It's that time of the year, again. The pencils, pens, and stacks of notebooks have already started to crowd the stores as the aisles spill over with fresh-faced buyers surveying the goods that will get them back in business. It can only mean that summer vacation is coming to an end and it's time to head back to school.

If you've got a college-bound student in the family, or just want some easy-to-use recipes in your home collection, The Cook and Kitchen Staff have some fresh ideas for you as offered from our "Back-to-School" recipe collection.

Combine butter or margarine with milk, sugar, and cocoa powder. Either blend in a large bowl and melt in the microwave, making sure the mixture boils for at least 1 minute, or combine in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, and bring to a hard boil for about 1 minute. Remove mixture from heat source and add peanut butter and vanilla, blending well while mixture is still warm.

Pour over the top of the oatmeal, and thoroughly blend the ingredients with a wooden spoon or clean hands - but only after checking to make sure the warm, gooey mixture mixture has cooled enough to handle comfortably.

Spoon or drop individual portions on wax paper or a non-stick baking pan and cool. Serve immediately when cooled and firmed, or store in an air-tight container for up to 1 week.

Kitchen Staff Tip: Looking to send your college student a care package? Simply layer the dry ingredients for this recipe in a quart jar and ship it their way with a bottle of Vanilla Extract, a jar of Peanut Butter, and instructions (and money) to buy Butter or Margarine. It makes a great "study hard" gift.

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