Happy Fourth of July!

Happy 4th of July!

It’s 101 degrees here today. That’s actual air temperature. I don’t want to know what the heat index is.

We brought our picnic inside and pitied the poor soul who had to stand by the grill and cook it for us.
Juicy Burger, Chips, and Greens
We opted out of the parade later this afternoon – although there’s some talk amongst the kiddos about fireworks just over the border tonight.

But not me.

After celebrating all weekend with my family at the hottest family camp-out in recent history – I plan on enjoying this mid-week holiday in the comfort of my AC.

I’m going to lay on my couch sipping my ice tea fondly remembering the sweat dripping down my back.

Yes – I do mean fondly.
Water
It was a wonderful weekend – despite the heat.

We just had to be more creative to stay cool.

Like spending the afternoon sitting in the creek with my sisters, enjoying all 3 inches of water and talking.

Or sitting around with our feet in the wading pools watching the kids have water balloon fights.

Or – for the more desperate ones – sitting in the walk-in cooler drinking raspberry lemonade.
Hike
Nope. A little heat didn’t stop us from making memories. We just drank more water, threw more water and played with more water.

But now I’m played out.

My couch is waiting, my tea is icing, and I am smiling.

Have a wonderful holiday!

Fudge Filled Oatmeal Bars


When my husband decided we would have a picnic after church on Sunday, I pulled out the cookbooks and found a sweet treat to make. Why? Because a picnic just isn’t a picnic with out a dessert!

I needed something that would be easy to transport, wouldn’t need to refrigerated, and would have universal appeal.

I found it! These Fudge Filled Oatmeal Bars were in the oven in less than 20 minutes and left some really good pans to lick! With the M & M’s on top, they were a hit with every age.

Some of the comments I received were “Killer!”, “Awesome” and “How many can I have”?

Fudge Filled Oatmeal Bars

Combine 2 cups quick cooking oatmeal, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup brown sugar and 3/4 tsp. salt.

Add 1 cup melted butter and mix until crumbly. Stir in 1 cup of chopped pecans.

Set aside 1 1/2 cups for topping and press the remaining crumbs into a greased 13 x 9 in baking pan.

In saucepan combine 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk, 1 cup (6 oz.) chocolate chips, and 2 tablespoons shortening.

Spread over crust. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Top with 1 cup of plain M&M’s.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until the edges are golden.

Cut them small, they are very rich!

Make sure you set a few of these aside in a secret place before you serve them or there will be no leftovers for you to enjoy!