"prize" news and stories

The 43rd Pillsbury Bake-Off has just been announced. The Bake-Off is one of the longest running and most beloved cooking contests in the US - in no small part because the grand prize is $1 million dollars. The contest started back in 1949 and ran annually until 1976, after which point it took place only every other year. This year, it seems that Pillsbury has joined up with the new Yahoo! Food to promote the contest, which should be a boon for the fledgling food site.

To enter, you must come up with an original recipe (and they have a dedicated staff and a huge reference selection of cookbooks and previous entries to check for originality) that uses two or more eligible products, from prepacked food like refrigerated biscuits and hot fudge sundae topping to basic staples, like sugar and olive oil. The minimum required amount of each ingredient is specified on the list. Once you have a dish, you must select one of five categories for entry: Breakfast & Brunches, Pizza Creations, Entertaining Appetizers, Old El Paso® Mexican Favorites and Sweet Treats.

All recipes need to be submitted by April 22nd, 2007 and finalists will be announced later in the year.

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Pepsi is reworking their image and giving the look of their brand a total overhaul. The plan features a "360-degree marketing campaign", but the first thing that most consumers will notice is that their cans will look very different than before. Starting next month, the company will begin using more dramatic designs on their cans, bottles and branded cups and will be rotating the designs every few weeks to "reflect themes close to the hearts of teens and young adults." The theory is that younger consumers will be more interested in something more visually stimulating than their current design and that if there is a sports or music-themed can, a music fan might be more likely to purchase it. The logo itself will not change, but since Pepsi has only changed their can design 10 times in the 109 year history of the company, this new plan is quite a departure from tradition.

Also in pursuit of the drinking loyalties of the "millennial generation," the company will be running more contests, games and sweepstakes and will be sinking more money into merchandising (did you know that you can buy a Pepsi dress?) and advertising. Different contests and prize-winning opportunities will be associated with the different Pepsi products, giving consumers "different experience each time they buy a Pepsi" and "a passport to the things they enjoy most." Oh, and they'll be getting Pepsi, too.

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Care to test your wine knowledge? Dr Vino is hosting a contest and giving away, as a thanks to his readers, a half case of wine (including 2003 Chave St. Joseph "Offerus", 2004 Ex Libris Cabernet Sauvignon, 2004 Brun Terres Dorees Pinot Noir, 2005 Sur Bonarda, 2002 Chateau Moulin Rouge, and 2004 Laurens Marcillac). To enter, all you have to do is head over and answer a few questions about wine in the quiz that he put together. The winner will be selected at random from those who get a perfect score.

If you are a complete wine novice, don't worry - you still have a chance. Because the selection of the winner is ultimately random from those who get a perfect score on the quiz, Dr Vino encourages the use of Google to improve your odds at achieving that score. What are you waiting for - why not go take a shot?

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August marks the one year anniversary of Slashfood's launch. Somehow, it seems longer than that - but that's a good thing! While we were thinking of ways to celebrate, we decided that instead of trying to collect gifts, we would have a contest and give one away to a reader.

We love food porn from our other blogging friends, and we're not half bad photographers ourselves, but we know that some of you readers are just as good if not better. So, Slashfood's Birthday Cake Photo Contest is a chance for you to show off your skills by taking the best photo you can of birthday cake. Chocolate or vanilla, cupcake or layer cake, frosted or cream-filled... the options are endless, but it would be best if you top if off with a candle for us.

Once you have taken your picture, you have to upload it to our Birthday Cake Contest Flickr group by midnight on Wednesday, August 23rd. We will judge the photos and announce the winners on Friday, August 25th. Be sure to add a description to your photo once you've listed it on our Flickr group stating your name, or the name you would like us to announce. We will contact the winners via Flickr

The prizes? The winner will receive a copy of The Cake Book, and the runner up will get Crazy About Cupcakes.

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Easter egg hunts are one of the very best things about Easter for kids. Not only is there the appeal of an outdoor game, but, more often than not, the eggs are edible. I'm partial to the school of thought that say Easter eggs should be brightly colored plastic with some sort of goodie inside - not hard boiled. Of course, it can be hard to choose candies to put inside the eggs. There are many factors to consider: where the eggs will be, how long they’ll be there, what the temperature is like. An indoor hunt gives you more options, as does a cool, morning egg hunt, but you'll have to worry about melting on a warm afternoon. Here are 8 of our favorite egg-hunt treats, plus a few tips to keep them in mint condition:

• Jelly Bellys or other jelly beans taste great and won't melt inside the egg. They also supply the additional bonus of making a pleasing rattling sound that gives kids the feeling they're hit the candy jackpot.