"Over the past two years we have had more than 10,000 entries  from  people across the country that spanned all ethnic backgrounds." said David Rossi, vice president, Marketing, the Manischewitz Company. "As the leader in the kosher market, we pride ourselves on our wide range of specialty products that inspire cooks of all types to create exciting recipes."

"I was so honored to be the grand prize winner last year," said Joy Devor of Far Rockaway, N.Y. "I simply love to cook for my family and thanks to the Manischewitz Company I was able to update my kitchen to better cook for my six children. Additionally the endless supply of Manischewitz  products has enabled me to continue to be creative in recipes."  The first Cook-Off winner, Candace McMenamin from Lexington, S.C. said, "This competition gave me the chance to show off my cooking skills in a kosher cooking competition, even though I don’t keep kosher."

How it works

The Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off invites U.S. residents 18 or older to submit an original, easy-to make entrée. All recipes must be original, must be kosher and must include at least one Manischewitz product, have no more than a total of eight ingredients and be prepared and cooked in one hour. For official contest details and to register, log onto www.manischewitz.com and complete the official entry form online and submit a recipe or enter by mail: Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off, c/o BHGPR, 546 Valley Road, Upper Montclair, 07043. Recipes entered online must be received by Dec. 31. Mailed entries must be received by Dec. 31.

Top submissions will be selected by a judging panel including chefs, food writers, and executives. Those recipes will be prepared under the direction of a professional chef and tested by the panel. Six finalists will be selected to compete live in the New York City finals in February 2009 and one grand prizewinner will be selected at the final cook-off event. A panel of food experts will judge the recipes on site based on the following criteria: taste, 50 percent; ease of preparation, 20 percent; appearance, 15 percent; and originality, 15 percent.

Details

Manischewitz, the leader in quality specialty kosher foods for over 120 years, invites food lovers nationwide to enter for the chance to be one of six finalists that will be selected from the entries by a panel of experts to compete live in the Simply Manischewitz Cook-Off final competition.

The six finalists will be selected to compete for the Grand Prize in New York City in February 2009. All finalists will win a $2,000 (ARV) prize package including a trip to New York City to compete for the grand prize.

The grand prizewinner receives a $25,000 (ARV) prize package including: state-of-the-art GE Profile Kitchen appliances, a $5,000 check from Manischewitz; inclusion in a future Manischewitz or Web cookbook; Manischewitz product and more!

And to inspire you, try this original creation by grand prizewinner - Candace McMenamin.

Sweet Potato Encrusted Chicken

Preheat oven to 350º F. Prepare a 13-inch by 9-inch glass baking dish with cooking spray. Combine sweet potato pancake mix and poultry seasoning in a shallow dish. Dredge chicken breasts through mixture, turning to coast thoroughly. Place in prepared baking dish. Place in oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until internal temperature is 175 degrees. 

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine apricot preserves, grape juice, garlic, and pepper. Cook over low heat until mixture is heated through. 

To serve: Place chicken breasts on serving platter. Drizzle 1/4-cup sauce over breasts and serve remaining sauce on the side for dipping.

About The  Manischewitz Company

In August 2004, the company changed its name from The B. Manischewitz Company, LLC to R.A.B. Food Group, LLC and today is now known as The Manischewitz Company. The Manischewitz Company is a specialty food company that includes the Manischewitz, Season, Guiltless Gourmet, Asian Harvest, Rokeach, Mispacha, Horowitz Margareten, Jason, Mother’s, Carmel, Croyden House, Mrs. Adler’s and Goodman’s brands. The company offers a diversified line of premium kosher food products that covers over 60 different categories.

The Manischewitz brand was founded in a small bakery built to make Passover matzo in 1888 by Rabbi Dov Behr Manischewitz in Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1932, Rabbi Manischewitz opened a plant in Jersey City, replacing the operation in Cincinnati. This move paved the way for the introduction of new products like Tam Tam Crackers, Chicken Soup, Noodles and Gefilte Fish. Today, all plant operations take place in Newark. Manischewitz continues to introduce unique, delicious, premium specialty food products such as coating crumbs, dairy-free frostings and more.

 For more Cook-Off contest details, log onto www.manischewitz.com.