Fruity Cereal Treats - Vegas Style!

Vegas, Nationals and Fruity Cereal Treats.... ahhhhh, what a life!!!  Our car filled to the brim with costumes, nearly every kind of dance shoe you can think of, makeup cases, hair bands and pins, hair gels and sprays, and hearts full of excitement, Liv and I set out with Savannah and her mom early last Sunday on the road to Las Vegas for the Star Systems National Dance Competition.  Leaving behind our cool ocean breezes we hit more heat than our San Diego skins were used to, but air conditioner blasting we plowed through and before we know it, well... it was Vegas Baby!!!

Not wasting any time the girls prepped the next morning for a fairly early call time for the small groups portion of the competition.  The most entertaining hillbillies you have ever met went on first with a small group tap number, my favorite number of the year.  With blacked out teeth, ruffled up hair and dressed in their "hillbilly" finest these girls soon had the audience on their feet and clapping along with their sidesplitting rendition of Safe, Sane, and Single.

Small Group Tap... the Hillbillies of Safe, Sane and Single!!

Showing that these girls really do clean up well, they finished Safe, Sane and Single, ran back to the dressing room only to emerge some 14 minute later made up and looking lovely for the next group, a small group jazz number set to West Side Story's "America".  Wowing the crowd, the girls once again had us on our feet cheering as they danced their hearts out bringing all the emotion of the Broadway show to their Vegas stage.

Small group jazz, the girls from "America"

Hours later the eagerly anticipated awards ceremony bestowed an exhilarating 4th place standing to America and an even more breathtaking 3rd place overall to Safe, Sane and Single.  Our hearts bursting with excitement, we returned to our rented condo and set to making a celebratory treat.  

A few months ago we enjoyed breakfast with Savannah and I loved how she truly relished a bowl of Fruit Loops which she said she only "got on the road" as her mom didn't usually buy them for the house.  Liv lives under pretty much the same rules, but the comment had me immediately thinking of a post from Katrina's Kitchen of an Easter Egg Cereal Treat made with fruity cereal.

Not having the time or tools in our rented place to make the treats into eggs, we switched to the regular old fashioned bar version cut into squares.  With the girls getting to mixing nearly as soon as we opened the door, we had treats in no time.  Melted marshmallows (well... most of the marshmallows, I did see quite a few used as taste testers) mixed with a quarter cup of butter is then simply stirred with the cereal (we used Fruity Cheerios - but any fruity cereal will do) and pressed into an prepared 9x13 in pan.

Fruity Cereal Treats surrounded by gummy bears

A few hours later the dancing girls cut the set bars into squares and Miss Savannah decorated our blog shoot plate.  Enhancing the colorful squares even more, she lined the plate with squishy, bright gummy bears bringing the perfectly plated prop to our set.  Enjoying the treats for days, the girls happily posed with the bars, all smiles and ready for the next competitive event.

What could be better than Fruity Cereal Bars with Gummy Bears??  Well... how about Fruity Cereal Bars with Gummy Bears while you are surrounded by your new trophies???  Woo Hoo!!!  Congratulations Girls, your hard work paid off.  You danced your hearts out, bringing tears to all of the mom's eyes.  Way to go, we are so proud of you!  (Next up... stay tuned for solos and large groups!!)

Liv and Savannah enjoy a treat in the midst of their new trophies!

Fruity Cereal Treats

adapted from Katrina's Kitchen     
Printer Friendly recipe

1/4 cup butter
1 bag marshmallows (10 oz.)
5 cups "Fruity" Cereal (we used Fruity Cheerios)

Rub butter over a 9x13 inch pan, making sure to get into the corners, or alternatively spray with cooking spray.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a large pan over medium heat.  Add marshmallows and stir until melted.  Pour in the cereal and mix until fully coated with the melted marshmallows.  Press into the prepared pan and allow to set.  Cut into desired shapes and enjoy.

 Note:  Savannah recommends the treats with the white gummy bears in particular....!!  :)

Savannah and Liv... Safe, Sane and Single!!