Rice Krispy Treats - Spoil your Inner Child

Sometimes, no matter how you try and repress childhood memories, well the bad ones at least, they still come back to haunt and intimidate you.  The good memories I have which are few and far between seem to mostly center around food.  One of these was the first time my mother made rice krispy treats for me.  They were so gooey, but crunchy and deliciously sweet; but she only made them once as she felt the "mess in the pan" wasn't worth the effort.   As I grew older, I was able to obtain these treats in stores, and eventually learned to make them myself once I adopted my son.  I don't understand why the big fuss over the "mess in the pan" as it easily cleans out with hot soapy water and a sponge.

Anyway, a little history about this childhood treat; it was invented in 1939 by Malitta Jensen and Mildred Day, and the Kelloggs Company of course, to help raise money for the Campfire Girls Foundation.  It was a simple recipe of melted butter and mini-marshmallows mixed into rice krispies, allowed to cool, cut up into squares and enjoyed.   Nowadays, this simple recipe can include any manner of mixture from different types of cereal, toasted oatmeal, crushed granola, nuts, dried fruit and mini-candy pieces.

Making treats nowadays might take a little more calculation too, depending on the density of the cereal used plus any other added ingredients, and the size of the pan used as well.  Normally it is 1 stick of butter (8 tablespoons), 1 (10 ounce) package of mini-marshmallows (they melt quicker) and 6 cups of rice krispy cereal.  It is all pressed into a greased (with butter) 2 quart rectangular baking dish; cooled for an hour and then cut into squares.  While the butter and marshmallows can be melted in a stovetop pan, nowadays a microwave is more convenient and makes it easier to control the melting process to avoid burning. 

I made peanut butter treats just yesterday and while you might think I made them too thin; as far as I'm concerned, that means I have a lot more to enjoy.

Peanut Butter Rice Krispy Treats

Ingredients:

7 cups rice krispy cereal
1 stick (8 Tbsp) salted butter plus 1/2 Tbsp for greasing dish
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 (10 oz) bag mini-marshmallows (make sure they are fresh!)


Preparation:

Into a large mixing bowl, measure out 7 cups of rice krispy cereal; lightly grease a 13" x 9" baking dish with butter.

Into a medium mixing bowl, melt the butter and peanut butter in the microwave for 45 seconds; add in the marshmallows and toss to coat. Microwave for 60 seconds, mix thoroughly; microwave another 30 seconds, mix and pour over cereal. Using a sturdy spoon, mix together so the cereal is thoroughly incorporated. Put the mixture into the baking dish and press out to the sides as evenly as possible; cover with plastic wrap and let cool on counter for one hour. Cut into squares and enjoy.

Do yourself a favor and spoil your inner child once in awhile; you deserve it.

Mary Cokenour

Bugles Adds Sweet to their Salty.

In 1966, a cone shaped snack made from corn and fried in coconut oil hit the market; it became a big hit. I was a little kid then and I still remember my first box, yes, they came in a box, of Bugles. Even though they have flavors called Sour Cream and Onion, Nacho and Barbeque; the original flavor was always my favorite. If I wanted a little extra something, I would dip them in French onion dip, but that's about all.

Then they decided to add two new flavors to the line up; Caramel and Chocolate Peanut Butter. At first I was hesitant to try them, thinking that the corn taste would not pair well with the sweet flavors, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The Caramel Bugles have a tendency to be broken up in the package. Though they have a nice, smooth caramel flavor; the coating is hard and seems to make the crispy corn snack break more easily.

The Chocolate Peanut Butter has a more silky texture on the outside, so the crispy cone stays intact. The peanut butter flavor is more predominant with this snack; and it is listed higher up on the ingredients list. The chocolate flavor comes from cocoa and is very faint.

Surprisingly, a 2/3 cup serving has either 19 or 20 grams of carbs, depending on whether you're indulging in the caramel or chocolate peanut butter. However, don't get me wrong, I'm not proclaiming this to be a 100% healthy snack, but one you don't have to feel as guilty about. If making a snack mix for a party, definitely include both of these products.

Mary Cokenour

Sorry Elvis, Your Sandwich is not King for Me.

Now lets get something out of the way before you start trying to post hate comments or emails to me; I love Elvis Presley.  He is the King and there will never, ever be anyone who can top him.  I just don't like his "fried peanut butter and banana sandwich", but with good reason...I don't like bananas.  No, I don't like bananas; as a small child, I would spit them up; I've tried them in cereal, with ice cream, pudding, cake, even bananas foster and have not been able to tolerate the taste.  My husband likes bananas, so buy them for him; when he eats one I will try a bite and can't get it out of my mouth fast enough.  So, if you must hate this post of mine, hate it because of my banana phobia.

The recipe for this sandwich is located on thousands of internet sites, has been featured on culinary based television shows and mentioned in probably every book ever written about Elvis.  So the recipe I'll be posting is nothing original and I am most certainly not claiming it as my own; just another item I'd like to get straight, so thank you, thank you very much...the sandwich has left the kitchen.

Elvis Presley's Grilled Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich

Ingredients:

2 slices of white bread
2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
1 small ripe banana mashed
2 tablespoons butter

Preparation:

Spread the peanut butter on one slice of bread and the mashed banana on the other. Press the slices gently together. Melt the butter over low heat in a small frying pan. Place the sandwich in the pan and fry until golden brown on both sides.

Makes one sandwich.

Mary Cokenour

Nature Valley adds Thins to Granola collection.

Hiking desert trails or climbing Red Rock formations doesn't make a person just thirsty, but a might bit hungry as well. I always make sure to pack granola bars with the bottled water. While they can be crunchy and have a little sweetness to them, they are boring.

Then there are the times you might want a granola snack, but eating just one of the 2 bars that come in a package is enough; but what do you do with the other bar? Nature Valley came up with a solution that solves the problems of boring and too much with Granola Thins. A two by two granola square, one side smeared with a dark chocolate or peanut butter coating; just the right size and loaded with flavor.

The granola square, however, is half the thinness of one regular granola bar, so that makes for easy crumbling. Taking a small bite, you will probably break off more than you intended. Opening up the little package, it's not surprising to see a part of the square broken off and crumbled, or even the whole square crumbled apart. The coating doesn't do much for keeping it together as it tends to melt and stick to the packaging.

It's sort of a 50-50 deal with these Thins, sometimes they are perfect and sometimes not. Might depend on how many times the employees at the grocery store dropped the boxes while putting them on the shelves. Overall though, they are a tasty treat, especially when you're looking for just a little something to snack on.

Mary Cokenour

Nothing wrong with a little indulgence.

That's right, a little indulgence once in awhile does a person good.  Makes you feel special when the world seems to be against you.  Stress is in your life whether you want it to be or not; you may not look for it, but it will find you.  The real choice is how you handle it; crying, screaming, getting violent, complaining are all very negative choices.  Makes you look pathetic for the most part, and doesn't really improve the state of mind.

Next time you feel stressed out, laugh, laugh out loud as hard as you can.  Trouble finding the inspiration to laugh, watch a really good stand up comic on Comedy Central:  Gabriel Iglesias, Sinbad, Denis Leary, Lewis Black, Bill Engvall, Jeff Foxworthy, Jeff Dunham to name a few.  While you're at it, eat something indulgent; a slice of rich pie or cake, smooth and creamy Belgium chocolate, or whatever little tidbit makes your sweet tooth make your whole body, and soul, feel great.

Here's a treat that you'll really appreciate, and if it doesn't give you that feel good feel that you need, then consider a mental health professional, cause you're that far gone.

Peanut Butter Cream Pie
 
Ingredients:

1 ½ cups powdered sugar

1 ½ cups chunky peanut butter
2 cups vanilla pudding

1 tub whipped topping (do not use light or fat free)

1 - 9 inch deep dish pie crust, prebaked

Preparation:

In a small bowl, cut together the powdered sugar and peanut butter until it becomes crumbly.  Spread out half of the crumbs in the bottom of the pie crust.

Mix 1 cup of whipped topping with vanilla pudding, spread out evenly in pie crust over peanut butter crumbs.  Top pudding with other half of crumbs (reserve ¼ cup for topping).  Spread out remaining whipped topping and sprinkle ¼ cup of crumbs over.

Refrigerate for one hour before serving.

Makes 8 servings.

Mary Cokenour

January 23, 2011