eats for treats

When I was in college and for a few years thereafter, one of my aunts occasionally sent me something akin to a care package. These goodie boxes were so quirky that opening them became cause for a party. All I needed to do was call my friends and say “I got an E box” and they’d come running for the unveiling.

Usually everything made it intact. There was that incident with a jar of tahini (yes, really) that one time, but after that most everything was in “tins” or lots of bubblewrap. Oh, except for that bottle of beer… but that’s another story.

Long story short, I think I may still have one of her original tins of sardines around here somewhere, and if I have a predilection for tinned smoked oysters as comfort food, it is her fault!

She is long gone, but the memory of those boxes and the good intentioned hilarity they brought lives on. So, in my family, to “E” someone is to send them, for no particular reason, a goodie box.

I am planning to “E” my college niece. Shhhhh…

I found a recipe for something I hope she’ll like. It turned up on Corrin’s blog. She’s an AFBA member so I trust her! And, if you dig around on the Internet there are lots of variations on this. Mmmmm… kid food but sooooo good!

Here’s Corrin’s recipe verbatim:

Brown Butter & Biscoff Rice Crispy Treats
Makes 12 servings.
Approximately 5 Weight Watchers points per serving.

Ingredients
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 tablespoon coarse sea salt
1/3 cup of Biscoff (creamy) Spread
10 oz. bag miniature marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy cereal

Directions
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Whisk frequently and allow the butter to foam and then lightly brown until the butter is specked with brown and has a nutty aroma. Turn the heat to low, add the Biscoff Spread, and stir until melted. Next, add marshmallows and stir until smooth. Remove from heat and mix in rice crispy cereal and salt and stir until coated. Spread mixture into a buttered 13x9x2 pan. Use a buttered spatula to press treats evenly into corners. Cool and cut into squares.
*****

The only thing I changed (OK, two things) is I left out the salt (there’s enough in the other ingredients I think) and I used 4 cups of “regular” crispy rice cereal and two cups of chocolate crispy rice. That’s why there are dark blips in my photo of the final “bars”.

I am here to tell you that, while you wouldn’t think that something that involves this:

ooey gooey mmm…

could end up as yummy as this:

yup, mmmmm!!

but, well, wow!

I’m not sure this is “grown-up” food, nor yet food for “grown-ups”, but I had one (honest, just one!) and I think they’ll travel well and hopefully, be enjoyed!

This is a recipe with seemingly infinite possibilities. If you want a gluten-free version (the Biscoff spread is wheat-based) you could certainly use peanut butter. If you want a “healthier” version (hahahahaha…) you could try my “No-Bake Bike Bars. You get the idea, right? About the only “must-have” common denominator is the “crispy rice” cereal. And, the no-bake part makes it fun to do with kids – you do the hot part and let them do the mixing!

I think those mini-chocolate chops would go well in these. Maybe next time! What do you like in your cereal bars??
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Now, on a different topic, WordPress tells me that they are now running ads in blogs. This is relatively new, and I am not happy about it. In their FAQ they say: “There are currently three options. 1) Sites can get the No Ads option by itself or via our Value Bundle. 2) The default free option. At WordPress.com, we sometimes display advertisements on your blog to help pay the bills. This keeps free features free! 3) WordAds is the option where we can run ads on all of your pages and you share in the income.”

Well, the “No Ads option” is $30/year. The “default free option” means you get advertising when you read my blog unless (as I understand it) you join WordPress (which is still free I think) and read it as a “member”. Anyway , I want you to know that I don’t want these ads, I get no revenue or anything else from these ads, I have no control over and don’t even know what ads WordPress will run in my blog and if you find them too bothersome I will cough up the $30/year to make them go away. Let me know, ok?

Meantime, they do state: “If you saw an inappropriate ad, please report it to support@wordpress.com. Please include the address of the site (e.g., http://example.wordpress.com), the date/time the ad appeared, and a screenshot of the ad.” Arrrrrrghh…

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