more than 115 years, The J.M. Smucker Company has been
committed to offering consumers quality products that bring
families together to share memorable meals and moments. Today,
Smucker is a leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads,
retail packaged coffee, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice
cream toppings, sweetened condensed milk, and health and natural
foods beverages in North America.
The Company's wide variety of iconic brands and products include
such trusted favorites as Smucker's® jams, jellies, preserves,
fruit spreads and ice cream toppings; Jif® peanut butter; Crisco®
oils, shortening and no-stick cooking sprays; Eagle Brand®
sweetened condensed milk; and Pillsbury® baking mixes,
ready-to-spread frosting and flour. For more information and
delicious recipes, please visit www.smuckers.com, www.jif.com,
www.crisco.com, www.eaglebrand.com and www.pillsburybaking.com.
GE Appliances is at the forefront of building innovative,
energy-efficient appliances that improve people's lives. GE
Appliances' products include refrigerators, freezers, cooking
products, dishwashers, washers, dryers, air conditioners, water
filtration systems and water heaters. General Electric (NYSE: GE)
works on things that matter to build a world that works better. For
more information on GE Appliances, visit www.ge.com/appliances.
Reynolds Consumer Products is a leading provider of quality
household essentials that have been trusted for generations. Our
Reynolds® and Hefty® brand products help with preparation, cooking,
cleanup, and storage, making mealtime easier. Our namesake
Reynolds® products include the iconic Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil;
Reynolds® Parchment Paper, Oven Bags, Slow Cooker Liners, and
Baking Cups; and Cut-Rite® Wax Paper. The Hefty® brand is best
known for strong, dependable waste bags, but it's also a leader in
slider bags, foam plates, and plastic cups. Our products are
available in the U.S. at mass merchants, grocers, and other retail
stores, and in approximately 90 countries throughout the world. For
more information, visit www.ReynoldsKitchens.com and
www.Hefty.com.
For more than 145 years, The J.R. Watkins Company has been
creating superior products, utilizing only the finest ingredients.
Generations of families have grown up on Watkins products, like our
pure vanilla, which has been a baking mainstay for over 100 years.
Watkins products include gourmet spices and extracts, personal
care, and home care. The company is headquartered in Winona, Minnesota and manufactures all of its
products in the U.S.A. To learn
more about Watkins products visit www.jrwatkins.com.
Loved for generations, experienced cooks and beginners alike
have reached for Pyrex® glassware products because they're durable,
reliable, easy to use and affordable. We value our made in the
USA heritage and are working hard
to ensure we remain a mainstay in American kitchens for generations
to come by dedicating ourselves to designing new favorites that
help cooks feel successful and confident. For more information,
please visit our website at www.worldkitchen.com/en/pyrex.
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SOURCE Pillsbury