47th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest Announces Four Recipes Vying for $1 Million Grand Prize

NASHVILLE, Tenn. and MINNEAPOLIS, Nov. 4, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 47^th 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, 47^th 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 46^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest, held in November 2013 in Las Vegas.

Sponsors of the 47^th 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