In April, I’ll be attending the Pillsbury Bake-off in Orlando.  I’m excited for a number of reasons.  Not only do I get to see someone win a million dollars, I get to see an everyday joe like you and me win that million dollars.  I get to see them doing something they are passionate about, taking a risk, and hopefully being proud of how well they did because regardless of whether they win or not, it’s a big accomplishment to be a Top 100 finalists!

I browsed through the 100 entrants to see what recipes caught my eye and I have to say, the judges are going to have a very difficult time choosing but boy I sure would love to be a taste tester!

Some of the Pillsbury Finalists entries that I’d love to try!

Dutch Apple Breakfast Bake by Linda Bibbo

Mile-High Peanut Butter-Brownie Pie by Debbie Bracker

Snappy Joes on Texas Toast by Devon Delaney

Balsamic Roasted Tomato-Spinach-Bacon Pie by Allison Foley

Golden Breakfast Bruschetta by Christine Wilson

If you get a chance, check some of the Pillsbury Entrants out. I’d love to hear which ones you want to try and which one you think will be the grand prize winner!! Who knows, I might give out a small prize to the one who guesses correctly;) (and of there is more than one, I’ll draw from those correct guesses) You have until April 09 to make your guess in the comments below.

As a long time user of Wilton, I honestly knew this review would be biased because well, I have always loved them.   My son’s 4th birthday was so special because of his cowboy cake, made in a Wilton pan. He talked about that cake forever and still remembers it. He’s 16 now.

Wilton, in my opinion, represents outstanding quality that is built to last for years and years; products that can be passed down for generations.

In the package they sent me, there were gels, sprinkles, cupcake wrappers and toppers, the fabulous new UltraGold round cake pans, muffin pan and more.  I was so excited because I was going to make such a pretty cake using it all!  Well, that didn’t quite happen.  As you will see, little man (my 3yr old) decided that he wanted to do it all!  I haven’t seen him that excited since he got his first saddle.

We used cakes mixes and icing that I had lying around the kitchen so I immediately was able to get started. I began with making the batter for the UltraGold Round Cake Pans first, then the batter for the cupcakes.

And then I baked and baked some more.  While waiting for everything to cool off, little man about drove me crazy asking,”are they done, I want to help you”. It was annoying but yet so adorable to see how excited he was.  Finally everything was out of the oven and cooled.

My cakes came out perfect, cooked evenly and I had no problems at all getting them out of the pans.  Same for the cupcakes.  I decided to ice the cake and cupcakes because  I know little man wanted to do ALL the decorating. I’d be darn lucky to get in anything of my own.  Wilton sent us several different kinds of cupcake sprinkles, sparkle gels, wrappers, and toppers!

Little man had a hard time deciding which ones he wanted to use so of course, he used everything.  He just piled it on here and there, licking his fingers inbetween applications.  It was a sight to see now and one that I’ll never forget.

Overall, the Wilton line is excellent. From the sprinkles to the UltraGold cake pans, it was all perfect, as I expected it would be.  Wilton should be a part of everyone’s lives, directly or indirectly.  Tyler loved that cake at the young age of 4, not because it was Wilton, but because it was his favorite thing, a cowboy and Wilton made that possible.

I know this post has a lot of photos but I took even more and have compiled them in a whrrl slideshow.  Enjoy and I’d love to hear your Wilton story if you have one and if you don’t, get one!

Ingredients:

• ¼ cup coconut oil
• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 6 eggs (at room temperature)
• ½ teaspoon coconut essence
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup Xylitol
• 1 teaspoon Stevia (Nu Naturals)
• ¾ cup heavy cream
• 1 ½ cups shredded coconut (we use organic unsweetened low fat)
• 1 cup coconut flour (best sifted – we use Bob’s Red Mill)
• ½ cup cocoa (best sifted – we use Green & Blacks Organic Fair Trade Cocoa)
• ¾ cup chocolate chips (we use Sunspire Organic 65% Cocoa Bittersweet Chocolate Chips)

Preheat oven 375 degrees – To help keep the muffins moist we add moisture to the oven in the form of steam by placing a pyrex dish filled with water on the bottom of the over while preheating.

Directions:

1. Soften the butter and if your coconut oil is solid soften that too
2. In a large mixing bowl mix coconut oil, eggs, coconut essence, pinch of salt and xylitol
3. Separately mix the shredded coconut, coconut flour, cocoa and chocolate chips (keep some of the chocolate chips to sprinkle on the top of each muffin
4. Add half the dry mix into the wet mixture, add the heavy cream, add the remainder of the dry mix
5. Grease the muffin trays/cups.  We use spray coconut oil.
6. Spoon into the silicon muffin trays or muffin cups (we make 12 large muffins and 12 mini muffins)
7. Bake for 14-16 minutes.  For us the mini muffins are ready at 14 minutes so we remove these and leave the large muffins in for a few more minutes – since your oven may bake a little differently you can check them with a toothpick and the leave them in a little longer if necessary.

Candice is a co-founder of Bidmycleaning.com, an online marketplace for cleaning services.  Bidmycleaning was founded by her husband, Gavin and two partners.  Candice and Gavin live in San Diego and have an ‘almost-four-year old’ daughter, also known as the baking assistant.  Candice writes the Bidmycleaning Banter Blog where she talks about house cleaning, green cleaning and being eco-friendly.

Anyways, he agreed and not only did we make some great pizza, we had a lot of fun.  I was cracking up at the “do I just pour?” and “is this how to do it?”.  We decided to make Pepperoni pizza first, then a dessert pizza.  This post will focus on the pizza dough and the dessert pizza but if you need a simple quick pepperoni pizza, all you need is the pizza dough recipe I’ll be posting, some pizza or spagetti sauce and your choice of toppings. It can be made to eat in 30 minutes.

Also, because I took A LOT of photos, I made a slide show for you so that the page doesn’t take FOREVER to load! Just scroll down towards the bottom for that.

30-MINUTE PIZZA CRUST DOUGH (can be found on the back of the Fleischmann’s Yeast package)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 3/4 – 2 1/4 cups of flour
• 1 envelope Fleischmann’s Pizza Yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup of very warm water (120° to 130° F)
• 3 tablespoons oil

PIZZA CRUST DIRECTIONS

Combine 1 cup flour, undissolved yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add water and oil.  Mix together until well blended; about 1 minute.  Add ½ cup flour gradually until dough forms a ball. Add additional flour, if needed, to handle.  Spoon dough out of bowl onto floured surface. Dough will be slightly sticky.  Knead on floured surface.  Knead until dough is smooth and elastic; about 4 minutes.  You can either press dough out to fill greased pizza pan or roll dough to a 12-inch circle and transfer to greased pizza pan.  Top as desired with pizza sauce, cheese and toppings.
Bake on bottom oven rack at 425° for 12 to 15 minutes until cheese is bubbly and crust is brown.

The Pizza Yeast from Fleschmann’s is new and I could definitely tell a difference in it. I think anyone who uses yeast a lot will be able to see the fabulous difference!  I thought I’d give you a close up of the ingredient that makes the whole recipe work!

APPLE CRUMB DESSERT PIZZA PIE

INGREDIENTS

• # 1 cups brown sugar, packed
• # 1 cups all-purpose flour
• # 2 ounces butter, cold, cut in pieces (1/2 stick of butter)
• # 1/4 cup of sugar
• # 2 cans of Apple Pie Filling

ICING INGREDIENTS

• Powdered Sugar
• Milk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400′.  Combine brown sugar, flour, and sugar in a mixing bowl; cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse crumbs.  Pour and spread Apple Pie filling all over Pizza Dough Crust; top with crumb mixture.  Bake for about 12-15 minutes. While pizza is baking, combine 1-2 cups of powdered sugar with a few tablespoons of milk to desired consistency.  You don’t want it too thick but not too runny either.  When dessert pizza is done, drizzle icing all over pizza pie!

To see my son doing all the work, check out the slide show made via whrrl!

One lucky winner will receive a $100 gift card!  WOOHOO!

HOW TO ENTER

Leave a comment answering this question–What is your favorite pizza topping? Maybe like us, you love pepperoni or mushrooms. Maybe you love dessert pizza and have your own favorite fruity topping! Share your ideal pizza with us!

Additional methods of entry, leaving each one in a separate comment, are:

• Share on a social networking site like Twitter or Facebook.
• If you’ve got some of Fleischmann’s Pizza Yeast at home, create a pizza and share it via whrrl! (this gives you 10 extra entries)

Giveaway ends on Nov. 1st.  Good luck and enjoy!

Disclosure: Post is sponsored by ACH Foods, maker of Fleischmann’s Pizza Yeast , however, my opinion of the product remains authentic as always.

Things have been crazy around here but hope to have things back to normal soon! Thanks for bearing with me guys.

INGREDIENTS

• * 1 c. butter or margarine, softened
• * 3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
• * 3/4 c. sugar
• * 2 eggs
• * 1 t. maple extract or 1 T + 1 t. maple syrup
• * 2 1/2 c. flour
• * 1 t. baking soda
• * 1/4 t. salt
• * 1/2 – 1 lb. bacon, cooked, crumbled and well drained

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together butter or margarine, brown sugar and sugar until fluffy. Stir in eggs and maple extract or syrup. Beat for 1 more minute.

2. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir to combine and add in batches to mixing bowl. Beat just long enough to incorporate.

3. By hand, stir in the bacon pieces. Drop by tablespoons onto cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown.

About the Author:

Kate is a stay-at-homeschooling mom to 4 (10, 4, 3, 2) and wife to a wonderfully crazy man. She banished the daily dinner witching hour when she learned to use Stolen Moments throughout the day to have dinner prepared before lunch time every day. Kate cooks from scratch, bulk cooks and sticks to a strict monthly grocery budget. You can read more about Kate and her methods and recipes on Cooking During Stolen Moments.

INGREDIENTS
Dough-2 pound ingredient

• 1 cup milk
• 1 egg, beaten
• 4 Tbsp. Melted butter
• 4 Tbsp. water
• ½ box instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz box)
• 4 cups Bread flour
• 1 Tbsp. Sugar
• ½ tsp. Salt
• 2 ½ tsp. Bread machine yeast

FILLING

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 Cup brown sugar
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts, opt.
• ¼ cup raisins, opt

FROSTING 1 (Real Cinnabon Frosting)

• 4 oz. Cream cheese, room temp. (With walnuts and raisins)
• ¼ cup butter, softened (this is awesome)
• 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ tsp. Vanilla
• 1 ½ tsp. Milk
• 3 Tbsp. real Maple Sup

FROSTING 2 (not the real thing, but good)

• 1 tsp. milk
• 1 ½ cups powdered sugar
• 4 Tbsp. butter, softened
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1½ Tbsp. milk

PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS

Place all ingredients in your machine in order recommended by your machine’s manufacturer.
Place the pan in your machine.
Select the dough cycle and press start.
When cycle is finished, remove the dough, knead enough to punch down and roll to 17×10.

Combine first 3 filling ingredients and mix well.
Heat in microwave 10 seconds. To make spreadable.
Spread over rolled out dough with rubber spatula. Get as close to the edges as possible. Sprinkle nuts or raisins over dough.

Starting with widest end, roll the dough into a tight log.
Cut into ½ to 1” slices.
Place in a lightly greased baking dish with sides.

Place in a warm draft free place and allow them to rise until double. (I turn my oven on warm and place them inside. When the temp light goes off, turn off the oven.

Let them rise 20-30 minutes this way. Take out to heat oven to baking temp)

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes.

When the rolls are done top with frosting of your choice.

Note: for a real treat replace raisins in the fillings with chopped dried cherries, blueberries or strawberries. When doing this use frosting 1 or 2 and add a Tbsp. Of matching fruit jam.

Yield: A Full 9×13 pan

INGREDIENTS

• 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons molasses
• 2 tablespoons white sugar (for rolling cookies)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a medium mixing bowl, blend flour, baking soda and spices together and set aside.  In another bowl, cream together butter and 1/2 cup of sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg until well mixed. Then add the molasses and mix to combine.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture.  Using rounded teaspoonfuls (or not quite full tablespoons), form dough into balls the size of walnuts and roll them in the extra 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet, approximately two inches apart and lightly flatten.  Bake in preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool on cookie sheet for about 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Whipped up by Andrea.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 c. Miracle Whip (no subs)
• 1 c. water
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 2 c. flour
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 Tbsp. Baking cocoa
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• Confectioners sugar (optional)

DIRECTIONS:

In a mixing bowl, combine Miracle Whip, water, and vanilla.  Combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.  Add to Miracle Whip mixture and beat until mixed. Transfer to a greased and floured bundt pan.  Bake at 350′ for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Cool for 10 minutes; remove from pan to a wire rack.   Dust with Confectioners sugar if you want.

INGREDIENTS

• 2 10-oz packages of frozen leaf spinach (thawed and drained)
• 1/2 cup or 1 stick of butter
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp grated yellow onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 cups whole milk (“Not 1% or 2%,” says Paula.)
• 1 cup (1/4 lb) grated Swiss cheese
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• pinch of garlic powder
• dash of freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 pounds fresh crab meat, picked through twice for shells
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs

PREPARATION

Preheat the broiler. Butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish or eight ovenproof individual ramekins.  In a 12” skillet over medium heat, saute the spinach in 2 tbsp of the butter with the garlic and onion for 3 minutes. Drain the spinach mixture and chop finely. Transfer the spinach into the baking dish.  In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt 4 tbsp of the butter. Stir in the flour and whisk until smooth. Reduce heat to low and gradually add the milk, stirring constantly with a spoon until smooth and thickened; this should take 8 to 10 minutes. Once the sauce is thickened, add the cheese, half and half, lemon juice, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt and cayenne. Cook over low heat until thickened again, about 10 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and carefully fold in the crab meat.  Pour the mixture evenly over the spinach. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and dot with the remaining 2 tbsp butter (you may need more bread crumbs if you’re preparing individual servings).  Broil about 5 minutes, until browned.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE: If you’re making this ahead of time, skip the broiler. After you top off the breadcrumbs with the butter, cover and refrigerate. When you’re ready to cook uncover and bake for about 30 minutes or until bubbly in a pre-heated 350º oven. Then change the oven setting to “Broil” and broil the top for about 5 minutes.