Crave Wednesday: Butterscotch Bars

The Horsewhisperers picked up and moved to New Mexico the end of 2016.  I've been lucky enough to see them a couple times since then, but it's always been them traveling to us.  I decided it was time to return the favor and at the end of last year we started planning a long weekend getaway to New Mexico.

None of us had been before, so we put the trip in the very capable hands of Mrs. Horsewhisperer.  She had us meet them in Santa Fe.  The original goal was to get a tour of the town, but by the time we got off the plane, got our car, and got into town, there was just enough time to grab some chocolate before walking to dinner.

We got a chance to catch up over drinks and dinner while the kids played on the playground in the restaurant.

After we got a little driving tour of the city - they still have their Christmas lights up, which Thatbaby remarked was "beautiful."

We headed to our hotel and checked in for the night.

The next morning we got to explore the town they live in, and even got a trip to the barn to see Horsewhisperer's happy place.  And her horses.  Then we were off on the next part of our trip - Taos.  We made a stop in Chimayo to visit the churches.

And indulge in chiles.

We checked into our adobe cabin in Taos, hit up the supermarket, and then put the kids in charge of dinner.

There was a disappointing amount of snow in Taos for my little California boys.  Especially because we saw quite a bit on our way up the mountain.  So we headed back to the snow to let them loose on their sleds.

And Thatbaby had his first taste of snow.

We went back to the cabin to get warmed up, then went in to Taos.  The Horsewhisperers knew of a great toystore with a huge playground in the back.

And we walked around, checking out tourist traps and historical sights.  Of course the family with two lawyers managed to find the old courthouse and jail.

We grabbed some dinner, and stayed up late talking.  The next morning we were on our way to the airport, flying home.  The trip was so wonderful, and obviously too short.  Or exactly the right amount of time since we left on good terms, despite sharing spaces!  We can't wait for our next visit.

We brought chiles home and I've been using them on everything.  We've become especially fond of it on our chicken.  Having a little bit more of a kick on our entrees, means balancing it with something sweet.  These butterscotch bars are really oatmeal bars with butterscotch.  There's a subtle difference.  Like a coffee cake, with a swirl of sweet sandwiched between the less sweet layers, this bar strikes the perfect balance.  It pairs well with hot chocolate on cold winter days, whether you've got snow or not!

Butterscotch Bars (From Cooking Light)

1 cup brown sugar

5 Tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 egg, slightly beaten

2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 1/4 cups butterscotch morsels

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, toasted

1.  Preheat oven to 350. Combine sugar and butter in a large bowl.
2. Stir in vanilla and egg. 
3. Combine flour, oats, salt, baking soda in a bowl. 
4. Add oat mixture to sugar mixture.  Stir with a fork until combined.
5. Place 3 cups oat mixture in the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray.  Press into bottom of pan.  Set aside.
6. Place butterscotch morsels, sweetened condensed milk, and 1/8 tsp salt in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on high 1 minute, or until butterscotch morsels melt, stirring every 20 seconds.
7. Stir in walnuts.
8. Scrape mixture into pan, spreading evenly over crust.  
9. Sprinkle evenly with remaining oat mixture, gently pressing into butterscotch mixture.  Bake for 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown.  Place pan on a wire rack and run a knife around the outside edge.  Cool completely.