Mini Caramel Apples

One of the lovely things about this Halloween-ish time of year, is that glorious treats like molasses cookies and candy corn are everywhere–well, at our house anyway–which is just how it should be in a well ordered kingdom {ahem}.

Being surrounded by little people–as we are, creates a particular challenge when making caramel apples–because they are just too big for the short folk to manage. Slicing them helps, of course, but still–I can’t bear the waste…it pains my tender, caramel-apple-loving soul.

So look what we’ve discovered on the pages of Disney’s Family Fun magazine—Mini Caramel Apples–and zero percent blasphemous waste!! Wa-flogging-hoo!

This is simple stuff here too. You’ll need butterscotch chips, sucker sticks, sprinkles, a good melon baller…

and of course—apples. You, my darlings, are going to love this.

Scoop the apple into tons of teeny, tiny little balls. This was so fun and you can actually get quite a few out of one apple–which is what I did.

Break the sucker sticks in half and poke them in the skin side of the apple. I made a tiny cut in the peel with a paring knife first so that the sticks went in easier.

Melt the butterscotch chips over medium heat and dip the apples in. You can roll them around and cover more of the green–

but I kinda liked how it looked with this much color showing. Do whatever floats your boat–it’ll be fine.

Before they set, dip the bottoms in your favorite sprinkles, toffee, or chopped nuts….

and let them set in the tiny paper cups–if you want. Now just try to tell me these bite-sized sweeties aren’t the cutest thing you’ve ever seen…go ahead try.  I triple dog dare you.

See? You can’t.

I told you.

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T-Shirt Yarn Pumpkins

Remember the fabuloso “yarn” we made a few weeks back out of old T-shirts? Well, I’m happy to report that all that old stuff was given new life. Seems only fitting that if something is going to come back from the “dead” as it were–they should do it close to Halloween…

and reappear as a couple of sweet pumpkins–don’t you think?

I used the pumpkin pattern found at Planet June from a couple of years back. Of course, to work with this stuff–you’ll need a bigger hook than is suggested in the yarn pattern. The H hook felt the most comfortable to me, but you’ll have to mess with it.

Seriously, I do hope you’ll try playing with this fun stuff, because there is just something cool and spooky about bringing something back to life.

Beats Frankenstein any day.

heh.

Halloween Dudes Giveaway

We have some new friends—again. Halloween dudes this time. from Wee Knit.

The Mummy—my favorite little glad wrap.

Grumpy little Witchy-poo makes me laugh…

and Frankie–yeah, I’m totally in love with him.

This post actually took longer than you would think to write because I had to be really quick with the set up and camera work or…

from out of the blue—

the people snatcher would come along and make me set them up alllll over again.

I think if I was to admit to an addiction that I “suffer” from–you may just be looking at it here.

Luckily, I’ve got some sweet company.

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How about you? Would you like to win this Halloween set for your very own? Well, leave me a comment on this post and you’ll be entered.
Simple as that.
Winner will be announced Monday morning October 25, 2010.
Good luck!!

Big Kid Spooks

Back when the “big kids” were really little kids and not actually big kids, and didn’t have any little kids of their own–are you still with me?–dressing up for Halloween was a month long deal. These guys would tear through the costume box and try everything on and mix and match to their hearts content before finally, FINALLY deciding what to “be” for Halloween. Many times the big decision would end up being made about 3 minutes before scurrying out the door with everybody else to trick or treat.

Look who we have here–Sweet Lyndi the naughty witch, Yellow embarrassed clown Jillian, Purple grinning clown April, friend sixties girl Alyna, and bitty baby bear Daney boy.

Silly little “bald kid” was just a baby, not a big enough kid, and too busy being a baby, and being bald, to dress up. ha ha.

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Iced Molasses Cookies

At our house, the whole “holiday season” starts with all this Halloween stuff. We decorate the house, we watch the spooky movies–nothing too scary, and we always, ALWAYS make Molasses Crinkles.

It’s important I tell you—a tradition you might say,  and as such, must not be taken lightly. If done properly you would make royal icing and glue candy on to make a Jack o’ Lantern face on it. They were always kinda ugly, but fun to make. Trouble is, I never actually liked royal icing because I think it tastes like dirt–

so I devised a plan.

I kinda figure that a tradition is only good if…you know…you actually like it. So I…changed it just a tad. I made a fluffy cream cheese frosting and tinted it a pale orange and swirled it on each and every cookie.

Yum–now we’re talking.

Oh, don’t worry–I could still make them as ugly as ever…without hardly trying. Here’s proof.

It is a tradition…after all.

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Cream Cheese Frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting
 
Ingredients
  • 1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy.
  2. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar.
  3. If it’s too stiff or you’d like it a bit more light, add 1 T milk and mix well.
  4. Store in the refrigerator after use.

Ingredients

1 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the vanilla, then gradually blend in the confectioners’ sugar. If it’s too stiff or you’d like it a bit more light, add 1 T milk and mix well. Store in the refrigerator after use.