Caramel Bars

I know it's been a long time since this has happened, but I tried a new recipe! And....bonus....IT'S GREAT! :).  I found this recipe on allrecipes.com.

Caramel Bars

32 individually wrapped caramels,
unwrapped
5 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup rolled oats
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt together the caramels and heavy cream, stirring occasionally until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Stir in the melted butter until well blended. Press Half of the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Reserve the rest.
3. Bake the crust for 8 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips and walnuts. Pour the caramel mixture over the top and then crumble the remaining crust mixture over everything.
4. Return to the oven and bake for an additional 12 minutes, or until the top is lightly toasted. Cut into squares while it is still warm.
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Great Ideas!

If we had had the room when our children were young, these laundry baskets would have been EXACTLY what I would have wanted!  I love the idea of everyone having their own laundry basket, having them bring them to the laundry room on a specified day (or days) and then returning the clean clothes back to the basket for them to take care of.  What a GREAT IDEA!

                           
And this:  Individual toothbrush/toothpaste jars!  I know it would be more jars/containers to clean, but what a GREAT IDEA!  Plus then little brother wouldn't steal someone else's toothbrush when his had "disappeared"!!  Ha ha!! Well, he probably would have! :)
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Marquee Lights - Do It Yourself

For the Tipton Home Homecoming this past weekend, I envisioned a type of "Hollywood" thing that I've seen in pictures or on TV.  The famous HOLLYWOOD that sits up on a hill.

I didn't have a hill, but I had a very talented man help me achieve a TIPTON HOME version of the landmark. These letters are 24 inches high; 18 inches wide. They sit in grooves in a piece of wood. The holes were drilled and wired white Christmas lights were inserted into the holes.  It looks great!

The picture just can't show how beautiful this looks at night!  I had to drive out several times after dark just to see it!  I can't wait to have other letters made so that other words can be displayed! For our small town, I'm thinking GO TIGERS would be perfect! Thanks, Carl!  

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Parmesan Creamed Corn

This is the BEST creamed corn recipe we've ever had! My son, Zachary, found it and made it for he and his brothers last week, then he made it again last night for us and a group of Sojourners we were having over.

He found the recipe on Allrecipes.com. It was posted by Diana Yockey.  (Snamed it Cream Corn Like No Other). The first time he made it, he used canned corn and it worked fine, but frozen corn is better.

PARMESAN CREAMED CORN

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet over medium heat, combine the corn, cream, salt, sugar, pepper and butter. Whisk together the milk and flour, and stir into the corn mixture. Cook stirring over medium heat until the mixture is thickened, and corn is cooked through. Remove from heat, and stir in the Parmesan cheese until melted. Serve hot.
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Welcome Back!

So sorry that I checked out a while without any word! I fell and had a radial head fracture to the elbow area. It wasn't a really bad break, just a small piece of a bone, but it hurt a LOT!  I could only type with my left hand, and really only pecked with one finger, so it was too hard and time consuming to write. I should have copied and pasted my "Shine Like Stars" post for here, but I couldn't do that with one hand, either (that I figured out, anyway).  So, I'm back!

Remember the Oscar molds I posted a few years ago?  Well, IF you ever do them yourself (make a plaster mold from chocolate molds), don't use Plaster Paris. It doesn't work! You'll have holes in your little guys (or whatever you're making) and the Plaster Paris won't set up. We just found that out the hard way, but it sure was a funny looking Oscar guy!  Only use Pottery Plaster.  We can buy it at Hobby Lobby here in Oklahoma, but you can probably buy it online.
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Greek Salad

I made this salad for a Sunday night church fellowship meal we had. I didn't eat it because I don't like raw onions or cauliflower, but it actually sounds good, still!  I guess I should have tried it!

1 head iceberg lettuce, chopped (I used Romaine)
1 red onion, sliced
1 pound bacon - cooked, drained and chopped
1 head cauliflower - broken into small pieces

Layer all ingredients until time to serve. Then toss with dressing.

Dressing:
2 cups mayonnaise
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup sugar

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Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies

My oldest son wanted to make cookies last night, so went searching on Allrecipes.com for a new recipe to try. He made these cookies, and I'm a little aggravated at myself, because I had been doing really good not eating flour or sugar, and I CAVED IN to these! So, today, I have to get back on track and stay AWAY from these delicious cookies!

CHEWY CHOCOLATE CHIP OATMEAL COOKIES (by PANTHERA on allrecipes.com)

1 cup butter, softened 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1/2 cup white sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 3 cups quick-cooking oats 1 cup chopped walnuts 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

	Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
	In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until just blended. Mix in the quick oats, walnuts, and chocolate chips. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets.
	Bake for 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

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