Last night, the judges at the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest selected four category winners. One of these category winners will be named the $1 million winner tomorrow!
The Eggland’s Best folks are especially excited because the winning recipe for Breakfast & Bunch category included EB eggs! Niki Plourde of Gardner, MA won with her Tomato-Basil Eggs Alfredo in Bread Baskets! Wahoo!
Congrats to Niki! She was so thrilled to win!
[rewind to the beginning of the evening]
Before the awards ceremony, the finalists, media, and sponsors enjoyed a lovely cocktail reception at the hotel.
At the reception, I tried a few of the passed appetizers.
And enjoyed a glass of Chardonnay.
The awards ceremony was so swanky! Pillsbury really knows how to throw a party! I was definitely impressed. Check out the room!
Blogger corner!
The awards ceremony started with all of the 100 finalists parading onto the stage.
Sandra Lee announced the category and special prize winners at the awards ceremony.
Along with the category winners, judges named three other award winners: the GE Imagination at Work Award, the Crisco is Cooking Award, and the Jif Peanut Butter Award.
Heather Halonie won the GE Imagination at Work Award for her Turkey Club Sandwich Ring with Avocado Aioli. I didn’t try it at the Bake-Off, but it looked really good!
Lenore Klass from Koloa, HI won the Jif Peanut Butter Award for her Banana-Peanut Butter Cream Tart. Doesn’t that sound delicious?!?
Then, it was time to announce the four category winners: Breakfast & Brunches, Entertaining Appetizers, Dinner Made Easy, and Sweet Treats
Breakfast & Brunches: Tomato-Basil Eggs Alfredo in Bread Baskets
YAY!!!
Entertaining Appetizers: Salmon Pecan-Crusted Tartlets
Dinner Made Easy: Zesty Lime-Fish Tacos
Sweet Treats: Mini Ice Cream Cookie Cups
Congrats to the winners! All four of these ladies will appear on the Oprah show tomorrow!
The winner’s were immediately whisked-away to a press conference.
Attending the press conference was really cool! It was my first!
The finalists were asked a number of questions about their winning recipes, sources of inspiration, and past contest experience. Sue Compton, who created the winning Sweet Treats recipe, found out about the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest from a newspaper– she doesn’t own a computer! Niki Pourde is currently a college student. She’s studying social work and hopes to win the money to pay for college.
The winning recipes!
After the press conference, it was time for dinner. There were a number of food stations set up all over the room. I’ve been eating non-stop for three straight days, so I picked one of the “lighter” stations.
I loaded up my plate with greens, veggies, and sweet plantains.
After dinner, I hit the dessert display! 😉
I tried a few different goodies.
A little while later, I grabbed a Blue Moon from the bar.
New blog buddies: Carol & Jennifer! 😀
After the event, a bunch of us hung out by the pool. I love bloggers! They’re good people! 😉
I leave for the airport in about an hour, and I still need to pack my suitcase. I hope everything fits!!! 😯
See ya in Beantown!