I told my family I was going to make Garbage Bars for desert. My lovely daughter, Grace, protested.
“Mom, they’re supposed to be called Seven Layer Bars, not Garbage Bars.”
Oh, and I can’t forget the best kind of fingers in the pantry, the baking fingers.
Jon used the most of the chocolate chips for cookies, Grace used the coconut to make German sweet chocolate cake, and the butterscotch chips were so old I don’t remember what the rest were used for. Don’t worry, though, those waxy things are so close to plastic they can stay in your freezer forever and not change forms.
But, those snitching fingers can leave only enough of something so that it’s good for nothing.
Speaking of snitching fingers, when all of my Mom’s six kids moved out of the house, she was mystified that her chocolate chips still disappeared.
Dad, you are so busted!
Back to using the leftover garbage in my pantry.
RECIPE FOR GARBAGE BARS:
1 package of graham crackers
1 stick of butter
1 can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
2 cups of baking chips
Various toppings of choice
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Smash the package of graham crackers into crumbs.
Melt butter in a 9×12 pan, watch carefully, it burns easily, and who can afford to throw out a whole stick of butter? OK, I only had to do that once, the last time I made the bars.
With a fork, mix in the graham crackers crumbs, lightly patting them down.
I don’t have a picture, but I think you can figure out the next step. Open the sweetened condensed milk and drizzle it all over the crumb crust. Don’t go all the way to the edge, it becomes like caramel when you bake it, and you’ll never get the bars out of the pan.
You can use one cup of nuts, but I never do. Nuts are for squirrels.
Rebekah Joy ended up eating that.
I always cut off the edges and let the kids nibble on them, then cut the rest into smaller squares because they’re pretty sweet.
If I’m hiding them from the family in the freezer, not meaning my family is in the freezer, but the bars are going in the freezer so the family’s nibbling, craving, snitching fingers can’t find them before their time, I layer them between waxed paper in my 8×8 Tupperware. They will stay fresh in the freezer for as long as you family doesn’t find them.
Ya’ know what I love the most about this recipe? You don’t really have to follow it. You take whatever you have, put it in the heat, and melt it into deliciousness.
and our abilities.
Today’s Christianity may tell you about the degrees you need, the experience you need, the vast talent you need to serve the Lord. Most of us moms can’t remember to comb our hair in a day or how we were going to end our sentence.
What do we have to offer Him?
Whatever opened items we have.
An open mouth, unashamed of the Gospel.
What do you have?
Mix your open ingredients and apply the heat of the Father’s love. He will prepare something amazing.
I promise.
What a great idea!! I have a tub of 'this and that' baking materials that need to be used somehow. This looks like the perfect way!! Thanks for sharing.
What a great idea!! I have a tub of 'this and that' baking materials that need to be used somehow. This looks like the perfect way!! Thanks for sharing.
Wow! I have lots of snitching fingers at my house too! What a coincidence! Love this recipe and intend to try it soon. Sounds so yum!Isn't it wonderful when we do a simple activity that paints a picture of how God works in our lives? All my bits and pieces sure aren't much, till He starts to make something out of them!
Wow! I have lots of snitching fingers at my house too! What a coincidence! Love this recipe and intend to try it soon. Sounds so yum!Isn't it wonderful when we do a simple activity that paints a picture of how God works in our lives? All my bits and pieces sure aren't much, till He starts to make something out of them!
I love how you used what you had on hand and they turned out looking delicious. What a great example for your girls, too…And the spiritual application was "right on!". Thanks for a great post!
I love how you used what you had on hand and they turned out looking delicious. What a great example for your girls, too…And the spiritual application was "right on!". Thanks for a great post!
I like the idea of garbage bars! There's always part of a bag of something floating around here~thanks for the tips!I love the last part of the post, too. Give what you have and it will be good. 🙂
I like the idea of garbage bars! There's always part of a bag of something floating around here~thanks for the tips!I love the last part of the post, too. Give what you have and it will be good. 🙂
Sweet blog. 🙂 We love those bars too but I've usually used the ingredients on the recipe…. good idea to use leftovers from whatever.
Sweet blog. 🙂 We love those bars too but I've usually used the ingredients on the recipe…. good idea to use leftovers from whatever.