With summer in full swing and 4th of July less than 24 hours away, the smell of grilling is in the air. You’ve got your burgers, your brats, your chips and potato salad, and of course, you’ve got to have an assortment of bars. While I know I have mentioned this before in my Midwestern Dictionary , I decided I needed to dedicate an entire post to the glory that are bars.
My favorite type of bars: Scotcheroos
It had only been about a day into our big North Dakota move when we were invited over to a friend’s house for grilling. As we loaded up our plates with all the delicious food, we were reminded to not forget the bars. “The what?” I questioned.
“The bars,” she responded and gestured over in the direction of what I now know as Scotcheroo Bars.
“Oh,” I replied. “I’ve never heard them called that before.”
“Well, what do you call them then?” she asked.
“Umm… whatever they are called. Like brownies, or lemon bars or I guess Scotcheroo Bars.”
This wasn’t the last time I would have this conversation with Midwestern locals. In fact, it is still hard for me to call them bars without giving a little giggle or adding a little bit of a Midwestern accent to my pronunciation. You see, while I knew what she was referencing, I had never heard them called such a generic term before. Sure, I have a section in my ‘Better Homes and Garden Cook Book’ just dedicated to cookies AND bars, but I still would never say, “Oh, I’m making bars”. If someone asked what I was bringing to a BBQ or potluck, I would say specifically whatever the dessert item was. For example, chocolate chip bars or blondies. Not simply “bars”.
Additionally, if I was asked to bring some sort of dessert, “bars” would probably not be on the top of my list. In fact, I had never seen so many bars until I moved to North Dakota (ironically, this statement could also hold true to the kind of “bars” that serve adult beverages as well). I may bring pie, or cake, or even cookies… but probably not bars. Now don’t get me wrong. I love bars! They are just not really something I grew up eating or really paid much attention to. What is it about Midwesterners and their bars? What happened to simple chocolate chip cookies or a few Snickerdoodles?
As I ponder this question, I suddenly feel in the mood to make some bars. So on that note, happy 4th of July everyone and enjoy the many bars you will consume in celebration of America!
side note: as I Googled “bars” to post a few photos up on my blog, you can guess the first 100 or so images were not of dessert bars but instead… the other type.
Lemon oil may be used in aromatherapy. Researchers at The Ohio State University found that lemon oil aroma does not influence the human immune system, but may enhance mood.
Sugar also contributes to the moistness of desserts and their tenderness. The flour or starch component in most desserts serves as a protein and gives the dessert structure. Different flours such as All-Purpose Flour or Pastry Flour provide a less rigid gluten network and therefore a different texture. Along with flour desserts may contain a dairy product.;..
Kind regards
<http://www.healthmedicinentral.com/
[...] used a pumpkin flax granola that we buy at Costco. As a midwesterner, I have a great affinity for bars, and these will make the regular [...]
Are you going to do a cook book of bars for Christmas this year? I would buy one of those too!
I agree with Jeremy! A bar cookbook would look nice under my tree this year.
Just yesterday I was eating a Scotcheroo. They are always present at our family get-togethers. I was thinking “Becoming Midwestern” needs to blog about the good old Scotcheroo similar to the blog about BBQ’s. And I look today and here it is! What timing!
Love your blog ! You are getting hang of it.
Have you done your research on “hotdishes” ?….LOL
Absolutely! I have an entire post about hotdishes.
you should start calling your blog becoming Minnesota. Then all you wanna be will fit right in
You should change your blog to becoming Minnesota!
You should change your blog to becoming Minnesota.
You should change your blogs name to becoming Minnesotan
This made me smile. My grandmothers church cookbook from the 60′s (church cookbooks are the best!) has a whole chapter on bars and they’re all delish! It’s not a Midwestern potluck/party without bars, especially if the bars outnumber the food 2-1.
Your introduction to “bars” reminds me of your introduction to “hot dish”. You find the prettiest “hot dish” at a church ice cream social, and give her a bar. Going to the bar comes later. Girls were known to put a splash of vanilla behind the ear if perfume was not available. Yummm.
Bars are confections that are made in a pan, cut into squares, picked up and eaten with the fingers and usually have more than one layer and/or flavor – scotcheroos, rice krispie bars, pumpkin bars.
Cookies are confections that can be picked up with the fingers, but are a little less messy than bars, and usually consists of one or two flavors – chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin cookies, snickerdoodles, etc.
But a dessert is the ultimate confection, the creme de la creme, the “Cadillac” of sweets, usually several layers/flavors, and needs to be eaten with a plate and fork – tiramisu, strawberry shortcake, etc.
Makes perfect sense! Thank you!
It’s also fast and easy. My mom frequently received instructions to bring “bars” to different social and church events, and no matter what kind she made it was quick. As a busy farm wife and mom of four kids, she didn’t have time to mold cookies or frost a cake!
As a life-long Midwesterner, I will try to expand on this topic a little more. The term “bars” refers to the collective of the types of the desserts you’ve mentioned (lemon BARS, Rice Krispie BARS, etc). I think this is done becuase so often in our culture (like at potlucks and bake sales), there is more than one to choose from. Often, too, people are instructed to bring “bars” to social functions, and this gives the baker the freedom to choose whichever s/he wants to make.
Interesting. Makes sense. I had just never really heard them referred to “bars” until I moved here.