It's Party time

One of the first party recipes I remember being taught was melting chocolate and mixing it with cornflakes and then dropping spoonfuls of the mixture into paper cups then letting it set. No party was complete without them. A friend of mine has been teaching her grandson to make these age old favourites and it is comforting to know that children today are as happy with them as we were.

in Italy the equivalent party favourite is made using Mars bars. These were once advertised as being good for you. A mars a day, helps you work, rest and play. A happy woman running around eating a mars bar and then straight after there might be an advert showing a harassed housewife who then sat down and Relaxed with a Woodbines.

I found it interesting when I was told that people who worked in chocolate factories could eat as many chocolate bars as they liked, but not so in the cigarette factory. Just goes to show that some things that are bad for you can make you feel as though you've had enough, others not so.

At our school we had a Tuck Shop, which was actually just a desk with cardboard boxes of sweets on it. usually I chose a Wagon wheel, but every so often a Mars Bar which was always shared, being too much for me.

Back to my Italian party recipe. It is great when there are a lot of you, especially children and is a colourful contribution to take along to a party.
So here it is.

Rice Krispie and Mars party bites

6 or 7 Mars Bars
150g butter
half a box of Rice Krispies
Colourful sweets and marshmallows to decorate
Lots of people

Melt the butter and mars bars over a low heat and then beat well.
Add the Rice Krispies and mix thoroughly but gently
Line a baking tin with greaseproof paper and scatter over the sweets.
Spoon the Rice Krispie mixture over the top and press down gently with a metal spoon.
Leave until set and then cut into small squares.
Many happy returns to childhood.