THE BAR IS OVER!!

After two and a half LONG months Stephen has taken the bar! I am so incredibly proud of his relentlessness work ethic. It is admirable and inspirational. On his most typical day he woke up, walked the pup, ate breakfast and then proceeded to study for 12 hours. He did this every single day and all the while maintained a positive attitude. He has shown me what dedication and perseverance looks like, I am grateful for this reminder.

I wanted to help maintain a calm space for Stephen this week so I bought him some items to help him move through the test with ease. I present to you the Bar Survival Package!

Bar Survival Package:

Papaya Tablets- stomach digestion
Aspirin- I dont care that its chemicals… we can’t risk headaches!
Walnuts
Almonds
Super food bars

Bar Celebration Foods

Chocolate Treats for Day 1: Vosgues Peppermint & Truffles

Secret package in the fridge (he opened it Wednesday night)…Chocolate cake to be joined by wine 🙂

So happy to be able to spend time with him again!!

Bar Exam Bars

Stephen has started studying for the Illinois State Bar Exam. This has been a long time coming and I am super excited for him. He is currently enrolled in a prep course that spans from now until the exam in February. Its an intensive course that will require approximately 8 to 10 hours of studying a day. As you can imagine I am not super excited to see less of him but I am happy he is crossing the finish line of this long journey that has been law school.

Since the weather has been gloomy and friends are out of town I have been baking like mad. I wanted to make Stephen treats to brighten up his study experience. The boy loves peanut butter and chocolate so I figured I would make some Bar Exam Bars.

I created this recipe and am quite pleased with the outcome. As I was making these bars I realized that the texture and consistency reminded me of my favorite Little Debbie… Star Crunch. As a kid I had a star crunch in my lunch everyday. Star crunch makes any boring lunch better and hopefully these bars will make study sessions just a little bit better too!

Classic

Disclaimer: I am not going to declare these are healthy in the least but a little sweet treat every now and then is okay… right? 🙂

Ooey Gooey Bar Exam Bars

I had a bunch of pictures and deleted them ALL on accident, tragic.

Ingredients:

Bars

• 5 c of Rice Krispies (I used 365 Brown Puffed Rice)
• 1/4 c of butter
• 1 bag of mini marshmallows
• 3/4 c chocolate chips
• 2 tbsp PB2
• 1/2 c trail mix (I used Trader Joes PB Cup mix) OR assorted peanut mix

Topping

• 1/2 tsp peanut oil
• 1/3 c white chocolate chips
• 1/2 tbsp peanut butter

Directions:

1. Line a baking dish (the smaller the pan the thicker bars) with wax paper and set aside.
2. In a microwave safe dish melt butter. Pour butter in mixing bowl (something deep enough to use an electric mixer if you do not have a stand mixer).
3. Microwave marshmallows for 30 seconds. Pour marshmallows into mixing bowl. Mix butter and marshmallows on a medium speed until the mixture becomes very gooey.
4. In a separate small bowl combine Pb2 mixture with water. Normally Pb2 calls for 1 tbsp of water… add more. You want this to equal about a 1/4 c o liquid.
5. Slowly pour rice cereal into mixture. Make sure the cereal is evenly coated. Pour pb2 mixture into cereal mix.
6. Pour chocolate chips and trail mix into mixture.
7. Spoon mixture onto wax paper. Use a spoon to evenly distribute mixture in pan. Try to get the bars even and the sides in a straight line.
8. Place the baking dish in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes (you need the mixture to harden).
9. Take the wax paper out of the dish and flip the mixture onto cutting board. Use a sharp knife or dough cutter to evenly cut bars into squares.
10. Once the bars are cut prepare the topping mixture. Place all ingredients in a microwave safe bowl and melt chocolate and peanut butter together. Use a fork to drizzle tops of bar.

Wrap bars in wax paper and secure with tape. Place in freezer until serving.

Pack your bar for studying and enjoy!