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Community Corner

Pillsbury Bake-Off Is 'Super Bowl of Cooking,' Bensalem Competitor Says

Bensalem's Kelli Haskins is a semifinalist in 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off Competition.

Nearly 9,000 submitted recipes were narrowed down by a panel of judges to 1,000, which turned to 60 after a kitchen test in Pillsbury Bake-Off's Amazing Doable Dinners category. And of the 60 semifinalists, is a recipe by Bensalem's Kelli Haskins.

Haskins, who is a financial analyst for Health Care Services Group, in Bensalem, has competed in local cooking competitions in the past, she said, but has never entered the Pillsbury Bake-Off until this year.

"This is the first time I've entered Pillsbury," Haskins said. "This is like the Super Bowl of cooking competitions."

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To up her cooking game, Haskins, 29, created a recipe for Smoky Chorizo Pizza special for the competition.

"I took things I do already and incorporated it in a seven ingredient recipe," she said. "I like to take flavors that people aren't familiar with and present them in a familiar way to open the door for them."

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For people who aren't used to tapas, Haskins said her pizza recipe introduces people to some Spanish flavors.

"I took great ingredients from Spanish cooking—chorizo, sherry vinegar, peppers—and put them in a pizza recipe," she said.

Haskins had to choose ingredients wisely as the competition had very specific requirements, which were different than in the past, she explained. Recipes had to include two ingredients off of an approved list (like Pillsbury, Smucker's and Crisco products), and then you could use only five other ingredients, not counting salt, pepper and water. Additionally, the prep time was trimmed down to 30 minutes (not including baking and cooling time).

Competitors can submit as many recipes as they'd like, Haskins said. She submitted four, which she made her friends and family taste before hand. But her recipe for the chorizo pizza was her favorite.

After creating and submitting the recipe, judges narrowed the 9,000 entries to 1,000, and then to 60. And now the public gets the final say as to who makes it to the finals, which will be held in Las Vegas.

Voting opened on March 14 at 12 p.m. and goes through 12 p.m. on Thursday, March 28. At this time, any one who signs up for a free Pillsbury account can vote for a recipe. A person can vote for as many recipes as he or she wants, but can only vote for the same recipe once.

And there's no way to know how any one recipe is doing.

"It's completely blind," Haskins said. "There's no ticker to keep track."

But she said she's glad to know that every e-mail address can vote only one time so you know no one is having someone go to the site every day to vote multiple times. (To vote for Haskins recipe, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.)

When voting closes, the top 33 recipes will advance to the Las Vegas finals on Nov. 11, 2013. There are two more categories—Simple Sweets and Starters and Quick Rise and Shine Breakfasts—which will send 34 and 33 contestants, respectively, to the finals.

The 100 finalists will go to the ARIA resort in Las Vegas, Haskins said, and 100 mini-kitchens will be set up in the grand hall.

"You'll prepare your recipe three times in the time limits," she explained. "And pick which one you want to present to judge."

The other two get used for a public tasting and the other for a photograph.

One grand prize winner will receive $1 million and $10,000 in GE kitchen appliances. Prizes are awarded for second and third place as well. See the full list of rules and prizes on the Bake-Off website.

Haskins said that she and her husband already have plans for the money if she wins.

"My husband and I brew beer at home," she said. "We would definitely open a brew pub if we won the money. But I'm just shooting for Vegas. Everything else will just be gravy."

Click here to vote for Kelli Haskins' Smoky Chorizo Pizza. Click the image to read the recipe then select "vote for this recipe" to cast your vote.

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