Food For Thought

So this probably has nothing to do with epilepsy, then again...it does.

People in my new place of residence are, on average, more edumacated :) Conversations come up regularly about school, etc. If you know me in person, you know that I LOVE school. I was the first on one side of my extended family to graduate from college, and my love for books probably made me an outcast when it came to making friends or on family vacations. I would often get lost in my books and it probably made me kind of anti-social for many years. Que sera sera. I'm making up for it now! I love words and frequent the thesaurus. I even used majestic in a third grade essay. That being said, I never finished my graduate degree. I have two bachelor's degrees, but I started a Masters in Public Health, and at one time I fiddled around with the idea of going to law school to become a Gaurdian Ad Litem. Well, Cole came along that that ended my formal education. I am now getting schooled in the class of reality with minors in Dravet and Neurology. Sometimes I think that I want to go back and finish my graduate work. Other times I think, "Life's too short". Given the chance, I would go to culinary arts school and just do something that I love. I can stop my Save The World mentality and just feed people. I'm good at that anyway :) I may not become Dr. Niki or Judge Niki or even a hospital administrator. I do know one thing though, food brings people together.

Who knows? One day I may convince Cris to come out here (since we're not leaving any time soon) and we can start Farmer's Daughters Catering and Bakeshop. Until then, I'll just keep feeding people.

The first time I had carmelitas, my sweet and multi-talented friend Karen brought them to a Dravet mom's lunch. My friend Rebecca, who also has a son with Dravet, has a sweet blog (literally) and is a talented baker. So I guess when I think of these cookies, I think of Dravet and the special friendships I have made because of it. I used Rebecca's recipe, just changed up a little, last night for a church function. So, giving credit where credit is due, I totally lifted her recipe. There are others online. I think there were over 10 requests for the recipe last night. So, thanks to Sweet Escapes (and a little Dravet mom love), I present the recipe for Carmelitas. My sister might be a professional pastry chef, but I can bake with the best of them most days.

Carmelitas
Just FYI this recipe is for a 9x13 pan. I doubled it and made it in a cookie sheet. You will find that you always need more than just a 9x13 pan!!

2 Pkg. Werthers soft caramels (I used the regular bulk caramels from the grocery store. I made more caramel than the recipe calls for since I like it so much!)
3 Tbs. Evaporated milk
2 Cups Flour
2 Cups Quick Oats
1 1/2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
1 Cup Melted Butter
1 Pkg. Chocolate Chips (always use good, quality chocolate)

Start by making your caramel. Unwrap all of you caramels and add the evaporated milk. *Note: this is the most laborious part of the whole recipe. If you have kids, make them pitch in with the unwrapping. Since I made more caramel, I added more evaporated milk.*
Microwave for a minute, stir and microwave for one more minute. *It took longer than two minutes for me since I doubled the recipe, live at a different elevation and have a microwave that is circa 1983.*
The caramel should be smooth and soft. Set aside.
Place all the rest of the dry ingredients but chocolate chips in a large bowl. Pour the melted butter over the top and mix until the butter is combined well and the mixture is crumbly. Spread half of the dough into a 9x13 greased pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and top with chocolate chips. Next pour your caramel evenly over the top of the chocolate chips. Finish by sprinkling the rest of the dough on top. Press down slightly then return to the oven for another ten minutes.*I had to bake it for an extra 8 minutes, once again, because of elevation*

Rebecca has great pictures on her website. Enjoy!