The Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest is Now Accepting Entries in the Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts Category

MINNEAPOLIS, July 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest is giving home cooks one new reason to think about breakfast: the chance to win $1 million. The iconic cooking competition is now accepting entries in its third and final category, Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts. Original recipe submissions may be submitted online at www.BakeOff.com now until August 8, 2013 (11:59 a.m. CDT).

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"While it's long been called the most important meal of the day, breakfast is no longer reserved for the morning," said Shera Balgobin, Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest Manager. "We can't wait to see how Pillsbury fans use our versatile products to create both sweet and savory breakfast dishes that can be enjoyed throughout the day. The endless possibilities make this category a great way to conclude the submissions for this year's Bake-Off^® Contest."

To encourage easier to prepare recipes, eligible submissions must include no more than seven ingredients (not including table salt, ground black pepper or water) and take 30 minutes or less to prepare (not including baking or cooling time). Each Bake-Off^® Contest entry must also include at least two different eligible ingredients including, but not limited to, Pillsbury^® Refrigerated Pie Crust and Cinnamon Rolls, Crisco^® Cooking Oil and Shortening, Jif^® Chocolate Flavored Hazelnut Spread and Green Giant^® Seasoned Steamers™. Official contest rules, including lists of all eligible ingredients and the quantities that must be used in each recipe submission, are available online at www.BakeOff.com.

Other sponsors of the 46^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest are The J.M. Smucker Company, GE Appliances and Green Giant.

Simple Sweets and Starters Category Finalists Announced
For the first time in the 64-year history of the Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest, fans have the opportunity to vote. They can cast their vote among entries selected by the Bake-Off^® Kitchens to determine which 100 recipes will compete for the $1 million grand prize. Voting in the first two categories is now closed and the 34 Simple Sweets and Starters category finalists were recently announced. All of the finalist recipes confirmed thus far, including Red White and Blue Dessert Tacos, Loaded Potato Pinwheels and Almond Cafe Cookies, from the Simple Sweets and Starters category are available now online at www.BakeOff.com. Online voting to select which recipes from the Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts category will round out the list of finalists will be open from September 12 – 26, 2013 (11:59 a.m. CDT).

Official Bake-Off^® Contest Apron Unveiled
Contest finalists will cook in style when they compete for the grand prize thanks to designer Whitney Port who created the official contest apron. To help aid in Port's design, Pillsbury fans pinned their favorite inspirational images to Pillsbury's Pinterest page. The final look—a modern, geometric print—combined Port's personal fashion sense with the artistic visions of Pillsbury fans from across the country.

Awards
The 46^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest will award a total of nearly $1.1 million in cash, prizes and trips. The grand prize winner will receive $1 million and $10,000 in GE kitchen appliances. The second and third prize winners will receive $10,000 and $3,000 in GE kitchen appliances and $5,000 and $2,000 in GE kitchen appliances, respectively. Contest finalists are also eligible for special awards from contest sponsors including: The GE Imagination at Work Award, The Jif^® Peanut Butter Award, The Crisco is Cooking™ Award and the Eagle Brand^® Signature Recipe Award.

Contest Details
The Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest began in 1949, and the first $1 million grand prize was awarded in 1996. At the 45^th Pillsbury Bake-Off^® Contest, held in March 2012 in Orlando, Fla., Christina Verrelli of Devon, Pa., won the $1 million grand prize for her Pumpkin Ravioli with Salted Caramel Whipped Cream recipe.

About the 46^th 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 2013 worldwide sales of US $17.8 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.

Green Giant started out in Le Sueur, Minnesota, as the Minnesota Valley Canning Company in 1903, when some 11,750 cases of white cream-style corn were sold in the company's first year. For the past 100 years, the Giant's Valley is where fresh and great-tasting vegetables are grown and picked at the peak of perfection. Green Giant has been implementing sustainability into the business since 1929 when the company introduced vacuum-pack technology and Green Giant has plans to continue to become "greener" in the future. The brand is now part of General Mills, Inc.

For more than 110 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.

About Whitney Port
Whitney Port began her career on the MTV reality-hit show, "The Hills," and in 2008 launched her own spin-off, "The City". During that time she also launched her own fashion line, Whitney Eve. Eclectic yet flirty, Whitney Eve is a contemporary women's collection featuring an array of silhouettes from feminine convertible party dresses to charming menswear inspired bodies that are complimented with alluring colors and exclusive custom prints.  Growing up in Los Angeles and having lived in Manhattan, Port blends the laid-back vibe of California style with the sophistication and edge of New York City life.  

Whitney Eve has expanded to the accessories field as Whitney launched jewelry line Bits & Bobs by Whitney Eve in 2012.  Made from mixed metals and vintage chains, hard punk edge is fused with quirky ladylike charm resulting in an array of keepsakes.  

Whitney Eve is sold at select boutiques nation-wide as well as retailers internationally.

SOURCE Pillsbury