Salted Caramel Rice Krispy Treats

Is there anything better than homemade rice krispy treats?

I mean yes, probably there is. But not a lot of things. Rice krispy treats are so easy to make [you almost don't even have to cook] and soooo good. Like insultingly good. Like I can just sit there and eat a whole pan of them, ripping off pieces with my fingers and shoving them into my mouth.

Sadly, they seem to be a [dessert? snack? I say breakfast food] reserved only for kids. Whoever decided this clearly was not a nice person, not one that I'd like to know anyway. So in an effort to make a more adult-appropriate rice krispy treat, I came up with this Salted Caramel variety. The sprinkling of kosher salt really brings out the buttery flavor of the caramel and makes the perfect salty/sweet combination. I'm sure kids would love these too, just don't tell them about the salt, it might gross them out.

The caramel sauce I used was actually a dulce de leche spread made by La Paila. You could use any kind of caramel sauce you have [this would be a great way to use up extra caramel ice cream topping if you have it] or even melt caramel candies. Definitely buy the kosher salt for this, you have to buy a big box but it's only a few bucks and once you taste it you'll end up putting it on everything.

After making them I realized that if I wanted the salt to be visible I should have drizzled some extra caramel over the top, then sprinkled the salt. Oh well...next time...

[p.s. I made a full pan of these last night, and at 11 am the next morning there were only two left to take pictures of. They must be good.]

Salted Caramel Rice Krispy Treats

3 tbsp unsalted butter

10 oz regular marshmallows (1 small package)

6 cups rice krispies cereal

1/2 cup caramel sauce or melted caramels

1/2 to 3/4 tsp kosher salt

1. Spray or butter a 13"x9" pan.

2. In a large saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add caramel. Stir until mixed.

3. Add cereal to marshmallow mixture. Stir until cereal is evenly coated.

4. Dump cereal out into buttered pan. Using wax paper, press cereal mixture evenly down into the pan. If desired, drizzle extra caramel over top. Sprinkle kosher salt over cereal. Cool and cut into squares.

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Garden Babies

So this isn't a craft. But I still have to post it.

A few weeks ago my oh-so-nice boyfriend let me plant a garden in part of his landscaping [he even helped me!]. I cannot tell you how long I have pined after just a little dirt to dig in. With a string of shady second story apartments in my LA past [shady re: the sun, not management, except for one in Chinatown], I've never lived anywhere I was allowed access to the ground. After the the deaths of multiple tomato plants on various hostile patios, I will never take it for granted again.

So I ravaged the seed rack at Lowe's and planted corn, sunflowers, watermelon, zinnias, and morning glories. They're protected by a border of pest-repelling marigolds that just happen to be blooming in USC's colors, a non-coincidence that I casually pointed out to my boyfriend [brilliant huh?? bringing sports into gardening!]. I also stuck a strawberry plant in there, but I've never grown strawberries before and the little green berries are already getting chewed up by bugs, so I'm not sure how that will end up [any tips??]

This past week all the little baby seedlings having started sprouting, and I literally want to just sit in a chair and stare at them, they are that cute. I'm most excited about the corn babies because they just like miniature cornstalks. I daydream of one day picking corn and taking it straight to the grill [ideally in an adorable gingham-lined basket]. Probably a little too optimistic, but I can dream, can't I?