As Promised...

...here it is Saturday night...
Jas is hunting...
Had's sleeping...
A's coloring a turkey for her homework...
and I decided that I would do some quick blogging.

I thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to do a quick blog post on the

D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S

caramel apples that I made on Tuesday for our 'Neighbor' Party.

...and it would be a great way for me to share this incredible recipe with all of you, as well.

Ready???

Here we go...

and you're gonna want to turn up the 'smell-o-vision' on your computer because this is an aroma that you're gonna L.O.V.E!!!

So start with:

3/4 cup of white sugar

1/4 cup of water

6 Tablespoons of light corn syrup

...simmer these together in a heavy saucepan until the sugar is dissolved.

Let the mixture come to a low boil (I kept my heat in between low and medium).

...now comes the most important part!

Notice how your sauce has no color...this is the step where that all changes.

As your mixture continues a low boil...

...it will gradually begin to turn a tan color.

(Be warned this process took me a good 15-20 minutes before it got to my desired color).

But also keep a close watch because it can go from tan to burnt quickly.

During this low boil process measure

1/2 cup of heavy cream

and 1/2 teaspoon of REAL (not imitation) vanilla

and keep it nearby to pour in the sauce in a bit.

My advice to you is to take it off the stove about 10 seconds before it's reached the color you want because it WILL continue to cook a little once you've removed it from the stove.

Here it is 2 seconds before I removed it...Mmmmm.... SLOWLY pour in the heavy cream and vanilla...
When I did this...the sauce bubbled pretty aggressively for a second...so don't be alarmed if this happens to you, too.

And this is what you are left with!!!
Ta-Da! You're very own homemade,
creamy,
dreamy,
ooey,
gooey,
DELICIOUS
caramel sauce!
It's really that easy.
BUT SHHH....please don't tell anyone, ok?

The second most important part of making amazing caramel apples is:
having the perfect apples.
My personal and seasonal favorite are
HONEYCRISPS!
They are the perfect balance of sweet and tart
and if you get a good one...
which is very easy to do...
they have the BEST CRISP!
...the only drawback is that they can be a little spendy...
so be sure and shop around for them.

Here we have our assortment of toppings:
Chocolate Chips
Shmooshed Up Graham Crackers
Yummy Caramel Sauce
and last but not least
White Chocolate Chips

Notice the adorable and colorful Pyrex dishes being served in.
I found them this summer at a sale and I managed to negotiate the seller down to less than half than what she was asking...
AND I LOVE THEM!!!

Pure HEAVEN!!! Now if you are asking yourself...
"Why don't these look like your typical caramel apple?"
It's because as much as I LOVE the taste of caramel apples,
I don't necessarily love the messy experience...
so I made the decision to cut the apples up and serve the dessert in more of a buffet-ice cream sundae style.
STILL DELICIOUS!!!
But not nearly the mess.
I know...where's my sense of adventure, huh?
Hey what we lacked in caramel apple mess...
we made up for in pumpkin carving mess (see previous post).

Oh and in case you want to fore go the healthy aspect of this dessert...
THE APPLE?!?...
...you can do what Had did and make yourself some "Caramel Apple Fingers."
(anyone but me remember that episode of Friends where Joey makes himself some Peanut Butter Fingers?) ...the good news is that it was one less bowl that I had to wash.

OH...and here is a quick teaser into my girls' Halloween costumes!
DO YOU LOVE THEM?
The 'Colonel' and his Chicken.

Notice the KFC buckets doubling as candy buckets! I have to admit that I am feeling a little clever for having come up with this pairing. We got LOTS of great compliments on A's costume...
...even had a guy roll his window down at the stop light and give A the thumbs up, followed by a 'You look awesome!'
Made her smile...
...made her momma smile, too.

We went downtown tonight and 'Trick-or-Treated' at some of the local businesses.

I'll be sure to have LOTS more pictures posted after REALLY 'Trick-or-Treating' tomorrow night.

...well, throughout the course of typing this blog, I've put A to sleep,
so I think I'll take advantage of this opportunity and head upstairs and get some sewing done.
I'm participating in an upcoming Holiday Boutique and at a Church Bazaar...so I'd better finish up a few of my many projects!
I'll be sure and share some of my new pillows with you soon!
P.S. Kristal...you're gonna love them!!