I’ve been in NASCAR jail since Friday afternoon.
In case you didn’t know, today is the Daytona 500. I didn’t know this for 24 years, but now that Mr. How Sweet is in my life, I’ll never hear the end of it. For him, this is one of the biggest days of the year — depending, of course, on who wins.
He’s been glued to the TV all weekend, watching and rewatching every NASCAR special he can find. I suspect a few sentimental moments were had, but that’s between him and the couch.
He’s even pulled out diecast cars for decoration, dug up a Dale Earnhardt t-shirt from 1991, and there may be a sizable cooler of beer in the foyer. In short, I’m laying low until Sunday evening — and taking a few credit cards with me just in case.
With the kitchen currently stocked only with 16 pounds of meat and a gallon of ketchup, I wanted to leave him a treat he could snack on during the race. He loves rice crispy treats, and I’m a little obsessed with cake batter flavors, so I combined the two. The result is a sweet, cakey rice cereal bar studded with sprinkles — pure comfort food and very addictive.
Cake Batter Crispy Treats
Adapted from the classic rice cereal treat method
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 (10-ounce) bag mini marshmallows
- 1/4 cup yellow cake mix
- 6 cups rice krispies cereal
- 1 (1.75-ounce) container sprinkles
Instructions: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the mini marshmallows and stir until they begin to melt. Gradually add the cake mix, one spoonful at a time, stirring to incorporate it evenly. Add the rice krispies and stir until the cereal is thoroughly coated with the marshmallow mixture. Fold in half of the sprinkles so they’re distributed throughout. Press the mixture into a baking dish — any reasonable size will work — and sprinkle the remaining sprinkles on top. Let the bars set for about 30 minutes before cutting. Spraying a knife with nonstick spray helps achieve clean slices.
These won’t last long once the race is on. I can already picture him alternating bites of burger and crispy treat — and happily so.