6 from Eastern Pa. head to Pillsbury Bake-Off finals

On Monday, 95 women and five men in yellow aprons will march into a hotel ballroom in Nashville, head to identical mini-kitchens, and spend the better part of the morning baking or cooking. Then they will carefully carry their dish to a table in the back, step away, and ask themselves: "Did I just win a million dollars?"

This, of course, is the Pillsbury Bake-Off, the world's richest amateur cooking contest. And if it seems as if we just had one, we did. The Bake-Off, which began in 1949 as the Grand National Recipe and Baking Contest, returned to its annual schedule after its 2013 edition in Las Vegas. It had been held every two years for more than a decade.

Six women from eastern Pennsylvania, from Wilkes-Barre to Downingtown, are finalists. Five fit the Bake-Off mold: women in their 50s. The outlier, Rebecca Fink of West Lawn, 33, a first-time finalist with Sausage-Pancake Muffins, calls her selection "the coolest thing that's ever happened to me."

Two have been finalists before. "If three times is the charm, I'll get it," said Christine Wilson of Sellersville, a cosmetics sales rep for Bon-Ton Stores. She brought her Golden Breakfast Bruschetta to Orlando in 2010. She competed against her daughter, Donna Fogel, last year in Las Vegas. This time - her last under the rules - she will prepare her Golden Fruit Brioche Rolls. Her sister, Carolyn Nace of Windermere, Fla., will be there with Bacon-Peanut Butter Chocolate Fries.

Victoria Potts of Palmyra, Pa., made the trip to Las Vegas last year with Chorizo Party Appetizers. This time, she is in it for New Orleans Andouille Shrimp Pizza. And for the excitement. "It was like being in a dream," Potts said. "It was over the top. Just like you'd expect and more." She set up a notebook when she returned. "Ideas pop in my head," she said. "I just write them down."

Ann Goncheroski of Wilkes-Barre made the semifinals last year with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon Crescent Cups, missing out on the finals after falling short in online voting. This time, she scored a trip with her Caprese Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, little more than Pillsbury thin pizza crust, tomato bruschetta, two cheeses, and seasonings. "Who doesn't love a grilled cheese?" she asked. As for the potential of $1 million: "I feel like a winner already."

Lynne Laino of Downingtown, a first-timer, seized the bacon trend with Chocolate Hazelnut-Toffee Bread Pudding With Candied Bacon. She said she based it on a previously entered bread pudding and kept building ingredients. "First I put bacon in it," she said. "OK, let me try candied bacon. Then I thought of toffee pieces."

Sharon Kershner of Fleetwood, Pa., entered last year. At the last minute this year, she sent off one recipe: Chocolate Chip-Espresso-Almond Bars. They're gluten-free. "They're very simple," she said. "This is not like a rocket science recipe." It's just refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough, sliced almonds, instant espresso, almond and vanilla extract, sugar, and milk.

Kershner bakes not only gluten-free for her family but conventionally. She has won fair ribbons for her shoofly and apple pies and angel food cake. She and her husband have a son still in college, so prize money would help.

Fink, the junior contestant from eastern Pennsylvania and a legal administrative assistant (and a newlywed), based her Sausage-Pancake Muffins on a dish of sausage wrapped inside pancakes that she and her husband tried in Utah. She tweaked it, entered the recipe, learned she was a finalist, and ran into a problem.

"My store stopped carrying the refrigerated cooked sausage crumbles," she said. When she found bags at the Wegmans in Collegeville, she asked a manager to order her a case to practice on. If she wins, "well, we're boring. We'll save for the future. We didn't go on a honeymoon, and my husband always talks about Italy."

Overall, the 100 finalists are ages 28 to 89 and hail from 32 states.

The contest celebrates the semi-homemade home cook. This year, contestants were limited to only seven ingredients and prep time of 30 minutes. Two ingredients from sponsors, including products labeled Pillsbury, Green Giant, Jif, Crisco, Eagle, and Watkins, must be used. Sponsors also offer prizes for recipes that contain certain ingredients; anyone who uses a 14-ounce can of Eagle sweetened condensed milk, for example, is eligible for a $5,000 prize.

Contestants submitted more than 10,000 recipes earlier this year in four categories: Simply Sweet Treats, Savory Snacks & Sides, Weekend Breakfast Wows, and Amazing Doable Dinners.

The four categories will be judged Monday, and those winners will move on to a period of Facebook voting. After judges' and public votes are tallied, the grand-prize winner will be announced Dec. 3.

Makes 4 servings

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Nonstick cooking spray

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated thin pizza crust

1/2 cup tomato bruschetta with olive oil and basil, drained if necessary (from 8-ounce jar)

1/4 cup mascarpone cheese

8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 8 slices

1 tablespoon 100% extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon basil leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic sea salt

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1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray large cookie sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll dough on sheet; press to form 16-by-11-inch rectangle. Bake 6 minutes.

2. In a small bowl, mix bruschetta and mascarpone cheese until well blended; set aside.

3. Heat griddle or 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat (325 degrees). With pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut pizza crust into 4 rows by 2 rows to make 8 (51/2-by-4-inch) rectangles.

4. To assemble sandwiches, spread 1 tablespoon bruschetta mixture to within 1/4 inch of edges on each pizza crust rectangle. Top 4 rectangles with 2 slices mozzarella cheese. Top with remaining pizza crust rectangles, bruschetta mixture side down. Brush 11/2 teaspoons of the olive oil over tops of sandwiches; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon of the basil and 1/4 teaspoon of the garlic salt.

5. Place sandwiches oil side down on hot griddle. Brush with remaining 11/2 teaspoons olive oil; sprinkle with remaining 1/2 teaspoon basil and remaining 1/4 teaspoon garlic salt. Cook uncovered 2 to 3 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Turn; cook 2 to 3 minutes longer or until bottoms are golden brown and sandwiches are heated through.

Per serving: 413 calories; 24 grams protein; 40 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams sugar; 18 grams fat; 38 milligrams cholesterol; 1,153 milligrams sodium; 1 gram dietary fiber.

Makes 24 servingsEndTextStartText

Nonstick cooking spray

1 container Pillsbury gluten-free refrigerated chocolate chip cookie dough

1/2 cup sliced almonds, divided

1 tablespoon instant espresso coffee powder or granules

1/2 teaspoon imitation almond extract

1 cup powdered sugar

1 to 2 tablespoons milk

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1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 13-by-9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, break up cookie dough. Add 1/4 cup of the sliced almonds, the espresso powder, and almond extract. Mix with wooden spoon, or knead with hands until well blended. Press dough evenly in bottom of pan. Bake 13 to 18 minutes or until golden brown and center is set. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, stir powdered sugar, 1 tablespoon of the milk, and the vanilla until smooth; add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, until desired spreading consistency. Spread glaze over cooled bars; sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup sliced almonds. Refrigerate about 10 minutes or until glaze is set. Cut into 6 rows by 4 rows.

Per serving: 142 calories; trace protein; 20 grams carbohydrates; 14 grams sugar; 6 grams fat; 10 milligrams cholesterol; 95 milligrams sodium; no dietary fiber.

Makes 12 servings

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1/3 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons golden raisins

All-purpose flour

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crusty French loaf

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup whipped butter, softened

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 teaspoon pure orange extract

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1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 12 regular-size muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In medium bowl, pour 1 cup boiling water over apricots and raisins. Let stand 5 minutes; drain.

3. Lightly sprinkle work surface with flour. Remove dough from can; cut 2-inch piece from one end; set aside. Cut remaining dough into 12 (3/4-inch thick) slices; press each slice to form 21/2-inch round. Spoon rounded teaspoonful of apricot mixture onto center of each round. Bring dough up around filling to cover completely; pinch edges together to seal; shape into ball. Place 1 ball seam side down in each muffin cup.

4. Cut reserved 2-inch piece of dough into 3 (about 3/4-inch) slices. Cut each slice into quarters; roll into balls. Place 1 ball on top of dough in each muffin cup; press in lightly. Brush with beaten egg. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 5 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix butter, honey, and orange extract until well blended. Serve warm brioche with orange honey butter.

Per serving: 171 calories; 5 grams protein; 27 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams sugar; 6 grams fat; 24 milligrams cholesterol; 333 milligrams sodium; trace dietary fiber.