A Drift of Quills for March 2020

This month, we Quills are sharing our thoughts on a favorite recipe. Mine comes along with a story and with decades of memories. I’ll share it and then we’ll move on to see what my fellow Quills have for us today.

Oh, food! It is as critical a part of a well-spun story as it is of a well-enjoyed life! 

Some years ago—let’s say 25 or so—there was a person in my life who had moved from the “acquaintance” column into the “among two best friends” column, where she has remained ever since. But even then, our relationship changed in a crazy and meaningful way, beginning with an exchange one Friday evening that went something like this:

Her: So … I was wondering … what are you doing on Monday?

Me: Monday? Monday … Hmmm.

Her: Memorial Day.

Me: Oh, of course, Memorial Day! Ahhh … nothing. Why?

Her: Well … (She looks away, back again, away again, back again) I was wondering if we could come over.

Me: To our place? (Having no idea what she had in mind …) Sure. 

Her: (Looking away and back again, away and back again) And I was wondering if we could have a picnic lunch.

Me: Well ... sure.

Her: (Looking away and back again, away and back again.) And I was wondering if you would make those bars you make.

Me: The bars I make …

Her: The chocolate caramel ones with the oatmeal.

Me: Oh, sure! If you like.

​​Her: What time should we be there?

Later, she told me that her husband had been mortified that she’d been so bold as to invite her family of five, out of the blue, to my home for a holiday. But I will be forever grateful that she did. You see, by that time our friendship had become something special. But this helped to solidify it. And the truth is that I don’t know where or how my life might have gone without her, not to mention the lives of my children. 

A Memorial Day get-together became a tradition for our families. From the time we began, my friend added two more children to her family, and we added two more to ours. We also shared the day with another friend of ours and her husband, and their family grew over the years with the addition of three children.

Memorial Day has always been my children’s favorite holiday. Over the years, we’ve shared the best company, the best laughs, and some of THE BEST food I’ve ever had. 

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Only one thing has remained constant on the menu from year to year: my Memorial Day Bars. So here is the recipe ... (I don't know where I got the original, but I made changes and here it is.)

Memorial Day Bars

1 box of German chocolate cake mix
3/4 cup melted butter
3/4 cup old fashioned oats
1/3 cup evaporated milk (I recommend you buy the small can, as it holds about twice this amount and you’ll need the rest later.)

Mix the above and divide it in half. Press one of the halves in the bottom of a 9X13 (very slightly) greased pan. Bake that at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.

Before the above step, I actually recommend that you get the following going:

Unwrap all of the caramels in a 13 oz. bag of Kraft caramels (we usually had the kids doing this while we were preparing the bar mix). Then put the caramels in a microwave safe bowl and add 1/3 cup of evaporated milk.

While the bars are in the oven for the first 10 minutes, melt the caramels and evaporated milk together. I usually pop it in the microwave for a minute or two, then stir, then repeat, until it’s a creamy smooth caramel. (I don't let the kids near this mix, because it is HOT.)

Remove the semi-baked bars from the oven.

Sprinkle 1 cup of chocolate chips over the top.

Then, very carefully, put the caramel over the chocolate.

​Once done, drop bits of the remaining bar mix over the top. (I usually take teaspoon sized bits, flatten them a bit in the palm of my hand, and then drop them on top.)

Bake at 350 degrees for another 20 minutes.

You will want to let these bars cool a bit before you cut and eat them because the caramel is so very hot, but don’t wait too long because much of the fun is in the creamy warm goodness of the melted chocolate and caramel. 

​Enjoy!

Unfortunately, over the past few years, our extended "family" has been unable to connect on Memorial Day. My friend’s children (there are now five of them) have moved, some out of state; our other friend and her husband and three children all moved out of state; and I’ve one child out of state and one out of country. But last year, my friend sent me pictures of events from two of her children—one living about three hours away by car, and the other about three hours away by plane. What were those pictures of? Well, you see, they shared one thing in common that day: they both made my Memorial Day Bars.

I hope you enjoy my recipe. Maybe you can use it to help build some new and wonderful relationships and memories of your own.

Next up is Robin Lythgoe. Robin! What have you for us today?

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​A bite of something delicious and familiar can transport us in time, reviving feelings and memories from times gone by. Mama’s chicken soup isn’t just for curing colds. Cookies fresh out of the oven can remind you of holiday baking parties with the family. A dish of chocolate Knox Blox immediately brings to mind a summer evening spent on the front step, talking about anything and everything with our kids.

The foods we especially like—the foods that come with rich, warm memories—are different and unique to each of us. I will never forget the humid “green” smell…

Finally! It's your turn, Parker. I can't wait to see what you have for us!

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I'm surprised. I found (yet another) topic that is frustratingly difficult for me to write about. 

Food. Turns out I can spin tales in fantastical worlds, make horses fly, cats talk, or craft a raging daemon - but the everyday sustenance that I depend on, that I look forward to - I come up vague and boring, like a bowl of tepid, gluey oatmeal. It's not necessarily bad, but it's certainly uninspiring. 

But that is my failure, because food and drink actually weave a deep magic that not only bring hope, joy and happiness to our daily lives, but can even warp time and space, tying the fabric of our existence together in a way nothing else can. 

There you have it, everyone! What do you think?