"Ooey Gooey Everything Chewy"

Like any family, mine has its quirks. At the risk of embarrassing myself (and other family members), I'll abstain from including a list of everyone's unusual traits. But, I will say that my dad and I have a unique tendency to turn things into songs and rhymes. My dad sometimes does this with bits of conversation that include song lyrics. Perhaps, for example, if you were to mention the rainy days that the weathermen were forecasting, he might start to hum or sing, "Rainy days and Mondays always get me down." Similarly, I put normal day-to-day bits of information to music. Now, I can't say that this was necessarily a pre-mom habit, but I do it all the time now with my 14-month-old. (I almost fear that the child will grow up thinking he lives in a musical, believing that all families sing about what they are eating for dinner or what clothes they will be wearing that day. On the up-side, at least he'll have an appreciation for musical theatre at a young age!) Rhyming pretty much goes hand-in-hand with this musical quirk, so it wasn't surprising that my dad came up with a more clever name for this week's dessert creation. As I served my family the "Gooey Layered Everything Bars," (a somewhat cumbersome, yet descriptive name) my dad began calling them by several different variations of the title. It became rather comical, but in the end, it was "Ooey Gooey Everything Chewy" that I liked best. The rhyming aspect of the new name took away the clumsiness of the old one, made it a whole lot more fun, and gave it perfect potential to be inserted into a song of some sort! So, for me, these sweet treats will forever be known as Ooey Gooey Everything Chewy Bars.

Besides having a new, charming, little name, these bars are also delicious...regardless of what you call them. Be forewarned, however, they are sweet! Just a little square of Ooey Gooey will satisfy the sweetest sweet tooth, and they are best accompanied by a tall, cold glass of milk (or a steaming mug of coffee, for those who are so inclined). They are also handy...a good last-minute dessert, as most of the ingredients are pantry staples or things you probably have in your refrigerator. Non-coconut-lovers, however, may be out of luck. These are heavy on the coconut, which I personally find delightful (and even my coconut-indifferent husband finds enjoyable). But, if disliking coconut (or walnuts or dried cranberries or...gasp...chocolate) is one of your quirks, simply mosey your way on over to one of the other delightful recipes located (quite conveniently) on the left-hand side of this blog. The Ooey Gooey Everything Chewy won't hold it against you. They know that we're all prone to our own little quirks.