Ah, school lunch. Cold macaroni and cheese. Hot dogs that bounce. Jellified gravy. Makes you hungry, doesn't it?

As a child, I didn't take school lunch very often because I was a very picky eater. I recall a period of time where the only kind of sandwich that I would eat was a Butter Sandwich. Yep, it's exactly what you think. A piece of bread, slathered with butter, with another piece of bread on top. And my Mom actually let me eat it. Every day. What was she thinking?

Anyway, when I entered Junior High, I discovered something wonderful.

Peanut Butter Squares...
... awww, I get a warm fuzzy feeling just thinking about them.

Cool peanut butter mixed with crunchy pieces of rice cereal, topped with a thick layer of firm chocolate... mmmmm! They are so good.

Many years have passed. I have tried many different peanut butter square recipes in hopes of finding the peanut butter squares of my childhood. NO LUCK!

But then, a surprise e-mail from my friend Julie. She tells me that one of her favorite childhood treats was the peanut butter squares that were served at her elementary school. She further explains that because she loved them so much, she decided to contact the lunch lady at her old elementary school and see if she could get the recipe.

Julie then proceeds to rave about the recipe, and how it is exactly how she remembers these wonderful little treats, and by this time I am salivating because I realize that while we attended different schools, the schools were both in the same school district (Salt Lake City School District). Could this be the actual recipe for my beloved peanut butter squares?

So I made them today, and I am finally content. I have the recipe for my favorite peanut butter squares. And now... I'm going to share it with you.

Peanut Butter Squares

1/2 cube butter or margarine
3 cups peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
10 T rice cereal (like Rice Crispies)
Chocolate Icing (or chocolate chips)

Warm butter and peanut butter.
Stir in powdered sugar (with hands if mixer is not heavy duty).
Mix in cereal.
Spread mixture on cookie sheet. Top with wax paper and smooth with a rolling pin.
Top with chocolate icing. If you use chocolate chips, melt with a small amount of shortening or oil.
Place in the fridge to chill for a couple of hours or as long as you can stand waiting. (This is MY tip, and not a part of the actual recipe.)

[[This is embarrassing to admit, but I was so excited about making these things, I just realized that I completely left out the butter. I will probably try it again and actually FOLLOW the directions this time because I think the butter might help with the texture a little bit, but honestly, it's not that bad. And it's probably a little healthier with out the butter anyway!]]