Home Chefs Cook Up Recipes for Crisco(R) Country Favorite Cook-Off

Home Chefs Cook Up Recipes for Crisco(R) Country Favorite Cook-Off

Fans Can Vote at http://www.Crisco.com to Help Determine Finalists

ORRVILLE, Ohio, March 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Crisco(R) and the Country Music Association (CMA) teamed up to make music in the kitchen with the Crisco Country Favorites Cook-Off Contest. Thousands of home chefs responded by creating their own hit recipes. Now you have the opportunity to help determine which recipes will headline at the final live Cook-Off at the 2007 CMA Music Festival in Nashville, Tennessee (June 7-10). The grand prize winner will receive a $10,000 kitchen makeover and a trip to "The 41st Annual CMA Awards" in 2007. To vote, visit http://www.crisco.com/ now through March 31, 2007.

The competition has been narrowed down to 24 top-performing entries, six in each category -- Opening Act Appetizers, Superstar Salads, Headliner Main Dishes and Standing Ovation Desserts. The 12 finalists selected by a combination of online votes and overall judges score will put their talents to the test at the final live Cook-Off.

"We were thrilled with the enthusiastic response and unique recipes entered into the Crisco Country Favorites Cook-Off Contest," said Maribeth Badertscher, Director, Corporate Communications, The J.M. Smucker Company. "Now, we're asking for help to select the top 12 favorite country recipes from these semi-finalists and help them advance to the live Cook-Off at the CMA Music Festival in June."

The Online Finalists and recipes include:
-- Opening Act Appetizers
-- Ronna Farley of Rockville, Maryland -- Chicken Salad Wonton Cups
-- Renata Stanko of Lebanon, Oregon -- Silver Dollar Shrimp Cakes
-- Amy Siegel of Clifton, New Jersey -- Spicy Peanut Noodles
-- Daljeet Singh of Coral Springs, Florida -- Shrimp and Rice
Fritters with Creamy Cilantro Sauce
-- Lisa Huff of Clive, Iowa -- Spicy Mango Shrimp Flautas
-- Rose Niles of Sherman Oaks, California -- Garlic Parmesan
Cauliflower Florets

-- Superstar Salads
-- Lorie Roach of Buckatunna, Mississippi -- Roasted Potato Salad
with Sun Dried Tomatoes and Pine Nuts and Pesto-Mascarpone
Dressing
-- Janice Elder of Charlotte, North Carolina -- Bacon, Apple and Pear
Salad with Warm Spiced Cider Vinaigrette and Cinnamon Toast
Croutons
-- Edwina Gadsby of Great Falls, Montana -- Blackened Fish Taco Salad
-- Lisa Huff of Clive, Iowa -- Minty Mango Shrimp Salad
-- Connie Emerson of Reno, Nevada -- Country-Style Red Flannel Salad
-- Glee Ann Erdelbrock of Toutle, Washington -- Spinach Salad with
Tangerines and Dried Cranberries

-- Headliner Main Dishes
-- Phyllis Skoglund of Hernando Beach, Florida -- Southern Seas Gumbo
-- Gilda Lester of Wilmington, North Carolina -- Grilled Lamb Chops
with Honey Mustard Glaze
-- Connie Emerson of Reno, Nevada -- Country Pork Ribs with Ginger
Raisin Bar-B-Que Sauce
-- Bob Ierardi of Severna Park, Maryland -- Hearty Cabbage Stew
-- Jennifer Fisher of Austin, Texas -- Chicken-Chorizo Stuffed
Sopaipillas
-- Roxanne Chan of Albany, California -- Star Studded Stovetop
Chicken and Dumplings

-- Standing Ovation Desserts
-- Beth Royals of Richmond, Virginia -- Coffee Toffee Tart
-- Trisha Kruse of Eagle, Idaho -- Maple Cornmeal Shortbread
-- Larry Elder of Charlotte, North Carolina -- Granny's Down Home
Apple-Date Cake with Warm Caramel-Bacon Topping
-- Gilda Lester of Wilmington, North Carolina -- Cherry Kuchen with
Crunchy Almond Topping
-- Kathy Klein of Waverly, Tennessee -- Pumpkin Cheesecake with
Walnut & Rolled Oat Crust
-- Deborah Lee Biggs of Omaha, Nebraska -- Ginger-Pecan Sweet Potato
Cake with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

How to Vote

Entries were judged within each category (Opening Act Appetizers, Superstar Salads, Headliner Main Dishes and Standing Ovation Desserts) on the basis of creativity, taste, appearance, ease of preparation and appropriate use of products with the top six scoring recipes in each category advancing to the Online Vote. Nationwide, the public can view the finalists' recipes and photos of their entries, then vote online at http://www.crisco.com/. Online voting is open to the public and will take place now through March 31, 2007. Limit one (1) vote per person/e-mail address per category for each day of the entire online voting period.

For more information about other Crisco tips, recipes, contests and promotions, log on to http://www.crisco.com/.

For more information about 2007 CMA Music Festival, including ticket information and a list of performing and participating artists, please visit http://www.cmafest.com/.

About The J.M. Smucker Company

The J.M. Smucker Company is the leading marketer and manufacturer of fruit spreads, peanut butter, shortening and oils, ice cream toppings and health and natural foods beverages in North America. Its family of brands includes Smucker's(R), Jif(R), Crisco(R), Pillsbury(R), R.W. Knudsen Family(R), Hungry Jack(R), White Lily(R) and Martha White(R) in the United States, along with Robin Hood(R) and Bick's(R) in Canada. The Company remains rooted in the Basic Beliefs of Quality, People, Ethics, Growth and Independence established by its founder and namesake more than a century ago. Since 1998, the Company has appeared on FORTUNE Magazine's annual listing of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in the United States, ranking number one in 2004. For more information about the company, visit http://www.smuckers.com/.

(C)/(TM)/(R) Registered trademarks of The J.M. Smucker Company. Pillsbury is a trademark of The Pillsbury Company, used under license.

About CMA Music Festival

CMA Music Festival, which launched in 1972 as Fan Fair(R), takes place annually in Downtown Nashville. The four-day festival features more than 70 hours of live music, 30-plus hours of autograph signings, more than 400 Country Music artists and celebrities, popular exhibits, theme zones and special events. The 2006 CMA Music Festival was the biggest in event history with more than 161,000 fans throughout the event representing every state and 27 foreign countries. The 2007 event takes place June 7-10. For full information, visit http://www.cmafest.com/. CMA Music Festival is organized and produced by the Country Music Association. Fan Fair is a registered trademark of CMA. For more information on 2007 CMA Music Festival, visit http://www.cmafest.com/.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact: Kristan_Brooks@nyc.cohnwolfe.com

Source: The J.M. Smucker Company

CONTACT: Kristan Brooks of Cohn & Wolfe, +1-212-798-9704,
Kristan_Brooks@cohnwolfe.com, for The J.M. Smucker Company

Web site: http://www.crisco.com/
http://www.smuckers.com/
http://www.cmafest.com/

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