The winner of the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off Contest is…….

Well, I didn't win the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off but I had an amazing time!  It's so much fun meeting so many finalist.  After all the excitement and fun it's a hard to come back down to earth.  Thanks to my wonderful husband I don't have to just yet.  He gave me a consolation prize, we are spending the night at Sundra Spa (Wisconsin Dells) for some quiet time and to get my heart beating back to normal again.  As I sit here in my fluffy robe by the fire place I'll go through my pictures and give you a glimpse behind the scenes at the Bake-Off. 

I have to thank my son, Michael, as he took most of the pictures for me.    It was nice not having to worry about taking pictures with all the goings on so THANKS Michael!  Just wish he was in a few more pictures! 

It was so nice having my family with me in Vegas.  After all those three people are why I love to cook/bake!  We were picked up from the airport in Vegas style, a limo!

The Aria is a beautiful hotel!

We had a free night so we went to the show The Beatles LOVE by Cirque du Soleil.  It was fabulous!

    The next morning (Sunday) I headed up to the convention center to sign in.   

After I registered I get interviewed right away! Being in front of the camera is when my heart beats a little faster!

So cool to see my recipe and name in print.

                                                  That night we had the reception party           

with a live band,

wine and appetizers (they are on that piece of art)

                                                            and some really good food!

Bright and early Monday morning, it's Bake-Off day! After breakfast, we start to line up for the Grand March where we head to our ovens.  My oven number was #93.  Click here for a cool video on how they put the Bake-Off floor together.

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 The life-size Pillsbury Doughboy and last year's winner Christina Verrelli along with a marching band which played pots, pans and spoons started out our Grand March.   Once we are all in front of our ovens, the announcement is made, READY, SET, MAKE!!  Click here to see the Grand March.

  

Behind the oven is when I was the most calm.  We have enough ingredients to make our recipe three times and then decide which one we want to go to the judges.  We don't have to make it a third time if we are happy with the first two batches.  My first batch of Cream Puffs came out perfect so I brought them to the Judges.  We don't actually see the judges as they are behind closed doors.  My second batch also came out perfect so they were for samples.  

While you are busy cooking, reporters, food bloggers and food writers are walking the floor interviewing us.  They don't want to interrupt our cooking/baking so they are very careful and ask if you have time to talk.  TV personality Padma Lakshmi, who host Bravo's "Top Chef"series was also on the floor interviewing contestants.  I wish I could of met her as I'm a huge fan of her show "Top Chef".  I wasn't one of the lucky ones who she interviewed.

  Once I was done, I was able to look around and realized a lot of contestants were still cooking.  A few people told me later they had to make their recipe three times because the ovens didn't cook like their home ovens and they had a few issues.   
Once we are done we can walk around and taste samples.  After trying a few, I was full!  I have no idea how the judges do it!  We now had some free time to rest up before getting ready for the Dinner and Awards Ceremony.  

Champagne!  Great way to start the party!

At this point, I think, everyone is thinking….It could be me!  I know I did!  It's fun to dream!

I have to show you what they served us for dinner. It was so delicious!   

First Course - Grilled Vegetables & Pesto, Marinated Heirloom Tomatoes with Champagne Vinaigrette

 Second Course - Butternut Squash Soup with Sage Croutons

 Dual Entree - Grilled Filet of Beef and Striped Bass

Dessert - Glazed Gianduja Chocolate Bar with Vanilla Berries

Padma Lakshmi, also hosted the Dinner and Awards Ceremony.  Dinner and the entertainment was great!  Now time for the Awards.  And the winner is…..

Glori Springs of Nevada won $1 million with her 

Loaded Potato Pinwheels.

2nd Place - Sheila Suhan of Scottdale, Pa., with Easy Caprese Pizza Bake

3rd Place - Antoinette Leal of Ridgefield, Conn., with Cherry Almond Brunch Tart            

GE Innovation at Work Award - Kellie White of Valley Park, Mo., for Honey Sesame Bagels  
JIF Peanut Butter Award - Kim Doyle Wille of Carbondale, Co., for Thai Shrimp Pizza
Click here for all the recipes.

The End.  Not really!   I have one more time that I can enter and enter I will.  I already have an idea!  Who knows, maybe I'll get selected for the 47th in Nashville.  If not, I'll keep trying!

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I LOVE grocery shopping, kind of weird, but I do.  We just moved to Madison, Wisconsin a few months ago and I've enjoyed checking out all the grocery stores around here.  Yesterday HyVee had their Grand Opening and of course I had to go check it out.  I may have a new favorite place to shop.  This place is huge!  I did get a few strange looks when I was taking pictures but I just wanted to share this store with someone.  It's amazing!  Here are a few things they offer.....

 I can enjoy a latte while I'm shopping as this Starbucks is right inside the store.  What a great idea!

Just beautiful!  They have produce I've never seen before!

The displays were a work of art.

If your hungry, they  offer a food court, Italian (wood burning oven to cook the pizzas), Asian (along with a sushi bar), and Homemade meals to pick up and warm at home.  They also have a really nice dine in area.

The salad bar was fresh and well stocked. 

The bakery offers artisan bread that is baked daily.  UMMM...I can't wait to try them all.

I never buy store bought desserts just because I enjoy baking but for those that do, these looked sumptuous.

They have a large selection of bulk foods, from nuts to dried fruits and whole grains.  They also had almond and peanut butter that you can grind fresh.  I tried the almond butter and it was yummy!

The meat display looked fresh and had a great variety.

Oh my, after seeing all this seafood it will have to be on my menu soon. 

I have never seen so much cheese! 

I'm loving Madison with all it's wonderful Restaurants, the best farmers market EVER, and great grocery stores like Trader Joe's, Metcalfe's, Knoche's Food Center and Old Fashioned Butcher Shop, Whole Foods and now HyVee's.   Now what to make for dinner tonight!?

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Herb Markers

Here's another great idea from Pinterest.  The best part of this project was I didn't even have to go shopping as I have LOTS of wine corks and bamboo skewers.  These herb markers are just too cute!

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A Weekend With My Daughter

Last weekend my daughter (Megan) and I spent the weekend in Chicago to celebrate our birthdays.  It's a tradition of ours to spend time together for our birthdays instead of giving each other gifts.  As she gets older and busier in her own life I really treasure the one on one time with my only daughter.   We spent our weekend shopping, relaxing and dining at a few of our favorite restaurants. 

We took a break from shopping and had English Afternoon Tea at the Drake Hotel.  Along with a great assortment of hot teas we enjoyed  finger sandwiches, fruit breads, scones, and French pastries.   Each seating lasts approximately an hour and a half.  I highly recommend Afternoon Tea at the Drake as it is relaxing, delicious and  was a great time spent with my daughter. 

The Purple Pig, located on The Magnificent Mile, is one of my favorite Restaurants in Chicago.  Be prepared to wait but it's worth it.  They will take your cell number and call you so you can leave as there is plenty of good shopping close by.  The menu offers a different eating experience with a wide choice of dishes, small/medium in size and are meant to be shared. My daughter, like her dad, is a foodie so nothing was off limits.  Since it was just the two of us we didn't get to order as much as we would have liked, we got full after just a few dishes.  My advice is to keep a menu at the table and order as you go.  This way you won't order too much food.  A bit loud and crowded but has a good atmosphere and we were still able to have a comfortable conversation. Below are two of our favorites.

Eggplant Caponata with Goat Cheese

Turkey Leg Confit, Crispy Lentils, Treviso, Endive, & Agrodolce

Our last night in Chicago we just wanted a light meal so we went to the Gilt Bar for a glass of wine and the most amazing mussels I've ever had.  They're served with a warm baguette to sop up all the wonderful  dry vermouth & lemon broth.  Simply the BEST!

We still weren't ready for the night to end so we went for drinks at the  Signature Lounge, 96th floor of the John Hancock Building, which has the most magnificent city views and premium martinis.  It was the perfect place to unwind after walking the city. 
Our Birthday weekend was just what we needed.  Shopping, relaxing, eating and spending time together, life is good!

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