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Peter Bliven, 5th grade student at Lakeside Intermediate School, is this year’s SPAM® “Kid Chef of the Year” contest winner.

Bliven, 10, was last year’s Gold Medal cookie contest winner of $150 and is this year’s Spam® winner of $150. He is hoping to win the $1,000 national prize for himself and another $1,000 to give to charity. He would like to give the $1,000 to the Children’s Cancer Research Fund in memory of his cousin, Heather Bliven, and his friend, Joe Rossini, who both died of cancer around his age. Bliven is one of 16 winners nationally going for the national prize.

He was honored onstage at the Minnesota State Fair and was interviewed on the radio and on WCCO news at noon.

His recipe is:

Spam® Alfredo Nests

Filling:

12 oz. can of original Spam®

16 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce

8 oz. frozen sweet peas

1/4 t. coarse black pepper

1/4 t. red pepper

Topping:

6 oz. diced cheddar cheese

paprika or red pepper (optional)

Nests:

6 oz. vermicelli pasta noodles

2 eggs

1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and spray medium muffin pans with nonstick spray.

2. Break the dry noodles into three shorter pieces and cook the pasta according to package directions. (Start step three while waiting for noodles.)

3. Dice the Spam® into small pieces and fry on medium heat until browned.

4. Turn off heat and add Alfredo sauce, peas, and red/black pepper. Let sit until the nests are prepared.

5. Drain the water and add eggs and parmesan cheese to noodles.

6. Fill half of each muffin pan with the noodle mixture and make into nests. They should reach up to the rim of the pan.

7. Fill the nests and top with cheddar cheese and you may sprinkle with paprika or red pepper.

8. Bake 14 minutes and let cool for five minutes. Use a knife around the edges and take out nests with a spoon. Serve hot.

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