It was my second week of college, eleven years ago.
My mom called, waking up both my roommate and me. Put the TV on, she said with a shaky (and clearly shaken) voice. At the same time, students with rooms on the top floor of our dorm could already see the smoke from the Pentagon in the distance.
Osama Bin Laden’s nephew, a fellow freshman at my school, was immediately flown off the campus. We were evacuated soon after. We huddled in the streets as shocked strangers. We held hands as frantic eighteen year olds who couldn’t reach their Wall Street Moms, Dads, siblings, cousins, friends. We waited for someone to tell us this was not real.
But it was and it is.
I think of 9/11 everyone morning, now as a New Yorker, on the subway. Every time I see an American flag. Every time I slide my shoes off at airport security. It has forever impacted each of our lives. I pray today, and always, for those whose lives were forever crushed.
I hope that it made each of us a bit more grounded. A bit more passionate about being an American. A bit kinder.
Recently, a friend asked me to find a recipe for homemade KIND bars. I looked them up and was so impressed by the mission of this socially conscious healthy snack. I love their message. Be KIND. Your one act of kindness can make a big impact. So, if nothing else, today we remember to be kind.
1 1/3 cup chopped raw nuts (I used a mix of Brazilian, peanuts, walnuts, almonds – Trader Joe’s has a great selection)
1/3 cup rice puff cereal
1/8 tsp fine sea salt (if nuts are salted, you can leave this out)
1/3 cup Organic Brown Rice Syrup (I like Lundberg Sweet Dreams) (neither agave nor honey worked for me)
2. Combine the chopped nuts, puffed cereal, and dried fruit in a bowl.
3. Add salt and syrup. Stir, coating the mixture.
5. Bake for 18-20 minutes (don’t worry if the bars are not hard yet). Place pan on cooling rack and let cool for 20 minutes.
7. Wrap in parchment or wax paper and store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.
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Kim, I am very touched by your comments about 9/11 and feel the same way when I travel. Our lives were forever changed that day and we will never feel that carefree freedom we had before. We were so happy to see you and Dean at the Taste and love your awesome photos of the event. I can’t wait to make the bars this weekend!
Very moving!!’
Simply a lovely post. Thank you.
Made the bars- the came out AMAZING. Added shredded coconut and cinnamon. Simply delicious and OH SO EASY!!! THANK YOU.
Just used your recipe for my own “Kind” bars (used almonds and cashews, and dried zante currants, cherries and raisins). Liked them a lot. I’m trying almond, cranberries and dark chocolate next time! I am also going to use a little less brown rice syrup- seemed to be just a TAD too much. Also, I used a cupcake tin and non-dyed cupcake liners from While Foods for them instead of a pan. It was PERFECT! Already pre-portioned and quick to put in my lunches (I kept them in the liners). Thank you for the base recipe!
Made these last night with almonds, cashews and pecans. I used dried cherries, blueberries, and strawberries for the fruit. Just ate one and they’re delicious! Thanks so much for the recipe! My only complaint is they’re a bit sticky on the bottom, so I must have used too much brown rice syrup. We used to buy kind bars every day, but now I’ll be making these all the time instead! I didn’t do the math, but I sure that’ll be saving us money since the Kind bars are $2 each. Thanks again!