I love to cook for my friends and family. With all the entertaining we’ve done, I’ve come to the conclusion: Brunch is the new Dinner Party. For me, it’s less stressful in the kitchen. I was drawn to Loretta Torrens’ finalist recipe, Italian Brunch Torta, because I didn’t need to make an extensive menu. It looked filling and delicious by itself. 

Shopping:  Confession – I had to look up “olive tapenade” online. I was happy to learn that It’s a mixture of everything I love: olives, capers, garlic, etc! Betty Crocker has a recipe for tapenade, but I went for the store bought to save time. When I was at the deli I handed the recipe to the employee knowing I would say “capicollo” wrong. “Oh, you’ll love this ham! And I have good news for you… it’s on sale!” Music to my ears. 

Prep & Cooking: I have yet to make a beautiful pie. To be honest, I’m pretty awful at it. Fluting? I can’t do it (yet). I thought maybe this would be a good time to tackle it once more… and I’m sorry to report that I still haven’t mastered it. But overall, I was happy with how it looked when I was putting it the oven and 20 minutes into baking, the house smelled glorious. 

Results:  Oh. My. Goodness. Each hearty bite brought on this salty goodness paired with this robust kick at the end thanks to the roasted red peppers. The layered recipe gave the dish a beautiful and impressive presentation. We were full after one round but guests were grateful when I wrapped up the leftovers for them.

I want to hear what you think of the Italian Brunch Torta. Do you do brunch often? If you end up cooking any recipes in the top 100 we want to see your photos! Or if you have an original brunch dish that impresses your friends and family, please share it here! 

Pillsbury Bake-Off® Finalist Laura Stanke of Maple Grove, Minn. says she isn’t afraid of a challenge. She grew up reading cookbooks and admiring her mother, a home-economics teacher. So it makes sense that Laura’s competitive spirit carried over into cooking!

Laura’s Bake-Off recipe for Pepperoni-Pesto Popovers came out of years of self-taught cooking for her two kids. “I was curious to see what else I could make with my popover pan,” Laura says. “I thought to myself, ‘what will rise up and be airy and puffy – Pillsbury’s flaky dough sheets!’ Combine that with my love of homemade pizza and the need to make dinner simple, and the idea was hatched.”

Aside from becoming a Bake-Off finalist for this pizza pizzazz, Laura also has a knack for holiday cookies. In fact, her desire to be the best at the office cookie exchange had the Food Network calling! The channel featured her twice for her cookie creativity.

Outside the kitchen, Laura is interested in design. She blogs about home decorating and even received an award for graphic design. Above all though, she is a foodie who is proud to be among such a talented group.

“It is an absolute thrill. When I really think hard about it I get tearful. I think about how when I was a kid and we drove past the General Mills headquarters in the 1970s, I could see my mom looking over at the building. I knew she really wanted to work in the test kitchen – but she had four kids and it was not meant to be. I’m hoping she’ll be proud of my accomplishment.”

I can’t wait to hear what happens for Laura in April! Have you made Laura’s recipe yet? We’d love to know what you think of it.

Since the Bake-Off® Contest first started in 1949, more than 4,000 finalists have vied for the prize. I'm sure you're now aware of the famous $1 million prize, but did you know the grand prize in 1949 was for $50,000? That first winning recipe, Theodora Smafield's No-Knead Water-Rising Twists, still looks scrumptious today!

I took some time just the other day to scroll through past winners on the Bake-Off Contest history page and I learned a lot. It's inspired me to throw a 1950s style party and bake up some of those Snappy Turtle Cookies (the 1952 Grand Prize winner) and the comforting California Casserole (the 1956 Grand Prize winner).

I was even motivated to try a more recent winner from 2004-the Oats ‘n Honey Granola Pie. It was a big hit with my family and one of the tastiest and easiest pies I've ever made. Are there any past Bake-Off winners that inspire you? If you try any of these recipes, be sure to share your stories with us. And don't forget to go check out the Bake-Off Contest website, and learn more about the history of the contest and how winning recipes have changed over time.

Coming up on the Bake-Off® Blog for Monday, Catherine is making Loretta Torrens' Italian Brunch Torta. I can't wait to learn about how this recipe turns out, because it looks so hearty and comforting. If you've made this recipe before, please tell us about your experience. And of course, share your tips and tricks!

I'll be back with another Bake-Off update on Tuesday, but until then, happy baking!

For my first Bake-Off® recipe, I wanted to try something that was quick and delicious, and really liked the simplicity of the Java-Glazed Cinnamon Rolls, made by Tammy Love from Dallas, N.C.

What I love about this recipe is that it’s not only a nice twist on the already-delicious Pillsbury Grands!® Cinnamon Rolls, but you also might have all the ingredients – instant coffee, white chocolate chips, some pecans and milk! Because of the ease and little time these took to make, these rolls are a great Sunday morning treat (maybe to replace those doughnuts!)

To make these delicious rolls, you only need 5 ingredients! Pop open the Cinnamon Rolls and follow the instructions on the back (I baked mine for 20 minutes). I realized as I was making the icing, you might have to heat it a little longer than the recipe says. It depends on your microwave!

I couldn’t believe how EASY and QUICK this recipe was. Once the rolls were out of the oven, it was time to decorate. My favorite part of the process! I mixed the pecans in the icing and went to town. When I brought the plate of rolls over to my roommate, he commented: “Wow, it looks like a homemaker made them!”

These rolls are decadent. I loved the coffee taste in the icing. My roommate was really impressed, especially because I NEVER bake, and said “these are awesome” more than a few times.

So my first foray into the Bake-Off recipes was definitely a success. Easy, quick and pretty. A perfect morning treat!

What do you like to make on Sunday mornings that’s quick and easy, but also special? I invite you all to try out this recipe, and let me know what you think!

Selecting a dessert recipe from all of the fantastic Finalists was a challenge.  Bill was drooling over one recipe, I was eyeing a different one, and Sam wanted Yolanda Sue Bowser’s Chocolate-Cherry-Pistachio Brownies so we selected the recipe in the most democratic way possible.  We put all three recipes into a baseball cap. Chocolate-Cherry-Pistachio Brownies it is!

The brownies were a departure for me…I am a little afraid of baking (it is a SCIENCE and I have always been more comfortable in the ART of cooking, where measurements don’t have to be exact.) But I was intrigued by the clever addition of maraschino cherries. We all agreed it was a fantastic idea!

I hurried along the cooling process by putting the brownie pan on the back porch. In the future, I’ll consider making the brownies the night before I need them, finishing the rest of the recipe the next day.

When it came time to melt the chocolate and butter together, again, I found myself worrying.  How would I spread warm melted chocolate over whipped topping without it turning into a goopy mess? My fears were unfounded…the 30 minutes cooling time was plenty of time for the spread to get nice and cold.  And when I started to spread the chocolate on top, as long as I kept moving fairly quickly, everything went extremely smoothly.

I have to admit that in all of the excitement of watching this recipe come together and the whole family packed together in our ‘cozy’ kitchen, I completely forgot to chop the pistachios.  I toasted them but mixed them in whole. I am relieved that it still tasted amazing.  And now I have an excuse to make this delicious dessert again!

Have you ever added anything extra to brownies for additional flavors? What about topping them? I’d love to hear what you have done to make your brownies extra special!

For our main meal, it was an easy decision to make Brett Youmans' Asian-Spiced Cashew-Chicken Piadinis. We all love Asian food, and I found all the ingredients at my local grocery store.

I’d never used refrigerated grilled chicken breast strips, and I was excited to try them out!  Taking the step of cooking the chicken out of the process made this recipe a SNAP to make.  I worried that there might not be enough of the sauce, which is where the flavors are, when I first added the coleslaw mix to the chicken and cashews. But as the coleslaw wilted, the sauce blended very nicely and it was the perfect amount.

I cut the pizza crust into the 12 rectangles as the mixture cooled on the stovetop, and filled the rectangles right on the cutting board, transferring them over to the cookie sheet where I folded them and brushed them with the egg wash.  Next time I’ll use a spatula to move the Piadini, as I slopped quite a bit of the filling onto the stovetop as I moved them.  Easy enough to clean up.

I cooked them for the full 11 minutes, and next time, will take them out at 10 minutes, as they were just a tiny bit too dark for Sam. Oven temps vary! Bill and I still gobbled them up though. Which leads me to my conclusion…would I make these again?  I sure would! The flavors are fantastic, and the brightness of the garlic, ginger and cilantro are matched perfectly by the pizza crust!

I could also see bringing this recipe to a pot luck, or serving it as an appetizer at a party.  Easy, flavorful, beautiful and delicious. It would be a big hit!

What would you serve with these lovely Piadinis?  I made a green salad and some corn, but would be interested to hear how you would incorporate these into a full dinner. 

I hope you’ve all had a chance to take a look at the 100 fantastic Finalist recipes for the Pillsbury 44th Bake-Off® Contest!  Earlier this week I planned a full family menu from the recipes, and I’m delighted to report that our winter Saturday Spectacular menu was a smashing success!

The first recipe I made was Joan Duckworth’s Parmesan Crostini with Spinach-Pesto Spread.  I had many of the ingredients in my pantry and refrigerator/freezer so only needed to buy a few ingredients to make the recipe.
As soon as I made the spinach spread, I grabbed a spoon and did a taste test. DELICIOUS! I love the bright flavor that the balsamic vinegar added to the pesto, a favorite ingredient in our house.

I am delighted to report that the crostini were a snap to make. I would recommend keeping an eye on them while they’re in the oven to make sure they don’t overcook. Ovens temps vary and I found I had to reduce the time while browning the second side.

Next time, I’ll double the amount of parmesan/garlic mixture that I make. I apparently have a bit of a heavy hand when it comes to sprinkling, and I had to chop more garlic and grate more cheese in a hurry to have enough for the the final tray.

My family happily gobbled up these delectable snacks. After the boys ate their fill, I put the rest of the crostini in a plastic container for later. Truly a great recipe for the family, and absolutely elegant enough for guests. Definitely a keeper!

What do you think would be the best way to warm up my leftover crostini?  Should I pop them into a warm oven for a few minutes or just toss them around in a non-stick pan? I’d love your advice…as well as your thoughts on the recipe!

Self-described Midwestern gal, Debbi Bracker of Carl Junction, MO says her zeal for cooking and love of competition led her to the 44^th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest. 

This mother's cooking experience sprung out of necessity when she married husband Kevin at age 22. "We didn't have extra money for cookbooks or magazines so we learned how to cook together reading the back of boxes, cans, and from recipes printed in the coupon insert in the newspaper."

Debbi's culinary influences these days still include Kevin, but have been complimented by 16-year-old daughter Sarah.  Debbi and Kevin adopted Sarah from China in 2007 at the age of 13 ½. "She simply wanted parents and we simply wanted a child. Age was no barrier," Debbi says.

As a result of her own wonderful adoption experience, Debbi has since become an advocate for other parents seeking to adopt older children from China. She even started a blog chronicling her journey!

Family meals around the Bracker house have more Asian flair than they used to, but Debbi says her Bake-Off® Contest entry evolved from a simple peanut butter "fluff" recipe. She remembers thinking "How can I get some chocolate into this?" With a few tweaks and the addition of a brownie crust, Debbi created her now famous Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie!

"It has chocolate and peanut butter! Who doesn't LOVE that?!" Debbi says. Give Debbi's Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie a try, and share your thoughts with us below! Don't forget to snap some photos of the delicious outcome and upload them to the Pillsbury Flickr photo group!

It’s not all about cooking and baking for this Pillsbury Bake-Off finalist! Kellie White from St. Louis, Missouri gets creative outside the kitchen as well.

Aside from raising her children and being selected as a finalist for the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off® Contest, Kellie says that she is most proud of her MFA in creative writing. “I didn’t start writing until I was in my 20s and wasn’t sure if I would be any good. As it turns out, my work was good! I’ve had a few poems published and have done a few local readings.”  Kellie is now a senior acquisitions editor for a publishing agency that helps authors achieve their dreams of getting published.

Kellie’s knack for creativity and experimentation is what got her into the Bake-Off Contest.  She was inspired by the fish tacos that she and her family enjoy eating at various restaurants, so she tried mimicking them at home and eventually perfected her Zesty Lime-Fish Tacos! The recipe uses seasoned fish fillets wrapped in fresh Pillsbury® Grands!® biscuits and topped with zesty salsa.

“I think this dish has it all,” Kellie says. “It’s easy to prepare, tastes great, and uses the Pillsbury biscuits in a unique and inventive way. Fish tacos are a popular restaurant dish right now, but few people try making them at home because they are just not sure how to do it. I think this dish will appeal to a broad group of people and is a great meal for the family!”

Do Zesty Lime-Fish Tacos have what it takes to become the next Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest winner? Have you tried this recipe yet? Please share your thoughts with us below! We’d also love to see photos if you decide to make it. Upload the tasty pics to the Pillsbury Flickr stream!

Well, I can now say that my awards night party was a success thanks to some amazing Bake-Off® Contest Finalist appetizer recipes. And I also got my wish to not spend too much time in the kitchen! I decided to go with the Razzle-Dazzle Beef Bites from Sharon Mobley in Austin, Texas and the Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers from Julie Beckwith in Crete, Illinois.

You might recognize those Razzle-Dazzle Beef Bites from my previous post, and boy were they a hit. The ingredients were a snap to find at my local grocery store, and I had fun using the Pillsbury® Place ‘N Bake® refrigerated crescent rounds for the first time. I used rare, extra-thinly sliced deli roast beef. Everyone raved about the combination of sweet and savory and exclaimed how they would have never thought to mix horseradish with preserves. The touch of lemon pepper in the cream cheese was also delightful. They were a big hit!

For my second appetizer, I decided at the last minute to do something vegetarian-friendly. The Caprese Pesto Margherita Stackers were really fun to put together, and I had one of my girlfriends help me out with a little assembly line. The ingredients are easy to find, but make sure you use grape tomatoes and not cherry—we ended up cutting cherry tomatoes in half to compensate. I also improvised on the toothpicks—and since it was a red carpet affair I printed off tiny movie posters and taped them to regular toothpicks! That seems fancy, but trust me it only took a few minutes. The only debate was whether to eat these in one bite or two!

All in all, both of these treats were perfect for my party. They were so convenient and bite-sized! Are you having a party soon? Check out the Bake-Off Contest® Finalists’ page and scroll through all the fun and simple appetizers.

The Pillsbury Bake-Off® Finals are approaching, and I’m gearing up for them by learning how to bake! My baking experience is limited to baking out of a box, such as cake and cookie mixes, and plopping Pillsbury cookie dough pucks onto a baking sheet. So I’m excited, and slightly apprehensive, about my upcoming baking endeavors (but of course, I’m ecstatic I get to share them all with you).

This is why my strategy is to start off easy, and slowly work my way up in level of difficulty, taking into account prep time, ingredients and number of steps involved. I’m starting off with an absolutely delicious-looking recipe: Java-glazed Cinnamon Rolls created by Tammy Love of Dallas, North Carolina.

I saw the recipe and thought it was a great way to dress up Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls, which are already a quick and convenient breakfast treat. And I just love opening the Cinnamon Rolls can and making it POP. You’ll get to read about the whole process and photos of my experience making this recipe next week on this blog.

What I’d love from all you bakers out there is some advice and encouragement on my journey! How did you start to learn how to bake? What were some of the things you learned when you were starting out? Please share (trust me, I need all the help I can get)!

I love movies and I love fashion almost as much as I love to cook, so the movie awards show season gets me excited every year—and I always have little get-togethers with my girlfriends to celebrate as we watch.

This year, I wanted to go beyond my usual party fair of popcorn and pizza and jazz it up. Of course, I thought about convenient finger foods, since I know my girlfriends will want to keep their focus on the best dressed and not a fork and a knife.[:)]

I’m deciding between three Bake-Off® Contest Finalist recipes for our appetizers. My first thought was to go with the Razzle-Dazzle Beef Bites–the name alone perfectly suits the occasion! And I just love the idea of combining sweet and savory with the roast beef and preserves.

I was also interested in the Pepperoni-Pesto Popovers for a twist on the everyday pizza. Although I knew I’d have to at least double that recipe for my hungry girlfriends. Finally (and I’m still thinking pizza here) I also had a hankering for the Pizza Pretzels. Ask anyone I know about how much I love fresh hot pretzels—and they’ll tell you I’m pretty much obsessed. I think it would be fun to make a favorite summer carnival/ball park treat at home and share it with my friends.

As long as I’m spending time on the couch and enjoying the show and not spending too much time alone in the kitchen, I’ll be happy. If you’ve tried any of these appetizers (or any other Finalists’ recipes), I’d love to hear it. And if you’re drooling over these ideas, you should check out the Bake-Off Contest® Finalists’ page today and find your own perfect party appetizer.

I wanted to get my husband excited and involved in this project so I let him pick the recipe we’d have for dinner from all 100 Bake-Off Contest Finalists.

Taking his job seriously, he spent about 20 minutes reading and debating. In the end, he picked the Rachel Meatball Poppers.

Shopping:  Though I like to think I have a decently well-stocked kitchen, I only had the spices already on hand.  But shopping was very straightforward. With the standard sized bags of meatballs, sauerkraut, dressing, etc., I could have easily made two or three batches of this recipe. I would have just needed a few more cans of the crescent dinner rolls.

Prep & Cooking: The most time-consuming part was cutting the Pillsbury dough into the 4x2-inch rectangles. I actually took my ruler out to make sure I was being precise. I think next time I’ll be able to eyeball it better. Next, I started the sauerkraut mixture. To be honest, I don’t buy sauerkraut often and I remembered why. It’s stinky. If it wasn’t so cold outside, I probably would have opened a window. I was worried that it would dominate the whole taste.

Results:  There was no reason to worry! Thankfully our house didn’t smell too strongly of sauerkraut, it smelled like a deli! And the scrubbing on my pans was minimal. Taste tester conclusion? What cupcakes are to cakes is what Rachel Meatball Poppers are to the Classic Rueben Sandwich. These delicious bites were flavorful and not messy to eat. There was a perfect balance of meat, bread and stuffing in each bite. In the end, I would definitely make these again to impress some guests.

We want to hear about your results! Do you have another appetizer that’s perfect for St. Patrick’s Day? It’s never been easier to add your recipe on Pillsbury.com. Let us know what you posted here!

I’m so excited to be a part of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest team, mostly because I’ve followed the Bake-Off Contest and Event ever since I was a little girl. I’m also hoping that making some of these amazing recipes will help me build my kitchen confidence.

I’m fortunate to have a wonderful family who will eat almost anything I make regardless of how good it actually tastes (um, sorry about the fish pie, guys.) That said, my infrequent attempts to actually create a recipe usually end up in failure. I am determined to listen and learn from these incredibly talented Finalists and to be inspired by their delicious creations!

At the end of this amazing adventure I look forward to sharing MY original recipe, built on the deep foundation and spirit of the Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest.  I hope you will make my recipe and share your ideas, comments and suggestions with us.

I have some extra time this weekend, so I’ve decided to create a full menu from Finalists’ recipes for Bill & Sam.  It’s been snowy and gray for the last several weeks, so I am eager to mix things up for everyone by making something we’ve never had before.  I want to fill the kitchen with fantastic and unusual smells, and get the boys as excited about this adventure as I am!

Here’s what I decided on for The Bake-Off Contest Saturday Spectacular, which I’ll tell you all about later next week.

To start, Joan Duckworth of Lee’s Summit, Missouri’s Parmesan Crostini with Spinach-Pesto Spread

For our main course, Brett Youman of Reading Pennsylvania’s Asian-Spiced Cashew-Chicken Piadinis

 And to finish things off, I’m baking brownies that I’m betting won’t last long. Thanks to Yolanda Sue Bowser of Solon, Ohio for these amazing sounding treats!  Chocolate-Cherry-Pistachio Brownies

I’ll have Bill take lots of pictures, and maybe even some video, and I’ll be back next week with a full report, including their thoughts on the process AND the meal!

In the meantime, I’d love to hear from you! What Finalists recipes do you find the most exciting? Interesting? Have you already made any? Tell me about YOUR kitchen adventures, and how you built your kitchen confidence, and thanks for joining us on this grand adventure!