Taste of Home Reveals the $25,000 Grand Prize Winner of America’s Best Loved Recipe Contest

GREENDALE, Wis., June 18 /PRNewswire/ — Thousands have voted and declared “Gorgonzola Penne with Chicken” as America’s Best Loved Recipe! Taste of Home, the #1 cooking magazine in the country, on the popular national morning show “Good Morning America,” awarded George Schroeder of Port Murray, NJ, the grand prize of $25,000 for his outstanding Italian recipe. Beating out over 10,000 submissions, George wowed America with a Time-Saver recipe that uses simple ingredients and savory flavors to create a mouthwatering meal in just 30 minutes. George’s flavorful Gorgonzola Penne with Chicken is easy, quick, inexpensive and, most importantly, a tasty satisfying dish that will please any crowd.

“I am ecstatic and honored to win America’s Best Loved Recipe Contest,” George said. “I have found many great recipes from other home cooks in the magazine and on tasteofhome.com, and I am thrilled to share my recipe with the Taste of Home community.”

Taste of Home announced America’s Best Loved Recipe Contest in September 2008 and asked Americans to submit their best homemade recipes in the four following categories:

• Classic: Tried-and-true family favorites
• Light: Low-fat recipes that are light on calories
• Time-Saver: Taste great but require less time and effort to prepare
• Serves 2: Recipes that make the perfect amount for two

The Taste of Home Test Kitchen experts evaluated every recipe and narrowed the field down to four finalists, one from each category. In May 2009, Taste of Home asked America to vote for America’s Best Loved Recipe. Thousands of supporters logged on to tasteofhome.com and voted for their favorite.

“We were overwhelmed at the number of submissions we received from all over the country,” said Catherine Cassidy, editor-in-chief of Taste of Home. “And it was thrilling to see how many Americans supported their favorite finalist by voting. We are delighted to announce George Schroeder’s Gorgonzola Penne with Chicken as America’s Best Loved Recipe, which captures the essence of home cooking in America.”

The three other finalists in America’s Best Loved Recipe Contest were delicious, making for a close race. Sandy Blessing of Ocean Shores, WA was close behind with her hearty Italian Meatball Torte. Esther Danielson of San Marcos, CA spiced up the competition with her zesty Asian-Style Baby Back Ribs for two. And Christine Vaught of Salem, OR presented a light Mango Chicken with Plum Sauce that was packed with flavor. All the finalists created noteworthy recipes, which can be found on tasteofhome.com.

About George Schroeder

For George, cooking is a family tradition. His wife, Imelda, loves to cook with him and 9-year-old daughter Nicole pitches in too. They have a broad range of dishes they prepare, and are constantly experimenting with new ingredients for great flavors. In fact, George is currently putting together a collection of his favorite recipes, and he’s made room for his prize-winning dish.

About Taste of Home

Taste of Home is a leading multi-platform producer of information on food, cooking and entertaining, serving home cooks with engaging media that capture the joy and comfort received from food made with love. Taste of Home publishes four magazines, including the flagship Taste of Home–America’s largest cooking magazine, with a circulation of 3.2 million–Healthy Cooking and Simple & Delicious; top-selling bookazines; newsstand specials; and popular cookbooks. Traffic on tasteofhome.com increased 166 percent, to 2 million monthly UVs, from December 2007 to December 2008. Taste of Home is part of Food & Entertaining@RDA (The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.) More information can be found at http://www.tasteofhome.com.

SOURCE Taste of Home