Lehigh Valley Girl Finalist in Peanut Butter Contest

Fourth grader Leah Toomey, of South Whitehall, loves her peanut butter.

So much, in fact, that she and her family have been trying to win Jif's Most Creative Peanut Butter Sandwich contest for about five years.

But imagine the family's surprise when they learned in December that the 10-year-old is one of 10 finalists in the national contest -- and a contender for a $25,000 prize, for college. 

"I was just really excited," said Leah, a student at. "I never got this far."

Leah now needs your vote to win. Online voting plays a big part in the contest's next phase, which is winning a chance to go to New York for the finals. 

Leah's "Crazy Crunchy Kabob Sandwich" is made with peanut butter, honey, diced apple and crushed granola -- all wrapped up in wheat bread, crusts removed. A pretzel stick holds it together, with a strawberry on one end and a slice of banana on the other.

Leah's mom, Diane Toomey, said Leah has always liked eating her peanut butter on a banana with crushed granola, and the idea for the sandwich grew from that. It got the name "crazy" because she and her daughter rushed to enter the contest on the last entry day (which, Diane Toomey said, is not like her at all; she usually doesn't wait until the last minute to do something.) 

Under the rules, people can vote once a day, through Feb. 1. Five of the 10 contestants will move on to the finals. In addition to the grand prize winner, four will receive $2,500 for college.

So Leah and her family (she has three siblings) have been spreading the word about the contest, to relatives, her teacher Derrick Green, her schoolmates in the Parkland School District -- and now through Patch.

In addition to liking peanut butter, which she eats several times a week, Leah has several interests: She's a member of the Parkland Chorale singing group, loves to read and has been learning to play the piano.

Diane Toomey said the family -- either Leah or her older sister Hannah -- have entered the Jif contest over the past five years. She said the family was about ready to give up, but decided to give it another try this year.

The entry "has to be healthy, and everything has to be edible," Toomey said. (That's why the sandwich is held together with pretzel sticks!)

Entrants also have to be between 6 and 12 years old. According to Jif's webpage, the sandwiches are initially judged on creativity, taste, nutritional balance, visual appeal and the ease of preparing it. The top 25 recipes are then tested and assigned points, with 10 finalists chosen.

While winning the grand prize would be great, Toomey said she's just hoping for the opportunity to go to New York with her daughter for the finals.