Bartlett woman 1 of 100 Pillsbury Bake-Off finalists

Editor's note: Information for this article was gathered on a trip sponsored by General Mills

Orlando, Fla -- During breakfast today the reality of the moment set in for Amy Winters.

She dabbed nervous, yet joyous tears from her eyes as it hit her that in less than an hour she would enter the competition kitchen as one of 100 finalists in the granddaddy of all cook-offs, the 44th Pillsbury Bake-Off.

She was as prepared as she could be. Since learning she was one of the finalists last winter she'd cooked her Deep-Dish Sausage Pattie Pizza - a budget-friendly riff on the Windy City's beloved pie - dozens and dozens of time, and she was feeling pretty good about the competition.

But could her pizza beat out Mini Greek Turkey Burgers with Cucumber Sauce, Zesty Lime Fish Tacos and Bourbon Street Muffuletta Braid to win the $5,000 purse in the Dinner Made Easy category, or even best the likes of Persian Date-Filled Cinnamon Roll Muffins, "Mamma Mia" Ravioli Bites and Chocolate-Peanut Butter Layered Cupcakes to take home the $1 million grand prize?

"If they (the judges) are looking for average, home-cooked meals, something that kids would want to eat, then yeah, I feel pretty good about it," Winters said as she pulled her third pizza from the oven. "If they want something pretty and perfect, then no, I don't feel so good."

Winters said the sauce on her first attempt was too runny, so she set it aside to be sampled later by the throngs of press and sponsors roaming the competition floor, and set about creating another one.

Contest rules allow contestants to make their recipe three times. One is submitted to the judges and one prepared for publicity photos, not necessarily in that order. If they're not happy with an earlier version, they can make the third.

Winters hesitated several moments after sprinkling the Parmesan cheese on top of pizza no. 2. The crust browned beautifully, cheese bubbled up along the edges and the browned sausage pattie peeked through slight gaps in the fragrant, chunky tomato sauce.

"But what if the third one turns out more perfect?" she wondered out loud.

Not wanting to chance it and let the hot pie cool too much longer, she started toward the judges table.

"Recipe coming through!" contest helpers announced as Winters proceeded down the rows of ranges to the judges. Applause and cheers from the gallery of contestants' friends and family erupted each time a completed recipe marched by. "Now I'm nervous," Winters said as she straightened up her cooking station.

She'll have to wait until tonight's awards ceremony to find out if she's one of the four category winners. Those winners will be flown via private jet to Chicago and prepped for "The Oprah Winfrey Show," where Oprah will announce the $1 million winner live on Wednesday.

"If I'm not a plane tonight, I'm heading to the pool and running up a bar tab," Winter said. "I have one last night to enjoy myself here."