Holidays, Food, & Nostalgia

I recently wrote an article for The Des Moines Register about how food, holidays, and nostalgia go hand in hand. It was a fun piece to write and I was able to tell some great stories from other people around Central Iowa.

In the piece I talk about my Gramma Verna and the treats she used to make at her beauty shop. I still make many of the candies she made to this day but one stands out above the rest. They are her crunchy cereal bars.

Here is my Gramma fixing a customer's hair.

This picture is special for a couple reasons. One - it's probably the only picture I have of Gramma in her beauty shop. Two - the woman who is getting her hair done used to babysit my sister and me from time to time. Her name was Oleta and she collected owls. Every time we went to her house she let us wander through every room counting all of her owls. She also made the best pistachio fluff.

Back to the bars... They are simple to make and decadent. When I made them to take photos I only kept a few at home and sent the rest to work with my husband. I did not want to be tempted with the whole pan.

Crunchy Cereal Bars

Verna Sterling

1 cup sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter

6 cups corn flakes

Put the cereal in a large mixing bowl. In a saucepan, cook sugar, corn syrup and butter until butter melts and comes to a full boil. Remove from heat, add peanut butter and mix well. Pour over cereal and mix well. Spread in a 9x13 pan and let cool completely before cutting.

To read the whole article and see the recipes others shared, click here.