I have had the extreme honor to cultivate a love for cooking with my daughter, Kayla.  I see so much of myself in her, it amazes me from her spunky precocious personality to her love for food, she is truly a mini-me.  Every time I am in the kitchen my daugheter comes bouncing in wanting to help me whether I’m chopping onions, which I just hate to do, or baking cinnamon rolls from scratch… no matter what it is she wants in. and I LOVE IT!

When I saw this amazing contest being sponsored by Uncle Ben’s Rice and Rachel Ray I knew I wanted to give Kayla an opportunity to showcase her love for cooking.  The requirements needed were to film a 3-minute video showcasing You and your son/daughter cooking in the kitchen.  Of course the main ingredient to use in this dish was one of Uncle Ben’s famous Rices’.  There were so many different recipes being filmed and nominated, from savory Roasted Stuffed Peppers to sweet Rice Puddings.  Along in the video you were suppose to have your child discuss “Why cooking is so much fun”; “Tips for other kids that want to cook with their moms and dads”; and “Why they like cooking so much”.

Now you are probably wondering what the winner receives if chosen… The winner receives $20,000 in cash, a Rachel Ray Show Appearance and a School Cafeteria Makeover valued at $50,000.  Pretty amazing stuff!!!!! 

When I asked Kayla what she wanted to make for the video she first chose Pineapple Stir Fried Rice and I suggested to add shrimp to it.  She loved the idea and went with it.  One of the last questions I asked Kayla was, “Why do you want to be on the Rachel Ray Show and chosen as a winner?”  She responded, “Because I want to show kids my age how much FUN cooking really is and show kids how much I love to cook and have them eat my food.”  I think that answer alone was the best answer ever.

To watch Kayla’s video and all of the other wonderful entries, click here and head over to Uncle Ben’s Facebook Page.

Public Voting begins today February 27th at 9:00AM PST and ends March 11th at 11:59PM.

Limit one vote per person/email address, per video, per day. This means that persons may vote for more than one video per day, but they may not vote for the same video more than one (1) time, each day.

So remember vote for my little Girl not only does she get a great opportunity to show kids her age how much fun cooking is but she also has the ability to win awesome prizes for herself and for her school.  

Thanks again,

Tasha