Many years ago, in an effort to make summer at work feel a little like summer vacation, I brought a cooking method I had used with preschoolers to work. Dashboard cooking. When I first used this fun method of treat making, my girls were little and I was teaching preschoolers.
I was driving a Toyota Previa, still my favorite van of all time. That car had a dashboard you could take a nap on, it was so long- and deep
!
The summer heat was on and I decided to give my idea a try so I parked in the sun. Inside, I had the kids put saltines on a cookie sheet, along with a couple of chocolate chips and a couple of tiny marshmallows, then we marched outside in "two straight lines" like Madeline, and they watched as I placed the cookie sheet on the dash. By the way my glasses fogged when I opened the car door, I guessed the temp was warm enough to do the job.
We came inside and continued our play for a bit. We ventured out a couple of times to check, and the children could see into the dash from the steps. They were curious and excited. I was ready for some chocolate. It wasn't long before the marshmallows mellowed, and the drops looked like drips. The children sat on the steps as I removed the mini s'mores from the car and we ate them surrounded by the magic of the moment. It was awesome and repeated often.
I have written about bringing this idea to work already, but due to the strange season, I had neglected to do so this year, and summer has had plenty of heat! I kept hankering for something familiar, soothing, comforting, fun, but could not name it until suddenly it hit me! We need to cook in the car! I asked the boys at work if they were ready to help with making muddy buddies, and they all volunteered, so that was our first treat this year. A couple of things tickled me about this year's car cooking-
I brought the ingredients and the metal cooking bowl.The boys helped put the ingredients in the bowl and I took it out to the oven. When it was ready, I let them know and gave each a job. One to hold the bowl, one to hold open the zip lock bags, one to pour the crispix into the melted chocolate and peanut butter while I stirred. The crispix helper, who was here last year took great care in his pouring. He knew what the finished product would be, so he let me stir the crunchy cereal into the chocolate gently and waited until it was coated before he sprinkled more in. He had experience. He had experience in this random activity that was simple and fun and he came back this year to do it again. It made my day, it really did. The other fun part is seeing someone for the first time, be a part of the process. So fun.
One staff member pulled up as we were stirring in the sun, and later said she realized we were making muddy buddies and really looked forward to the treat. I guess I like the fact that adult professionals still have a place for a little fun.
We made butterscotch haystacks next, and on both occassions, the bags were empty by the end of the day. My boss came in and asked what we were making on my dashboard because he noticed the metal bowl sitting there in the sun,and remembered we cook in my car in the summer like it’s a normal thing to do. I like that
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