BOAZ, Alabama Corley Elementary second-grader Sydney Claire Noles is the grand prize winner of the Ben s Beginner s Cooking Contest, sponsored by Uncle Ben s.
The 7-year-old won her elementary school a ,000 cafeteria makeover, as well as a trip to New York City for an appearance on the Rachel Ray Show and ,000 for her family all thanks to a video of Claire and her mom, Rachel, cooking a recipe they created called Crockpot Chicken and Rice Supreme.
Claire loves to cook, and always wants to help the school, said Rachel, who first saw the contest announced on Facebook. My niece Meg is really good with the video camera, so she did a video of us making the recipe together. We never in a million years thought we would win the contest.
The Noles were announced as the grand prize winners at a special celebration Jan. 9 at Boaz High School, where Alabama s First Lady Dianne Bentley and Boaz Mayor Tim Walker presented Claire with proclamations announcing the day as Ben s Beginners Day and she received a key to the city.
"I am thrilled to have been a part of (the) celebration in honor of Claire Noles, who helped inspire families everywhere to get in the kitchen and cook together," said Bentley. "I'm also happy to declare (Jan. 9) as Ben's Beginners Day in the state of Alabama in support of Uncle Ben's and their mission to get kids cooking."
Rachel and Claire found out they d won about a week ago, and were flown to New York earlier this week to film their segment on the Rachel Ray Show.
It was very fun and exciting, said Claire. Her favorite part of her trip, she said, was seeing the Statue of Liberty.
Their winning video was chosen through a process that included a panel of judges, but also the video s number of votes and its creativity.
I ve been cooking since I was two, said Claire. My favorite things to make are homemade pizzas and fruit salads. And I like to make up my own recipes.
Claire and Rachel came up with their recipe for Crockpot Chicken and Rice Supreme (see below for recipe) by tweaking and adjusting a traditional creamy chicken dish.
We re always busy and on the go, said Rachel. I teach and my husband teaches and coaches, and Claire is involved in gymnastics and ball, so we tried to think of something for families that were busy.
We added some different ingredients and added the Uncle Ben s rice, and it turned out to be a great recipe.
How does Claire plan to spend the prize money?
She wants to donate some to St. Jude s and to Blessings in a Backpack, said Rachel. We re going to let her buy a trampoline, and the rest is going into her college fund.
Claire also has some ideas for how her school cafeteria should be made over. I think they should get some new tables and have a TV that comes down from the roof.
Claire s principal told her the cafeteria has had the same tables since the principal was in school.
Rachel said this experience is something the Noles family will never forget.
We really want to thank the Uncle Ben s team for choosing us and letting our family have this wonderful experience, she said. They ve been very kind and generous to our family and community.
To see Claire and Rachel's winning video, visit the. The Noles appearance on the Rachel Ray Show will air Monday, Jan. 13.
Claire s Crockpot Chicken and Rice Supreme
Ingredients:
6-8 chicken breast
1 can of cream of chicken soup
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
cup of green chilies
1 tsp of salt
1 tsp of pepper
1 tsp of butter
1 tsp of secret seasoning (celery salt)
1 bag of Uncle Ben s Creamy Four Cheese Rice
Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together in a slow-cooker and cook on low for 8-10 hours.