Caramel-Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

1 cup butter, softened
2 cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
3 cups quick-cooking rolled oats
1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (I like to toast them first)
30 caramels (9 ounces), unwrapped
3 tablespoons milk



Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a 15×10 inch baking pan with foil, leaving about 1 inch extending over the edges of the pan. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add brown sugar.  Beat until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally.  Add eggs, vanilla, baking soda and salt; beat until combined.  Add flour slowly and mix until combined.  Stir in the oats. Press 2/3 of the dough (about 3 1/3 cups) evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.  Sprinkle with chocolate pieces and nuts.



In a medium saucepan heat and stir the caramels and milk over low heat until melted and smooth. Drizzle caramel mixture over chocolate and nuts.  Take remaining dough and flatten small pieces with fingers and place evenly on top of the caramel layer.  Bake for 22-25 minutes or until top is just barely light brown, don’t overbake!.  Cool in pan on a wire rack until room temperature.  Use foil to lift uncut bars out of pan.  Place on cutting board; cut into bars.
 

 

Betty Hayes Cake

1/4 lb. butter
1/2 Crisco oil
3 T. cocoa
1 c. water
1 t. soda
1 t. cinnamon
1 t. vanilla
2 c. plain flour
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt


Melt butter with Crisco oil, cocoa and water in a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and stir. Sift flour and sugar in a large bowl. Pour liquid mixture into flour and beat until smooth. Add buttermilk, eggs, soda, salt, cinnamon, and vanilla. Mix well. Bake at 350 -35-45 minutes.

Icing
1/4 lb. butter
2 1/2 T. cocoa
6 T. milk
1 lb. box confectioner sugar
1 t. vanilla
1c. nuts if desired

Melt first three ingredients, but do not boil. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour over cake as quick as it comes from the oven.

Rice Krispies Cheese Crackers

1 stick margarine

1cup sharp cheese grated

1 cup rice krispies

1 cup plain flour

Dash cayenne pepper

Mix margarine and cheese. Add flour and Rice Krispies. Make a roll the diameter of a half dollar. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate over night. Next day, cut into thin buttons and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.

 Original recipe submitted by Muriel Keeter

Cracker Barrel Chicken n' Dumplings

Ingredients
2 cups flour
½ teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch salt
2 Tablespoons butter
1 cup buttermilk
2 quarts chicken broth
3 cups cooked chicken

Preparation Instructions
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients with a fork or pastry blender. Stir in the milk, mixing with a fork until the dough forms a ball.

Heavily flour a work surface. You’ll need a rolling pin and something to cut the dumplings with. I like to use a pizza cutter. I also like to use a small spatula to lift the dumplings off the cutting surface.

Roll the dough out thin with a heavily floured rolling pin. Dip your cutter in flour and cut the dumplings in squares about 2x2. It’s okay for them not to be exact. Just eye ball it. Some will be bigger, some smaller, some shaped funny.

Use the floured spatula to put them on a heavily floured plate. Just keep flouring between the layers of dumplings.

To cook them, bring the broth to a boil. Drop the dumplings in one at a time, stirring while you add them. The extra flour on them will help thicken the broth. Cook them for about 15-20 minutes or until they not doughy tasting. Add the cooked chicken to the pot and you’re done!