Community Corner
Vote For This Simpsonville Mom to Bake-Off
Stephanie Bright is one of 60 semifinalists who is trying to garner enough votes to go to the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off in Las Vegas. The winner will receive $1 million.
A Simpsonville mom is hoping to take her latest culinary creation all the way to the 46th Pillsbury Bake-Off in Las Vegas.
But, she'll need your vote to get there.
Stephanie Bright is no stranger to the competition. Last year, the wife and mother of two, made it to the finals in Orlando but didn't bring home the prize. She said the competition left her hungry for a chance to do it all again.
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"I read cookbooks, I watch cooking shows and I was already planning my next dish shortly after returning from the bake-off," Bright said.
But Bright said this year's competition has been extremely nerve-wracking.
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"They added online voting this year," Bright said. "That's what gets you to the finals."
Not only do you have to have a great dish to make it to the semifinals, she said there are some pretty stringent guidelines coupled with the need to garner online votes to get to the finals and a chance to win the $1 million prize.
First, contestants could only use seven ingredients, one of which had to be Pillsbury and one had to be a sponsor product. The new rules also required that the meal be prepared in 30 minutes or less.
"Thirty minutes and an easy-to-make meal is especially important for those who are working and still want to put a good meal on the table," said Bright, who is employed at a small engineering firm in Easley.
Bright's dish "Green Goddess Chicken Wellington" is one of 60 recipes in Pillsbury's Amazing Doable Dinners category.
"It's amazing what you can do with seven ingredients," Bright said. "You have to be very creative."
Bright said she's never even made beef wellington, but started whipping up a recipe with chicken, instead of beef.
Bright said she has prepared the dish a couple of times for her husband before entering the recipe in the competition.
"He's my only taste-tester," Bright laughed. "And, he's not always a fan of everything I try. So who's to say he has the perfect palate?"
Voting for the contest ends on March 28. Bright said the 33 recipes with the most votes in her category will move on to the final competition.
Try your hand at making Bright's dish from the Pillsbury website:
Green Goddess Chicken Wellington
Ingredients
- 1 box (9 oz) Green Giant® frozen chopped spinach
- 2 packages (3 oz each) cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 can Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations® refrigerated seamless dough sheet
- 1 cup half-and-half
- 1 cup sliced green onion stems (about 10 green onions)
- 1 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese (4 oz)
- 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts (8 oz each), cut in half
Step 2: Lightly spray 10x15-inch pan with sides with Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray. Unroll dough in pan. Using pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut dough into 4 rectangles. Reserve 1/3 cup of the spinach mixture. Spoon 1/4 cup remaining spinach mixture in center of each rectangle.
Step 3: Between sheets of plastic wrap or waxed paper, flatten each chicken breast half to 1/2-inch thickness. Place each chicken breast on top of spinach mixture, pressing down slightly. Bring 4 corners of dough together on top of each chicken breast; pinch top and sides to seal. Place seam sides down on pan.
Step 4: Bake 25 to 35 minutes or until golden brown and thermometer inserted in chicken reads 165°F.
Step 5: Meanwhile, in 1-quart nonstick saucepan, bring half-and-half to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; stir in reserved 1/3 cup spinach mixture, remaining 1/2 cup Gorgonzola cheese, 1/3 cup of the remaining onions and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Serve warm sauce over Wellingtons. Garnish with remaining green onions.
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