Day 45 - Apple Oatmeal Bars

     I laughed a lot today.  Life is good.  I have all three of my children at home for a week.  I can't possibly imagine what it will be like when it is just me and my hubby in the home alone (oh, and the dog, and my sous chef cat).  I will definitely miss all of it, even the arguments.  They are growing up so quickly.
     Today it's Apple-Oatmeal the New Doubleday Cookbook, p. 852; authors, Jean Anderson and Elaine Hanna; publisher, Doubleday, a division of Random House; ISBN, 0-385-19577-X.

     Apple Oatmeal Bars

     1 cup sifted flour
     ½ teaspoon salt
     ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
     1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
     1 cup uncooked quick-cooking oatmeal

     Filling
     2½ cups finely chopped or thinly sliced, peeled apples
     ¼ cup sugar
     ¼ teaspoon nutmeg

     Preheat oven to 400ºF.
     Sift flour with salt and add brown sugar. 

Using a pastry blender, cut in 1/3 cup butter until the size of small peas; mix in oatmeal.  Pack half the mixture into a well greased 9" x 9" x 2" pan; top with apples and sprinkle with sugar and nutmeg. 

Dot with remaining butter and cover with remaining oatmeal mixture, pressing down lightly.  Bake 45-50 minutes until tan on top.  Cool upright in pan on a wire rack and cut into bars.

 

     The rating system on a scale of 1-4 with 4 being the best is what I use for my recipes.  The family has discussed and decided these were worth a 2.  The bars were just kind of ok.  Unfortunately, there was no wow factor.

     Happy baking!