Here is one of my most famous recipes. I developed and refined it early in my culinary career, and it has proven time and again to be astoundingly popular.

Rice Krispy Bars are easy to make and wonderful to eat, everybody likes them. I made them one time for my wife to take to a slumber party (before we were married), and all the girls were impressed and in awe.

What you need: 1 bag (16 oz.) marshmallows, half-stick butter, rice krispies cereal, chocolate chips (optional). You’ll also need a 9×13 pan, large bowl, and mixing spoon. Make sure your bowl will fit into the microwave. We have a small microwave, so that got me once.

Put the butter in the bowl and zap it for a few seconds to soften. Dump in bag of marshmallows and nuke for 1 minute.

Stir. Nuke for another minute.

Stir again. That’s enough nuking! It should be nice and creamy by now.

Dump in some rice krispies.

Stir.

Don’t waste any!

Dump in some more rice krispies.

Stir some more.

Probably dump in another shake or two of krispies. You can tell when you’ve reached the right amount, just listen to your heart. Stir until mixed well.

Be happy!

Grease pan. I usually use a glass dish,

but this time both of mine were full of cornbread.

Dump half of the mixture into the pan. Poke down with mixing spoon.

Sprinkle chocolate chips into pan. Re: the red arrow, you KNOW this guy has got to be a good cook!

Note: it might be a good idea to sprinkle only half the pan with chocolate chips. My research showed that generally about 50% of test subjects liked the chocolate chips, the other half didn’t care for them. So putting them in half the pan is a good compromise. For the record, I (ITF Editor) love them.

For a different twist on the chocolate chips, put them in during the final stages of stirring the marshmallow/rice krispy mix. The warm melted marshmallows will cause the chips to melt also, and turn the whole mixture to chocolate!

Dump the remaining mixture in over the chocolate chips.

Flatten and spread with mixing spoon. You can also press down with wax paper, but I prefer the spoon method.

Let the pan sit for awhile to solidify. If you’re in a hurry for a taste (like we usually are here at ITF headquarters), you can put them in the refridgerator for a few minutes. If you’re REALLY in a hurry (like we sometimes are here at ITF), you can put the pan in the freezer! Make sure to leave it in no longer than ten minutes or so, or it will start to get frozen-like.

So there it is, ITF’s official suggestion for the perfect anytime snack!