Hood Announces New England Dairy Cookoff

The following is an announcement from HP Hood:

HP Hood, New England's leading dairy company, is now accepting recipe submissions for the 3rd Annual Hood® New England Dairy Cook-Off®.  

The recipe contest, presented by Hood Sour Cream, is open to all amateur cooks from the six New England states -- Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.  The grand prize winner will be awarded $10,000 and be featured in the 2011 Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off recipe book.

Submitted recipes must be original and include at least one of the following Hood products: Hood Milk, Hood Simply Smart®, Hood Cream, Hood Sour Cream, Hood Cottage Cheese, Hood Country Creamer®, Hood EggNog and Hood Calorie Countdown®. Contestants may enter one or more of the following five categories -- breakfast/brunch; soups/chowders; appetizers/side dishes; lunch/dinner (entree); and dessert.  

"Last year, we received more than 1,500 submissions -- more than twice the number of entries from 2009, and we're confident that the 3rd Annual Hood New England Dairy Cook-Off will continue to attract delicious and innovative recipes featuring Hood products," said Lynne Bohan, Hood spokesperson. "We are looking forward to seeing what this year's contestants cook up!"

Thirty semifinalists, five from each New England state, will receive $100 and be selected to compete at the Cook-Off held on November 6, 2011, at the Ocean Gateway Terminal in Portland, Maine.  

An independent panel of judges will narrow the semifinalists to one finalist from each recipe category to compete for the $10,000 Grand Prize.  Dishes will be based on taste appeal, presentation/appearance and creativity/originality. Finalists who do not win the Grand Prize will be awarded $500.  

Billy Costa, host of New England Cable News' (NECN) "TV Diner," will emcee the finals for the third year, and highlights from the Cook-Off will be broadcast on "TV Diner" at a later date.  Shaw's Supermarkets and Yankee Magazine are also partnering with the Cook-Off again in 2011.  

The 2010 Grand Prize winner of $10,000 was Laurie Lufkin of Essex, MA, for her New England Buttermilk Pumpkin Cakes with Sour Cream Apple Caramel and Dried Cranberries.

Cooks can submit their recipe or find out more information by logging onto HoodCookOff.com.  The deadline for entry is September 12, 2011.

For more information on Hood, please log onto Hood.com or become a fan of the Cook-Off at Facebook.com/HoodCookOff.