Award-Winning Caramel Bars

These took 1st place at a cookie bake-off hosted by friends earlier this year. Well, they tied for first place, but the blue ribbon still hangs proudly on our kitchen bulletin board. It's not my fault that one of the judges fell for something with peanut butter. Rich, buttery, sweet and addictive. (from allrecipes.com)

bag of Kraft caramels, unwrapped (about 64 total)
10 tablespoons heavy cream
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups butter, melted (yes, this is 3 sticks)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, melt together the caramels and heavy cream over low heat, stirring until smooth. Set aside.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt. Add melted butter and stir until well blended. Press half the mixture into the bottom of a 9x13 baking pan, reserving the rest. Bake for 8 minutes, then remove from the oven. Sprinkle evenly with chocolate chips and walnuts, then pour the caramel sauce over. Crumble the remaining oat mixture over the top.

Return to the oven and bake for another 12-13 minutes, or until the top is toasted and a light golden brown. Cut into squares while still slightly warm.

*I'm always tempted to add more chocolate chips, but I've tried it and it upsets the caramel/cookie balance. Sometimes I use bittersweet chocolate chips to cut the sweetness.

Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf

Meatloaf is always popular in our house, so I rotate between a few different recipes that have all earned the thumbs up. I love that I can get it in the oven quickly, then reach in the freezer for fries and veggies to go on the side. We eat half one night and have sandwiches another night.

1 cup milk
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
2 lbs ground turkey
2 eggs
half of an onion, diced
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Worcestershire
3/4 lb colby or cheddar cheese, in small cubes or shredded
1/2 cup ketchup or barbeque sauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Soak breadcrumbs in milk, then add the turkey, eggs, onion, salt, pepper and Worcestershire and mix together well with clean hands. Fold in cheese and put into a loaf pan on top of a baking sheet. Top with sauce and bake for an hour or until cooked through.

*Adapt with what you have in the house—shallot can stand in for onion, plain breadcrumbs can be seasoned, other cheeses would work fine. Meatloaf freezes well, so it's a good one to double!