My late grandma on my dad’s side passed away when I was too young to comprehend the nature of it all. At the time, all I knew was that it happened, people were sad, and we moved on.

Now that I’m older, I look back and remember her as more than just my late grandma. She was a quiet, but strong and resilient woman. Her dishes were always cooked with intense care and sophistication. She never overate, never complained, and she was a slow but elegant eater. She enjoyed living a simple, quiet life.

That’s always the thing, isn’t it? You always wish there was just more time.

Regardless, her spirit is kept alive through the signature dishes that she shared with her close family and friends. Two that I deeply remember is a classic pound cake, which will be saved for a later post, and her signature rice krispie treats.

Though my grandma was a Vietnamese immigrant, I now have to commend her for her forward thinking. She always handmade rice krispie treats to share with her temple friends, which was a pretty damn smart idea considering they were so simple to make. I remember her diligently pressing against the treats to flatten them before cutting them into perfect little squares. She had always been such a neat, organized woman. Though she’s gone, I remain so proud to be her grand daughter. I’m sure she’d be proud of me, too.

Damn, this wasn’t meant to be a sad post. Maybe I won’t even get to the pound cake one.

Some ways I like to jazz up the rice krispie treat and make it my own:

• Add crushed pretzels and a drizzle of chocolate for that salty + sweet combo
• Add a simple drizzle of Hershey’s chocolate
• Add some m&m’s
• My work uncle suggested browning the butter and adding flakey sea salt on top — I have yet to try this but I do not doubt this tastes delicious

See here for the classic rice krispies treat recipe.