“Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake.”
- Francis Bacon

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Make Some Crazy Quilt Caramel Apples for Halloween Fun



Get creative and let your imagination run wild! The kids will have such a good time decorating these little beauties and you will have a camera filled with memories to share with friends and family!

Ingredients

1/4 cup gummy worms
1/4 cup Halloween sprinkles
1 (1.4 oz.) chocolate and toffee bar, crushed
1 (1.5 oz.) bag Reese's pieces
1/4 cup candy corn
1/4 cup small cinnamon candies
8 small apples
1 (14 oz.) bag soft caramel candies, each unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Preparation

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place candy (except caramels) in separate small bowls. Insert a craft stick into stem end of each apple.

Place caramels and cream in a heavy saucepan and heat on medium-low, stirring, until caramels have melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat.

Hold an apple by its stick over pot and spoon caramel over apple to coat, allowing excess to drip back into pot (if caramel gets too stiff, reheat for a minute or 2 to loosen). Press candy into caramel on apple and place apple, stick side up, on prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining apples and candy. Let apples stand until caramel has cooled, about 10 minutes.

Monday, October 19, 2009

♥EZ Homemade Bath-time Spa Cookies in the flavor/scent of your choice♥


Fast, fun, easy and a great item for gift-giving this holiday season. All of us are watching our pennies but still would like to make those around us feel special. This recipe provides a fun afternoon for you and friends and a kitchen filled with remarkable and heavenly scent. These are adorable popped into a cellophane bag tied with curly ribbons. Attach the recipe or include as an insert with the cookies.

2 cups finely ground sea salt
3 tablespoons dried lavender (crushed rose petals, mint, lemon rind, orange rind)*
1/2 cup baking soda
1/2 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons light oil
1 teaspoon vitamin E oil
2 large eggs
1/2 cup powdered milk
6-8 drops essential oil of your choice (I like to use lavender)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients and mix into a dough ball. Using a teaspoon or so of dough at a time, roll gently in the palm of your hand until dough forms a tiny ball. Repeat -  rolling all remaining dough into one teaspoon balls and gently place them on an ungreased cookie sheet.

Consider sprinkling the bath balls with herbs, flower petals, cloves, citrus zest and similar aromatic ingredients and gently press into surface. Bake your bath cookies for ten minutes, until they are lightly browned. Do not over bake. Allow the bath cookies to cool completely. To use, add one or two cookies into a warm bath and allow to dissolve. Yield: Two dozen cookies, enough for twelve bath time get-aways.

*If you do add the lavender, crushed rose petals, etc. to your cookies, just place a small piece of regular home screening over the tub drain when your bath is completed. The screen will catch your scented and lovely additions to your homemade bath treatment.

If you would like to get a little more creative, I have used teeny, tiny muffin tins for baking instead of making the cookies and used a teeny cookie press to embellish the tops of my little gems.