The cat is out of the bag...

I'm a finalist in the next Pillsbury Bake-off contest. The article from the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle is here.

I'm in the "entertaining appetizers" category. Since an appetizer has never won the Pillsbury Bake-off contest, I don't have high hopes of winning. But it should be a fun trip!

I thought I'd add that if you're interested throwing your hat into the cooking contest ring, my buddy Erin has posted some great tips on her blog on Rachael Ray's site. If you want to see them, a link to her blog is here. Just click on entries 7 & 8. Both are titled "Confessions of a Competitive Cook."

The only think I'd add to Erin's excellent advice is to keep the whole thing in perspective. I spent loads of time (and money) on entries for the 2006 Pillsbury Bake-off contest, and when I didn't get the call to be a finalist, I moped for days. How ridiculous to let a hobby do that to you. It's supposed to be fun. Since then, I've backed off in terms of the amount of time, money and effort I spend on contests. I may not win as often, but I'm enjoying myself a lot more.