The Rice Krispie Treat Report

To make rice krispie treats with Tara, you need:
* One Tara and one contented little brother
* rice krispies as per recipe,
* butter AND marshmallows
* one broom, child size, and one adult size
* one egg
* foreign inspiration (like from other people who have not yet blogger their pictures!)
* a lot of time to kill with both kids, like when Papi is on his way to the airport to fetch the in-laws (my in-laws, that is, not his).

Also, you need to read the rice krispie recipe in full before before you go shopping, so as not to just think "rice krispies... yeah well kind of obvious... butter, yeah I got butter," and then come to realise back home that you also needed marshmallows. (On the plus side, going down to the shops twice means double the fresh air, and double the time spent doing meaningful activities.)

Step 1.: Get ingredients together

So, after two trips to the shops, Tara excitedly cooks up a storm. Rice krispies go everywhere, with the first load being generously assigned to her mouth and the floor. Never mind - we have brooms of all sizes as well as a healthy appetite, and cleaning up your own mess is just of the same educational value as baking up a storm. Talk about a storm... Jose's daughter is very good with brooms, at every angle.

Step 2.: Generousbly clean the rice krispies out of the kitchen. They are everywhere.

Next, you actually allow your Tara to do the hot stuff herself, with, obviously, plenty warning about the dangers of hot pans and hot marshmallows. They melt in the most fascinating fashion. (That alone was worth the effort!)

Step 3.: Melt butter and marshmallows.

Talk your Tara into not eating up all the marshmallows, then stir in the rice. Fascinating gue.

We pat it into a form and while I stick it in the fridge (i.e. turn my back), Tara climbs atop the kitchen table. We've just successfully handled hot stuff, why not next handle gravity, ey? We talk to daddy at the airport until two grandparents emerge with two suitcases containing about two tooth brushes (and 40 kilos of Spanish foods and presents). Quote Tara: "Hey daddy, guess what! I'm sitting on the table like a monkey." Yep, true.

Step 7.: Announce treats to daddy at the airport

And finally, ta-da, we have reached the great big moment: We will sample rice krispie treats that all our friends think so much of. Tara takes one nibbly bite... "Ugh... Mummy, I don't like them any more... you can have them, and daddy, and abuela and abuelo. Can I have my egg now? Round, like Arthur [at nursery]." Ah. Well. Well then. All for me, as daddy and abuela and abuela sure as hell won't touch the stuff - totally besides the fact that they will, in just under two hours, unpack about 3 kilos of Spanish sweets from their suitcases, along with an expected 15 additional kilos of cheese and meats. Cooking sessions is over and rice krispie week is about to start, if only for me.

Last step: Eat that food which you think is tasiest even if that may be a boiled egg...