Rice Krispie Bars

It’s a sizzling start to my favorite month.

It's aiming for 97 degrees today which will break records and perhaps our hearts a little as we cede to  the press of the heat.

We’re not promised much letup. Get accustomed to it is the best of the advice we hear. The dog days of summer jumped the gun this year.

Tank tops I vowed never to wear again in public are working their way to the front of the closet. 

Suddenly as scrutinized they look more appropriate for the melting temperatures than gauged by the light of September when they were folded and put away.

Throw in the dew point and it certainly is lake weather. Many of us are at the lake already. 

The 4th of July gets things rolling and lots of people get a head start. It’s smart thinking to wrap a vacation around the national holiday.

Others of us find the lakes in our midst sufficient for all the picnicking, 4th of July barbecuing and chilling we plan to do.

Packing to go out of town to the lake when lakes are right here can perhaps justifiably be construed as more effort than one needs to go through.

It really doesn’t matter how we catch our refreshing breeze as long as we do. It can be the fast whir of the portable fan or the opening of the refrigerator door in response to a request for another glass of lemonade, please.

The 4th of July, as indeed all the summer, should be a time when we let the breezes play lightly and teasingly over us.

Wherever we are to be in position for the holiday we’re ready for a safe and glorious Fourth.

It was fortuitous, back in 1776, that the signers of the Declaration of Independence adopted Thomas Jefferson’s masterfully composed document on July 4. I can’t imagine celebrating in this grand style at any other time.

I make Rice Krispie bars every year with the first sticky outbreak. We’ve had a couple previous opportunities for the bars. Steamy conditions are gaining as a characteristic of this summer. 

We didn't then have Rice Krispies on hand. That’s a severe drawback for making the bars. Now I’m equipped.

It seems to me the recipe once was standard on the Rice Krispies box. It was as dependable a feature as Nutrition Facts (1¼ cups of cereal with or without milk provide 50% of your recommended daily iron)) or the Snap, Crackle and Pop boys.

Maybe the box has had a makeover. I don’t pay much attention as swift selection is made along the cereal aisle.  Often I don’t even notice the price. 

It was at home I noted the recipe is gone. It's not on the side panel. It’s not at the top or the bottom of the Rice Krispies box either. 

It was  turned every which way with no luck. I remembered it wasn't on the last box either.

There's not a hint of the recipe on the box. You can get the recipe at kelloggs.com, which is information on the box, but the web site could make the recipe easier to find.

I was prepared with a backup. The recipe is on an index card in my no-bake file. 

Perhaps I feared for this eventuality, the day when the Rice Krispie bar recipe would disappear.

Summer is a trifle cooler when you sit down to a plate of Rice Krispie bars. 

Today, with bars to serve, this theory gets tested. It’d be great if it makes it feel less a scorcher. Maybe it will pass for a mere ninety degrees.

Rice Krispie Bars

Melt 3 Tablespoons butter and 1-10 oz. bag regular marshmallows (about 40) over low heat. When marshmallows are completely melted remove from heat. Add 6 cups Rice Krispie cereal. Stir until well coated.

Press mixture into 9 x 13” greased pan. Cut into 2 x 2” squares when cool. Yield: 24 bars.

Ro Giencke – July 2, 2012