About a month ago Abbie came home from school VERY excited. She had in her hands an announcement from school saying the school district was having a healthy snack recipe contest for all the elementary schools in the District to enter. All she had to do was come up with a healthy snack recipe, turn it in, and then they would pick 10 finalists to compete in the cooking challenge at the district office. Well, Abbie (who's favorite thing to do is watch the cooking challenges on the Food Network) was beyond excited to enter.
About a week ago we got a phone call saying she was one of the 10 finalists out of over 100 recipes that were entered! Well, today was the final cook off. I got her out of school about an hour early and we headed off to the district office. They had everything ready that she would need to make her recipe and gave each participant one hour to complete their dish and have it ready for the judges. Abbie was SO excited when, in the end, they called her name as the WINNER! Way to go Abbie....
getting started...
The lunch cook from each of the finalist's school came to be the assistants. Betty Sue (Ranch Creeks lunch cook) was so cute with Abbie. The school cooks were not allowed to help make the recipe but helped with things like the oven.
her work station with all of her ingredients
News channel 11 was there to take in all the action
Only 5 minutes left...trying to get her dish on the plate
All finished and waiting for the judging
Kent, Claire, and Anderson. Diana (Abbie's primary pres.) was so sweet to come with her boys to cheer Abbie on.
There were five judges, the school district Superintendent and 4 other members of the school board. They were judged on three things: 1. Taste and how healthy 2. Presentation 3. How easy it was to prepare
... and the winner was Abbie Carlson and her Healthy Chicken Bites
Abbie with her principal (Mrs. Paulson on the left) and the school cook Betty Sue
All ten finalists got a framed certificate, medal, and an awesome goodie bag. They awarded the top three with extra prizes.
The goodie bags
Abbie won quite the loot including a $50 gift card to Target, 4 tickets to the zoo, a new back pack, and lots of other fun stuff.
Abbie's Healthy Chicken Bites
12 oz. Can. Chunk chicken
8 oz. cream cheese
Green onions
Roll of refrigerator biscuits (8-10 count) cut biscuits in half to make snack size
Italian seasoned bread crumbs
Mix softened cream cheese, chicken, and green onions together. Cut each biscuit in half and roll out thin. Fill with cream cheese mixture and pinch dough closed. Roll in bread crumbs, put on sprayed cookie sheet with seam side down. Bake according to biscuit package directions.
