Fun Food Friday-Rice Krispies with a twist

Okay, here it is. The Fun Food Friday I've been trying to do for the past..6 weeks or so. The problem with things that need to be cooked is that they take time, and time wasn't something I've had a lot of this holiday season. So I apologize if this is a little late, but think of it as that gift your mom ordered the day before Christmas, and it just arrived today.

I'm a huge fan of Rice Krispie Treats. If my body would allow it, I'm sure I could eat a whole pan of the things in one sitting. Thankfully, I think either my stomach or my heart would rebel before I could complete such a feat. They are one of the few treats that are nearly impossible to mess up. All it takes is butter, marshmallows, and Rice Krispies. I'm not even sure if the actual proportions matter that much. Add all those things together, plop them down on a pan, and done! At least, I think that's how it's done. Growing up, my mom would mention something about using up the stale box of Rice Krispies, I'd mumble a reply, and an hour later there was a plate full of Rice Krispie Treats sitting on the kitchen counter. It was magical. As much as I'm embarrassed to admit it, I've never actually made them myself. I've never even watched someone make them. With my girlfriend Chelsea's help, that's about to change right now.

The directions are pretty straightforward. Melt butter, then melt marshmallows, mix with Rice Krispies cereal, then wait a few minutes.  Man, this sounds easy. I'm not sure why people make such a big deal out of making these things. The box even gives the kids ideas for what to do while the adults are doing all the work. Pssh..like I need a box to tell me to go watch tv while someone else gets their hands dirty.

And here is what you'll need to build your Rice Krispies Treats Holiday Houses. The kit contains red and green icing, tiny hard candies, and gum drops for decorating your creation. I think the hard candies would work better as ammo for a slingshot, but I guess it depends on the kid. I love how the box exclaims, "Includes everything! Just add butter!". Well, I guess you didn't include everything then, now did you?

This is Chelsea's hand, trying to get the marshmallows to melt. The directions recommend "Low" heat, but we found that to be an exercise in futility. I think the pan would have rusted through before those marshmallows melted. We ended up cranking the heat up to "Medium", and blasted those fools.

And here's Chelsea's hand again, mixing up the marshmallow and Rice Krispies. I would have done it, but someone needed to work the camera. After you get all the Rice Krispies wrapped up with that marshmallow, you're supposed to let the whole thing rest for 5-10 minutes. The box suggested we design our houses while we waited for the mixture to set up, so that's exactly what we did.

That's mine on the left, while Chelsea's on the right. I went for the more abstract design, with a Christmas tree planted on the roof, large powerful arms on either side, and tank treads. You know, for moving. Chelsea's is a pretty good rendition of our actual house, though I can't say I remember the sun being that red. Also, why would it need to wear shades? No matter, 10 minutes are up, and it's time to build the houses.

I would have liked to have taken some photos of the process, but it's a little hard to do when your hands are covered in cooking grease. Chelsea keeps saying she won. I say I won, because I felt like my house more resembled my initial plan. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree. Either way, we're both winners, because Rice Krispies Treats are freakin' delicious!

So there you have it, my first experience making Rice Krispie Treats. It was certainly fun, but I think I still prefer it when they magically appear on the kitchen counter.