And the $1,000,000 recipe winner is…

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The annual Pillsbury Bake Off® – which long ago stopped involving just baked goods – just announced its 2013 winners – awarding $1,000,000 to the winning recipe. We always think it’s interesting to see what wins. This year, the winner is an appetizer, Loaded Potato Pinwheels: “Loaded Potato Pinwheels are a great, versatile appetizer,” said Jann Atkins, Bake-Off Kitchens Manager. “They have a quick prep – minimal chopping – and look great on a party platter.”  The ingredients include a bag of frozen backyard grilled potatoes, Cheddar cheese, milk, bacon bits, PIllsbury crescent dough, sour cream, and onions.

Recipes that also won awards included an Easy Caprese PIzza Bake (2nd place); Cherry Almond Brunch Tart (3rd place); Honey Sesame Bagels; Thai Shrimp Pizza; Upside Down Tomato, Basil, and Chicken Tartlets; and Bacon Corncakes with Warm Maple Cream. You can find all the recipes here.

And while we’re on the topic of bake-offs, we were remiss in not noting the results of the Great British Bake-off last month. For those not familiar with it,  The Great British Bake-off is a very popular – and at times, controversial –  annual television series where several amateur contestants vie for the title of best Amateur Baker (the only similarity with PIllsbury is that both involve amateurs, but otherwise they are two very different concepts). 

The latest series finished on October with the winner baking a rainbow picnic pie and a wedding cake inspired by Shakespeare – The Daily Mail explains the victory here. And we should note that not only has the series produced several winners who’ve become professional bakers, but it has also inspired a baking renaissance in the country. We’ll drink to that.