Wintery Weekend

It has been incredibly cold here and Tyler and I spent the weekend trying to keep warm! We kicked off the weekend with a really nice dinner with our friends Mark and Brooke. It was so nice to get caught up with them since it had been a while since we saw them. We were responsible for bringing dessert. So, I decided to try a new Carmelitas recipe I found on Pinterest. These are very easy to make and a good dessert to lean on during the week. I came home after work and quickly whipped these up before heading to Mark and Brooke's place. I would recommend serving them with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:

• 32 caramel squares, unwrapped
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 cup flour
• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine caramels and cream in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until completely smooth; set aside. 
3. In a separate bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, flour, oats, and baking soda. 
4. Pat half of the oatmeal mixture into the bottom of an 8x8" pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. 
5. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Pour caramel mixture over chocolate chips. Crumble remaining oatmeal mixture over caramel. 
6. Return to oven and bake an additional 15-20 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
7. *A stint in the fridge will help them cool off if you're pinched for time. They shouldn't be served cold, but all of that molten caramel takes a long time to cool down. They should be stored and served at room temperature.
8. **To make a 9x13" version, simply double the amounts. 

Saturday, we woke up to 4 inches of snow and it continued to come down until the early afternoon! We spent the morning and early afternoon lounging in our PJs, getting caught up on our TV shows, and reading. It was such a relaxing morning and so pleasant. We then headed to the gym to get a quick workout in...Our New Year's resolution is to workout with each other on the weekend (at least once). It's both motivating and fun to go to the gym together :) After a great workout, we quickly showered and then headed to the movies to see The Departed. It was a great movie and a nice way to spend the afternoon on a snowy day. Tyler and I ran some quick errands after the movie and then made our staple dinner: Mac & Cheese and Sausage! We spent the rest of the evening relaxing and watching TV....such a perfect Saturday!

Sunday, I woke up early, cleaned up the apartment, grocery shopped and then met my running buddy, Audrey, for a 7 mile run in Central Park. It was the coldest weather I have ever run in! Despite it being 26 degrees outside and getting pelted by the salt truck, it was a great run! Tyler and I spent the rest of the early afternoon doing laundry and preparing for our company. We watched the Patriots game and then had a bunch of Tyler's buddies over to watch the 49er game :( We made a delicious dinner, which deserves it's own post :) It was such a nice weekend...hope y'all had great weekends!