Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel Bars

Makes a 9X13 pan of bars


1 1/2 c flour
1 1/2 c old-fashioned oats
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 c brown sugar
1 c melted butter


14 ounce bag of caramels
1/2 c whipping cream or milk
1 12-oz package of semisweet chocolate chips (I used milk choc.)


Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix the first six ingredients together and sprinkle half on the bottom of a 9X13 baking pan and press. Bake 10-15 minutes, until lightly browned.


Meanwhile, melt the caramels and the whipping cream or milk in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave at 50% power, stirring often, until the mixture is smooth. When the bars have been removed from the oven, sprinkle chips over the crust and pour the melted caramel over the top. Sprinkle the rest of the crust over the top and bake in the oven for an additional 10-12 minutes, until the caramel is bubbling and the edges are lightly browned. Cool the bars completely before serving so they can set up properly

skillet summer vegetable lasagna

from America's test kitchen

I have squash coming out my ears so this recipe was perfect! It's delicious and easy!

*Serves 4-6

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
Salt and pepper
10 curly-edged lasagna noodles, broken into 2-inch lengths
1 small zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small yellow squash, cut into 1/2 inch chunks
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil
1 cup part skim ricotta cheese
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a large 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Drain tomatoes into a 2-cup liquid measure. Add water to tomato liquid to make 2 cups. Add tomato/water mixture and 1 teaspoon salt to skillet.

Scatter noodles into the skillet, layer tomatoes over the noodles and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, covered, stirring occasionally (so the noodles won’t stick!) for about 10 minutes.

Stir in zucchini and squash, cook, stirring now and then, until noodles and squash are tender, about 8 minutes. Add basil and half of the rictotta cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese to the noodles, stirring until the sauce is creamy. Dollop remaining ricotta cheese over the noodles, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.

Raspberry Cornmeal Crumble Bars



from Everyday Food Magazine

3/4 c natural almonds (I always have raw almonds on hand to snack on - yummy!)

1/2 c yellow cornmeal

2 c all-purpose flour

3/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp coarse salt

1 c (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted (I used regular salted butter)

10 oz frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8-inch square baking dish with parchment paper, leaving a 1-inch overhang on two sides. In a food processor, pulse almonds until finely ground (you should have about 1 cup). In a large bowl, whisk together ground almonds, cornmeal, flour, sugar, and salt. add butter and stir until dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Press about two-thirds of the dough into dish. Scatter frozen raspberries over top and crumble remaining dough over raspberries. Bake until top is golden brown, 35-40 minutes. Let cool in dish on a wire rack before cutting into 9 bars. (Store, lightly wrapped in plastic, at room temperature, up to 3 days.)