Janice & Joni's BFF Caramel Bars

Let's end the week with these chocolaty caramel bars from Keeping Up Cookbook.  

They are simple to make and the kids can help.  My girls stirred together the oat crust/topping mixture and unwrapped all the caramels.  They love getting in the kitchen and helping out Mommy.  I have little chefs in the making.  Make up a batch of these caramel bars to share with your neighbors and friends, or make some new friends!  They are sure to check in with you weekly to see what you're baking next.

I hope you have enjoyed the recipes featuring Keeping Up Cookbook this week!  Check out this post to read more about this awesome cookbook.  I made the Lemon-garlic spaghettini with grilled lemon shrimp, Blueberry cream cheese muffins, Sjoblom's slow cooker french dips, Bonnie's Cheerio snacks, and these delicious caramel bars.  

Oat Crust/Topping:

3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 9x13 pan with parchment paper leaving a 1/4 inch overhang.  Spray with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients.  Press 3/4 of the mixture into the bottom of prepared pan.  Save the remaining mixture for the topping.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Caramel/Chocolate Filling:

1 (14 oz) package Kraft caramels, unwrapped

3 T heavy cream or half n half

3 T butter

2 cups milk chocolate chips

While crust is baking, melt the caramels, cream, and butter over low heat or in a double boiler.  Pour melted mixture over baked crust.  Sprinkle with milk chocolate chips and crumble remaining oat mixture over top.  Bake for another 15 minutes.  Cool completely in pan on wire rack.  Lift out of pan using parchment paper and cut into bars.  Enjoy!

Bonnie's Cheerio Snack

Here's a sweet snack recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook.  

These are great to pack up in ziploc bags and take with you on the go.  I have made these a couple of times already and can't even wait for them to cool before snacking.  They are so yummy! 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
7 cups Multi Grain Cheerios

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick cooking spray.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, melt the butter.  Add brown sugar and corn syrup and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 2-3 minutes, no longer.  Take off the heat, add baking soda, and stir until foamy.  Add Cheerios and stir well to coat evenly.  Transfer to prepared baking sheet and spread out in a single layer.  Bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool completely in pan, then break into pieces.  Enjoy!

Sjoblom's French Dips~Slow Cooker Recipe

Who doesn't love a great go-to slow cooker recipe?  Especially on a day full of after school activities.  You just throw all the ingredients into your Crock Pot, put the lid on, turn it on, and go about your busy day.  When you get home, the delicious smell hits you as you walk through the door and your dinner is ready.  This is another amazing recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook, by Grace Ivory Rock and Amy Henriksen Foulger.

The story behind this recipe is that when Grace had a new baby, her friend Amy Sjoblom brought these French Dips over...what a sweet friend.  These sandwiches have been a go-to dinner in Grace's home ever since.  They are now a go-to meal in our home too!  My family absolutely loved them.  

Don't forget to come back tomorrow and Friday because I have two more recipes featured from Keeping Up Cookbook.

Crockpot Ingredients:

1 (3-lb) rump or eye of round beef roast
1 (10 3/4 oz) can beef consomme
1 1/2 cups water
1 Good Seasons Italian dressing packet
1 au jus gravy packet

For Sandwiches:

Sliced swiss cheese
Hoagie buns (or your favorite...I used croissants)

Add all ingredients to the crockpot except for the roast and whisk well. Add the roast and turn over to coat all sides. Turn crockpot on high and cook for 8 hours, or until you can easily shred with a fork. Remove roast and shred. Strain crockpot juices for au jus dipping sauce and set aside. 

Turn on oven broiler. Place shredded meat on buns and top with swiss cheese slices. Broil open faced until cheese melts. Assemble and serve with au jus. Enjoy!

Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins

Are you ready for a breakfast muffin recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook?  

OK, I thought so.  Just look at the picture...juicy blueberries nestled into moist muffins with tangy smooth cream cheese surprises throughout with a crunchy crumb topping.  These muffins are simply divine!

Muffin Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup buttermilk or milk
1 (8-oz) pkg cream cheese, cut into small cube
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 tsp lemon zest

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two muffin tins with paper liners, or spray well with non-stick cooking spray. 

In a large stand mixer bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Mix in eggs and vanilla.  Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Turn mixer on low and slowly add buttermilk until batter just comes together.  Use a spatula to fold in cream cheese cubes, breaking up any large pieces.  Gently fold in blueberries and lemon zest.  Spoon batter into 16-18 muffin cups.  Prepare the crumb topping.

Crumb Topping:

1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 T cold butter, cut into small cubes

In a bowl, stir together sugar and flour.  Cut butter into mixture with a fork or pastry cutter until it reaches a crumb-like consistency.  Sprinkle generously onto muffins.  

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until muffin centers spring back when touched.  Serve warm.

Enjoy!

Lemon-Garlic Spaghettini~With Grilled Lemon Shrimp

If you missed Friday's post, you can see it here.  This first recipe from Keeping Up Cookbook is a satisfying lemony garlicy pasta dish that I topped with grilled lemon shrimp.  It's great served up family style with lemon slices and sprinkled with lots of parmesan cheese.  My girls had fun piling the pasta up high on their plates, twirling it up even higher on their forks, and grabbing the shrimp by their tails to eat.

Lemon-Garlic Spaghettini:

1 pound spaghettini or angel hair pasta
4 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup olive oil
zest of 2 lemons
3 T fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 cup pasta cooking water
lemon slices
1/2 cup grated fresh parmesan cheese

Boil pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente.  Before draining, reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.  Drain pasta and set aside.

While pasta is cooking, add oil to a large skillet over medium heat.  Cook garlic and red pepper flakes, stirring often, until garlic begins to brown.  Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper, and 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking liquid.  Bring to a simmer and remove from heat.  Add the pasta to the skillet and toss with the sauce, adding more cooking liquid if desired. Salt as needed.

Grilled Lemon Shrimp: 

1 lb large shrimp (26-30), deveined and peeled, tails left on
2 tsp blackening spice rub (optional)
1/2 tsp lemon pepper
1/4 tsp garlic powder
juice from 1 lemon

Heat up a grill pan or outdoor grill.  Add cleaned shrimp to a large bowl, add spices, and toss well to coat.  Grill shrimp on both sides until cooked through, then squeeze fresh lemon juice over top. 

Serve up family style with lemon-garlic spaghettini topped with grilled shrimp and lemon slices.  Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Keeping Up Cookbook~Featured all next week

I have an exciting week full of recipes featured from Keeping Up Cookbook, written by Grace Ivory Rock and Amy Henricksen Foulger.  I first told you about this cookbook when I made their Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie. Oh my sweet apple pie...it was so GOOD!

This coming week, I will be sharing Lemon-garlic spaghettini~with grilled shrimp, Blueberry cream cheese muffins, Sjoblom's french dips (slow cooker), Bonnie's cheerio snack, and Janice and Joni's BFF caramel bars.  My family loved them all!

They have an entire category filled with warm, comforting Soups for the upcoming Fall months.  I can't wait for it to finally get cooler in Texas. Soups are my favorite since they are one pot meals and very satisfying.

Here are some of the recipes that jumped off the page for me:

Appetizers:
Soy ginger potstickers
Thai meatballs with apricot-chili sauce
Hot caramel apple cider
Artichoke cheese bread

Breakfast:
Southwestern breakfast casserole
Eggs benedict with shortcut hollandaise
Fluffy buttermilk pancakes with blueberries and maple cream
German apple pancake
French toast casserole
Overnight crepes
Croque-Monsieur
Banana oatmeal bread with peanut butter frosting

Sweets:
Coconut mini loaves
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Cooley-caramel pull-aparts
Amy's molten chocolate cakes
Kevin's mint chocolate cheesecake
Pumpkin streusel
Peppermint ice cream cake
Lemon-iced sugar cookies
Saintly cream cheese brownies
Maple pecan bars
Creamy lemon bars

Meals:
Creamy tomato basil soup
Potato soup
Tortellini soup
Mexican tortilla soup
Soup bar
Crockpot beef stew
Classic corn chowder
Slow-burn chipotle chili
Roasted vegetable soup
California roll salad
Honey-lime chicken enchiladas
Creamy lemon chicken
Asian flank steak
"Good Mom" mac
Baked macaroni and gouda
White lasagna
Alyse's bbq roast beef sandwiches

Wow, this is making me really hungry!  Keeping Up Cookbook has over 250 tried and true recipes, so I hope you will enjoy this week's posts and add it to your collection.  

Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie

My hubby recently got back in contact with a friend from our high school days.  Todd told him how much I love to cook and bake and that I started writing my own cooking blog.  His friend said that his wife, Amy, also loves to cook and co-wrote a cookbook with a friend of hers, Grace.  I ordered it right away and stayed up late reading it  cover to cover the day it arrived in the mail.   

It is called Keeping Up Cookbook, Written by:  Grace Ivory Rock and Amy Henriksen Foulger

Amy and Grace also have a Blog, and a Facebook page.  Show them some love!

This cookbook has over 250 recipes, a "collection of tried and true favorites" they have "tested and tweaked during the last decade".  There are appetizers, breakfasts, baked goods, soups, salads, side dishes, dinners, sweets, and cookies (my favorite). 

There are many recipes I have bookmarked to try and will be sharing a few of them with you.  The first recipe is this amazing Cinnamon Apple Crumb Pie!  It was seriously so good!  The Fall season can't get here soon enough for me, but I think that apple pie is perfect year round.  Baked apples and cinnamon are a favorite combination in our home, and I have an entire category devoted to it on my blog. 

Can you believe I made a homemade pie crust too, and it was great?  I used Matha Stewart's pie crust recipe, which makes two crusts, so I have an extra one waiting in the freezer.

Ingredients:

1 (9-inch) deep dish pie crust, chilled

Apple Filling:

2 1/2 lbs Granny Smith apples (5 large), peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cup sugar (I used 1/3 cup)
2-3 T flour
2 tsp cinnamon
2 T butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place the pie crust in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and refrigerate until ready to use.  Line a baking sheet with foil.

In a large bowl, stir together apples, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and melted butter.  Set aside.

Crumb Topping:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 T cold butter, cut into small pieces

You can either use a pastry cutter, fork, or your food processor to blend the crumb topping ingredients together.  Mix together the flour, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and salt, then cut in the chilled butter (or pulse in food processor) until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Transfer apple filling to chilled pie crust and sprinkle with crumb topping.  Place on foil lined baking sheet.  Bake for 45 minutes, then cover loosely with foil and bake for another 30 minutes.  Apples should be fork tender.  Cool for 1 hour to allow it to set up.  Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.  Enjoy! 

Note:  Leftovers can be reheated in the oven to keep the topping and pie crust crispy.  It's also really good cold from the refrigerator.