A SWEET SURPRISE: SCOTCHEROOS

Starting up school again after the holidays can be a little difficult. A little? Okay, sometimes actually difficult. As kids, a two week winter break felt like forever and we were ready to go back to school whether we admitted it or not. But by the time the end of your first semester of college rolls around, you've never wanted a break more! And you try to make the most of your time home- see family, friends, sleep all day on the couch, play with the dog- but as soon as second semester starts up you realize how much more appreciative you could have been towards your time off! Well... lucky for me, I don't have that exact same feeling anymore! Just the feeling of returning to work. Which is sort of the same... except that the evenings are free and I don't feel stressed 24/7... okay so not the same at all! Either way, we return to our normal lives, ready or not. Our little brother is just starting his second semester of college this week so he's beginning to become familiar with dreading homework once again. Ok, honestly, I think he's more excited to be back with his friends than dreading homework. But what I'm basically getting at is that transitions are difficult and exciting all at once! So to celebrate and toast to the new semester, I sent the boy a care package:) With tasty treats! Scotcheroos are his favorite, and after sneaking a tiny bite, I wanted to make a whole batch for myself. Tomorrow maybe? Yes. But really! Try sending a care package to someone you love. Just a simple baked good goes a long way! These are great to send because they don't go stale very quickly. And they are so good! We actually use Special K in my family, so we call them Special K bars, but they are the same as scotcheroos so use Special K or Rice Krispies.. whatever you have on hand. So, send them as encouragement, as celebration, as a fun surprise! It doesn't take much effort, but whoever receives it will definitely be thankful for the treat and thought behind it!

scotcheroos

3/4 cup white sugar

3/4 cup white Karo syrup

1 cup creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

5-6 cups Special K (or Rice Krispies) cereal

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup butterscotch chips

Measure out 5 cups of Special K into a VERY large bowl (you'll be mixing and you don't want it to overflow!). Bring the sugar and syrup to a boil, then remove from the stove. Add the peanut butter and stir until melted and combined. Add the vanilla. Pour the mixture over the Special K and mix to combine. Add the last cup of Special K, a little at a time, until the cereal is completely coated but not covered with excess peanut butter mixture. Pat into a greased 9X13 pan. Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a double boiler or carefully in the microwave (you don't want them to burn!) and then spread over the bars. Let cool, cut into squares, and serve or ship away!