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Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Sticky, Gooey Cheerio Bars



These bars took me back to grade school.  Many people complain about school or hospital cafeteria lunches.  I don't think I ever did.


I loved the 'lunch ladies' growing up and I clearly remember a high school classmate who used to sing to the lunch ladies everyday when he went through the line, along with getting them gifts at holidays, he really loved them.

He's still a character to this day.

I remember their homemade cinnamon rolls, french bread, chili, cake, and some thing that I can't remember the foreign name to - homemade rolls stuffed with a meat mixture.  Gosh, what were those called?

When I birthed our two kids at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics, I loved their food.  I'm not sure if it was a lack of food in a 24-hour period, being exhausted from giving birth, being waited on hand and foot or realizing that I'd eat anything at that point - but their food was good.  Take that back - great.

With a baby in one arm and the hospital menu in the other - I looked forward to breakfast, lunch and dinner served to me in bed.

What I'm getting to, is I love food, especially when people cook it for me.  These cheerio bars remind me of my childhood when the lunch ladies would serve them as dessert, along side whatever creation they had for the day.


Good for you?  Not so much.  But as always, I'm not eating the whole pan.  Just enough to bring me back to those early days.

Sticky, Gooey Cheerio Bars
3/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 c. peanut butter
1/2 t. salt
1 t. vanilla
4 c. Cheerios
1 c. chocolate chips

Butter or spray an 8x8 pan. In large pan heat syrup, sugar and salt to boiling. Stir in peanut butter, remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over Cheerios and chocolate chips, stirring quickly to combine, press into pan. Refrigerate 1 hour.
Do you have a favorite school or hospital cafeteria food?

Would you like to comment?

  1. These look so good! I love cereal bars.

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  2. How much sugar? The recipe doesn't say! Help please!

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  3. LOVe your blog! im your newest follower! you can follow back at: tristascreations.blogspot.com

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  4. Both times I was in the hospital after having my kids, plus another 2 times for a back issue, I looked forward to the hospital food. I raved and raved about it. Everyone thought I was nuts. :)

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  5. Weren't they called Perogies? The cheerios bars must have been after 1987 because I don't remember them! I clearly remember the peanut butter and chocolate no bakes. School food was just ok, I was much too picky back in the day. Now, I would love for someone to hand me a lunch or any meal for that matter that I wasn't in charge of planning, cooking, and cleaning up:) I would never complain!!!!

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  6. Ohhh! You could use any kind of cereal! Great recipe. I was on bed rest with my daughter for a month at the hospital. I actually loved certain things they made and still crave it. I also crave school cafeteria foods sometimes. Like school pizza... I think it's probably not as good as I remember though.

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  7. Fave school food ever: red jello with applesauce. Best days were when I was "lunch crew" and we could get extras after all were served. Mmmm.

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  8. Well, I can not relate to the lunch ladies... Although I never did complain. The hospital food when I had my daughter was fabulous. They must have world class chefs working there... Or the exhausting and starvation from a long labor got to me.

    Dough stuffed with meat??? Fatiyah? That is a Cerian Meat dish that my husbands family makes.

    These look fantastic.

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  9. Jolene (www.everydayfoodie.ca)March 8, 2012 at 6:24 PM

    I have never eaten at a school or hospital cafeteria before, believe it or not!

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