Earning a $10k bond is child's play

Sophie Philibert, 8, says a winter scene inspired her "snowy casserolly." (ROSE LINCOLN FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

FOXBOROUGH - Local chef and third- grader Sophie Philibert likes to experiment with different ingredients. And her parents - a professional artist and a science teacher - let their daughter exercise her creativity. It didn't work out so well when she tried new measurements for pancake batter. They were deeply surprised by a batch of cookies that contained an entire bottle of vanilla extract.

Another experiment came when the 8-year-old peered out the window last winter and came up with "snowy casserolly." Last month the recipe won her a $10,000 savings bond. Sophie won the Stop & Shop Kitch'N Kids contest, a partnership with local dairy producers, designed to promote healthy eating.

"I was looking outside, and on the bottom there was dirt, on top there was grass, and there was snow on top of that and ice on top of that," said Sophie. She took black beans, fresh spinach, rice, and cheese and made a meal.

"I'm very proud of her," said her mother, Julie, who designs wallpaper patterns and scenes. "I was impressed that she came up with such a healthy recipe in a time when kids aren't eating that well."

Stop & Shop consumer adviser Andrea Astrachan said, "Her casserole was easy, delicious, and nutritious."

Other top local kids in the contest included Maghean Duprey, 10, of Woonsocket, R.I., who made vanilla apple crunch, and Jacqueline Kapoian, 11, of Bedford N.H., for her strawberry-banana-smash smoothie.

Sophie loves eating cheese ravioli and making desserts. She goes to the Sage School and lives with her mom, her dad, Josh, and brother, Jonah, 13. She wants to be a geologist when she grows up, but didn't realize that snowy casserolly's earth-inspired ingredients are connected to her future career choice.

"I didn't even know that at the time," she said. "Now I realize that it actually goes with the ground."