Some days I will add a few slices of oranges to give it a little citrusy smell.  Other days I might drop a few drops of almond extract for an even sweeter smell.

Another great thing about this Mulling Spices Recipe is that you can also use it to prepare a wonderfully spiced apple cider.

Here is what you will need:

3 oz cinnamon sticks
⅓ cup cardamom pods
¼ cup allspice berries
¼ cup whole cloves
¼ cup star anise pods
⅓ cup dried orange peel – store bought or dried in oven

Instructions:

Place cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, allspice berries, cloves and star anise in large resealable bag

Crush lightly with rolling pin

Add orange peel to bag and toss to mix well
Store in airtight container

If you are simmering this on your stove, just place in a small pot with some water on low heat.

To serve as a drink, add 2 tablespoons of mix per ½ gallon of warm apple cider 

Print

Mulling Spices Recipe

Use to create a wonderfully spiced apple cider or simmer on your stove top. Either way, your kitchen will be filled with the wonderful smells of Christmas!

Course Drinks, Holiday, Non-Alcoholic

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

• 3 oz cinnamon sticks
• 1/3 cup cardamom pods
• 1/4 cup allpice berries
• 1/4 cup whole cloves
• 1/4 cup star anise pods
• 1/3 cup dried orange peel - store bought or dried in oven

Instructions

• Place cinnamon sticks, cardamom pods, allspice berries, cloves and star anise in large resealable bag
• Crush with rolling pin
• Add orange peel to bag and toss to mix well
• Store in airtight container

Notes

If you are simmering this on your stove, just place in a small pot with some water on low heat.

To serve as a drink, add 2 tablespoons of mix per ½ gallon of warm apple cider 

No matter which way you use this mix, the wonderful smells (and tastes) of Christmas will warm your heart.

OOOOH.  Have we got another great cider drink for you.  Take a look!

Hot Apple Cider

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It is great to have this on hand so that you’ll be ready to go for your fall apple pie dishes.

It only takes 5 minutes to make and you won’t have to hunt for what you need.

Apple Pie Spice Recipe

Ingredients:
¼ cup ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger

Instructions:
In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together

Store in an airtight container.  It yields 5 tablespoons which should be plenty for lots of baking!

Print

Apple Pie Spice Recipe

A great spice mix for all your fall apple dishes

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 5 tablespoons

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1 tsp ginger

Instructions

• In a small bowl, mix all ingredients together.
• Store in an airtight container

MORE APPLE-Y GOODNESS!

Salted Caramel Apple Pies

Apple Pie Caramel Apple

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And sprinkles.  You can’t go wrong with a few sprinkles.  Seriously I think kids will eat just about anything if you throw some sprinkles on it. The sprinkles on these Apple Donuts just make it a win-win.  So here we go:

Items Needed:  Apples, cream cheese (we like the whipped cream cheese, but you can also use regular), food coloring (optional) an apple corer or pastry tip and…..sprinkles!

Instructions:

1.  Wash and dry your apples. Then slice the apples so they are about 3/4 inches thick.  We did not peel our apples but you may do so if you have picky apple eaters.

2. Using an apple corer or pastry tip, cut a hole in the middle of the apples to remove the  core.

3. Color your whipped (or regular) cream cheese until you’ve reached the color you desire. We used neon food coloring for these apples. Spread cream cheese on the apples.

4.  Add your sprinkles and then let your kids enjoy these healthy “donuts!”

I love this snack because it’s better for my grandkids but they still think Grandma makes “fun” things! 

Enjoy!

Oh my! Take a look at this other GREAT idea for a healthy snack for your kids!

Charcuterie Snack Tray for kids

A big thanks to Hello Wonderful for this fun idea!

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Hey ya’ll, Molly and Chelsea here! We’re the besties and food bloggers from Bests and Bites. We’ve been best friends for over 20 years (so like, 90% of our lives) and we love nothing more than food, health/fitness and pool days! We’re so glad we could share this recipe with you and hope you love making it this summer!

Raise your hand if you’re in love with everything fall?? It’s the time of year where you can wear flannels, comfy boots, a snuggle scarf and start eating lots of comfort food! Including everything pumpkin and apple. We love apples and get so excited for the beginning of fall when the honey crisp apples start to be in season (and cheap!).

Every year we go together to an apple picking farm and walk through the apple orchards choosing the best apples. A lot of time we’ll eat them with peanut butter, alongside our lunch, with some caramel on top, or in our favorite desserts—like this peach apple crisp!

The trick to making this so delicious is thinly slicing the fruit. It doesn’t take long, but it’s so important to getting the melty, gooey and delicious filling. Stir the fruit with some sugar and flour to make them even sweeter. When the juice from the fruit release and combine with the flour it makes a perfectly gooey texture that’s perfect for a crumbly topping.

In our opinion, the more crumble topping the better! The cinnamon in the crumble topping is just the right touch to make this recipe even better for fall. It pairs so well with the peaches and the apples and the texture from the topping is a great complement to the gooey filling.

AND there’s a secret ingredient in this recipe! If you’re a vegetarian or this doesn’t suit your taste please feel free to omit, but we think it adds another layer of flavor to this dessert! Ready for it? CANDIED BACON. It’s flavorful, and salty and sweet all at the same time. We chopped it into tiny bits and mixed it throughout the filling and it adds a depth of flavor that really takes this recipe to another level. Be prepared to impress all your friends. It’s SO good.

Once you mix everything together and top it with the crumble, bake it and pull it out of the oven and it’s ready to serve! Our favorite desserts involve warm delicious treats topped with a big scoop of melty ice cream.

Serve this immediately in a giant bowl with ice cream and get ready for the compliments to roll in!

Print

Peach Apple Crisp

Servings 8

Ingredients

• Candied Bacon optional, but not really
• 12 strips thick cut bacon
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• Peach Apple filling:
• 3 cups thinly sliced peaches about 3-4 medium peaches
• 2 cups thinly sliced apples 2-3 apples
• candied bacon recipe below
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Topping:
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup 65g old-fashioned rolled oats (or quick oats)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup 115g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• vanilla ice cream for serving

Instructions

• Make the bacon: Preheat oven to 400 degrees (F) and line a baking sheet with foil. Lay bacon down flat and coat with half of the brown sugar. Flip bacon and coat the other side with the other half of brown sugar. Bake for 14-16 minutes, until it's starts to get crispy. Let cool on paper towel and chop into bite size pieces. When bacon is done, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (F) to bake the crisp.
• Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, combine the peaches, apples and bacon and stir to combine. Add the flour, sugar, salt and vanilla and mix gently with a rubber spatula to completely coat the fruit. Dump in an 8x8 inch glass or ceramic baking dish and set aside.
• Make the topping: in a medium bowl, whisk the brown sugar, flour, rolled oats, cinnamon and salt together, making sure to get all the brown sugar lumps out. Add the butter to the mixture and stir with a rubber spatula until the mixture is crumbly. Evenly sprinkle the topping over the filling.
• Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling on the sides of the pan. Remove crisp from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool slightly, about 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
• Tip: finished baked crisp freezes well for up to 2 months. Just thaw overnight and bake on 350 for about 20-25 minutes to warm.

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I found a pin for these cute little pies from Whisk Away Your Worries and thought they looked mouthwatering awesome!  Seriously, who doesn’t love salted caramel and apples?  And combining that into pie form is perfect.  Actually, individual pie form = even more perfection! Built in portion control if you only eat one.  Sorry to say I failed in that department.

During the hectic holiday cooking frenzy it’s always nice to find things to make that are simple, yet tasty and impressive.  These little pies fit that bill perfectly.  I used store bought pie crust because 1) it’s easy, and 2) I’ve never made crust from scratch.  I’m sure if you have a fantastic pie crust recipe and love to make homemade pie crust you could use that instead. Go for it!  For the rest of us, store bought is just fine.

You might think only one apple isn’t enough for the filling.  I know I did when I saw the recipe but it really is.  In fact, I made 8 little pies and had some filling leftover which would have been enough for a couple more little pies.  You will also have leftover crust after cutting out the circles so you could re-roll and get a few more pies.  Otherwise, if you’re just making 8, grab yourself a spoon and eat the leftover filling while the pies are cooking.  No one will know but you!

The original recipe didn’t call for any caramel sauce drizzled on top but I couldn’t help myself and gave each of the Salted Caramel Apple Pies a drizzle of caramel sauce.  It makes them a bit more difficult (read: messy) to eat but I didn’t care much….bring on the caramel!  And keep a napkin nearby.

I hope you all enjoy these Salted Caramel Apple Pies as much as I did.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving and I’ll see you all next month.

Print

Salted Caramel Apple Pies

Course Dessert

Author Judy Heinrich

Ingredients

• 1 box refrigerated pie crust
• 1 large apple peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• 1/8 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 6 store-bought caramels diced into about 4 pieces each

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• In a mixing bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, flour, sugar, and cinnamon and diced caramels. Set aside.
• In small bowl, mix egg with water and set aside.
• Unroll pie crusts. Using a circular cookie cutter or glass, cut out as many circles as you can. I used a glass that was 3 1/4" wide and got 8 circles per sheet of dough. If you want to roll out the pie dough scraps you could probably get a few more circles cut out.
• Place half of the crusts on cookie sheet. Top each pie crust circle with a spoonful of the apple/caramel mixture. Make sure each piece has about 4 or more caramel pieces on it. Sprinkle each with a bit of sea salt. Top each pie with another pie crust circle. Use the tines of a fork to press the edges of the crusts together to seal the top crust to the bottom. Make an X on top with a small knife to slice vents on each pie.
• Brush the tops of each pie with a bit of the egg mixture then sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake in until golden, about 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool on a cooling rack. Store pies in airtight container.
• Optional: Drizzle some of your favorite caramel sauce over each pie for extra caramel goodness!

If you’re looking for other Thanksgiving recipes, be sure to check out my Ancho Chile Brined Turkey,  Sweet Potato Noodles with Pancetta, Pecans & Craisins, Spinach Mushrooms & Cheese Casserole.

 If you want to see what else I’m cooking up at I’m Bored, Let’s Go you can follow me here:
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This awesome post has been shared with: Living Well Spending Less and Whipperberry

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One of the treats that we like to get over there is shave ice.  And don’t call it shaved (with a “d”) ice.  You’ll be showing your touristiness!  (I like to make up my own words.) We made a beeline to Matsumoto’s and had our shave ice but normally whenever I go anywhere the treat that I usually get is a caramel apple.

No matter where we are, if they have caramel apples, I will get one.  I even have my kids conditioned to watch out for me.  Often, before I even see them, one of them will exclaim…”Hey Mom!!  There’s a caramel apple!”

Have I told you how much I love my kids?

So imagine my happiness when I pinned this Apple Pie Caramel Apples from Miss CandiQuik.  It was so easy and the results were professional. (Being the professional caramel apple snob that I am!)

So let’s get cookin’!  Here is what you will need:

Parchment or wax paper

Lollipop sticks (or popsicle sticks)
12 tart, green apples, I used Granny Smith’s
Peter’s Caramel (about a 1/3 to 1/2 of a block- see post) or 2 (11 oz.) bag Kraft Caramel Bits (or caramels)
Vanilla Candy Melts
Cinnamon-sugar, for sprinkling. Mix together cinnamon with some sugar to your liking. Make sure you don’t go too heavy on the cinnamon though.  It really shows up brown on the white chocolate.

Instructions:  Wash and dry your apples really well. Make sure that there is no remaining water on them.  Remove stems and then insert lollipop or popsicle sticks. Place apples on parchment or wax paper.

In a deep microwave safe bowl, cut some caramel off of your block and place in your bowl.  Microwave until your caramel is melted.  Every microwave has different cooking temperatures so just watch closely while melting.  I use Peter’s Caramel because it so easy and it can be found in kitchen stores or bought on Amazon.com. Plus you don’t have to unwrap a bajillion wrappers!   Here is what it looks like:

When your caramel is ready, dip your apple into the caramel and then turn to coat.

Allow as much caramel as possible to drip back into your bowl.

Here is a great tip!  When the dripping has stopped, take a knife and scrape the caramel from off the bottom of the apple.  This will cut down on the “pooling” of caramel at the bottom when you set your apple down.

See the one on the left?  Muy bueno!  The one on on the right?  Not so much muy  bueno!  Of course, if your caramel just HAPPENS to pool at the bottom, that just means more caramel for you to eat, right?  Yumm!!  If you need more caramel, then just melt some more.  It’s hard to determine exactly how much stays on each apple and how much you will need.

Let your apples cool.  In  separate deep microwave safe bowl, melt two cups of your Vanilla Candy Melts.  I used Guittard’s Vanilla Melts.  They are so wonderfully creamy!

Dip your caramel coated apples into the melted vanilla melts making sure you don’t dip all the way to the top of where the caramel is.  It looks nice to see a little apple, then caramel and then the white candy melts.   Let as much as possible drip back into your bowl and then with a clean knife, scrap the excess chocolate off the bottom of the apple and set back on your parchment paper.  And just like the caramel, if you need to melt some more vanilla melts, then just melt some more to cover all of your apples.

While the vanilla coating is still wet, sprinkle some of your cinnamon sugar mixture all over the vanilla coating.

Let the apples cool and then dig in!  It is also nice to take a knife and slice them up for easier eating.  And I promise, these really do taste like an Apple Pie!  It  might just become YOUR new favorite treat!

You can also find us on Pinterest │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram │ StumbleUpon │ Hometalk

 This awesome post has been shared with: Home Stories from A to Z

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• Spray a muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
• Separate biscuits and press one into the bottom and sides of each muffin cup.
• Spoon applesauce into biscuits.
• Bake at 400 degrees F for 10-15 minutes until done.
• Remove popovers from tin and let cool.
• In a bowl, add milk to powdered sugar a tablespoon at a time, until mixture is a drizzling consistency. Drizzle glaze over popovers.

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For every one of those varieties, there must be at least one delicious recipe.  Fall’s favorite fruit is so versatile that it can be prepared in hundreds of delicious ways.  We’ve found a month’s worth of sweet apple treats and dessert recipes for you to drool over.

Caramel Apple Bar from Craftberry Bush

Apple Pudding Cake with Cinnamon Butter Sauce from The Girl Who Ate Everything

Brown Butter Apple Tart from Brooklyn Supper

Apple Butter Danish Ring from Taste, Love & Nourish

Apple Gingerbread Bars from Sarah’s Cucina Bella

Caramel Apple Crumble Pie from Averie Cooks

Apple Snickerdoodle Cobbler from Baked by Rachel

Mini Apple Pie Cookies from Made From Pinterest

Caramel Apple Upside Down Bread Pudding from Vintage Monday

Apple Stack Cake from Brave Tart

Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls from The Recipe Critic

Apple Pie Wontons from Overtime Cook

Individual Cream Cheese Apple Dips from Made From Pinterest

Caramel Apple Brownies from Foodie Crush

Apple Upside Down Biscuits from Cookin’ Canuck

Salted Caramel Apple Cupcakes from Delicious Everyday

Bavarian Apple Torte from Made From Pinterest

Apple Cranberry Cheesecake Pie Bites from Julie’s Eats & Treats

Apple Cobbler Cupcakes with Pumpkin Pie Frosting from Cupcake Project

Caramel Apple Bars from Inside BruCrew Life

Cinnamon Apple Macaroons from Desserts for Breakfast

Apple Pie Fries from Made From Pinterest

Apple Ice Cream Bowls from Dreyer’s

Sweet and Salty Apple Nachos from Wishes and Dishes

Apple Cake with Caramel Glaze from Life In Grace

Stuffed Apple Cinnamon Sticks from The Bitter Side of Sweet

Caramel Stuffed Apple Cider Cookies from Scrambled Henfruit

Colorful Candy Apples from Made From Pinterest

Apple Pie Pizza from Dessert for Two

Dutch Apple Pie with White Chocolate Butter Sauce from Oh Sweet Basil

Yum!  Don’t those look delectable?  We’d love to hear about some of your favorite apple recipes.  Leave us a link to yours in the comment box if you have one you’d like to share with us.  Happy apple picking!

This post has been shared with: Living Well Spending Less

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Fall was definitely in the air at this weekend’s link party.  We could smell the pumpkin pie baking through our computer screens!  Here are nine of our favorite links that will help you welcome fall deliciously.

Apple Pie Jelly Donuts from The Crafting Foodie

Caramel Apple Funnel Cakes from This Silly Girl’s Life

Acorn Treats from The Coconut Head’s Survival Guide

Dutch Apple Pie Bars from I Dig Pinterest

Fresh Spiced Pumpkin Dip from With a Blast

Caramel Apple Cider from My Frugal Adventures

Pumpkin Cheesecake from Lady Behind the Curtain

Caramel Apple Muddy Buddies from Life with the Crust Cut Off

Apple Cinnamon Caramel Crunch Ice Cream from Sweet Baked Life

Thanks again for sharing your projects and recipes with us during Super Saturday #59!  We hope you were as inspired by these featured links as we were.   Please come back  for our next Super Saturday Link Party, starting at 7 P.M. EST on Friday night!  And keep an eye on your social media over the weekend, too.  We like to showcase links that catch our eye during the party via Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.  You might see your links featured there!

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Often when I ask my kids why they put a certain thing on their Christmas wish list they wouldn’t really know why they wanted it, other than it was what everybody wants. If that many cool kids want the same thing, it has to be good!

This has been an exciting year for us here at MFP. Testing and trying out pins from Pinterest has been an adventure for us three sisters. When we began this blog just over a year ago, we worried that we would be drawn to the same projects and we would have problems with duplication. But you will see from our top ten, that the things that struck our fancy have been an eclectic collection of household tips and  and kitchen hints.

But today is about new beginnings. So in celebration of the New Year, we are sharing with you the best of the best, the creme de la creme of all the things we have tried. These are this year’s most popular posts. It is what all the cool grownups on the internet are looking at! You don’t want to miss this great collection of our Top 10 of 2013.

Mold is gross! But…our number 10 most popular post this year is Easy Shower Mold Solution. At least we can feel better that if that many people come to see the post, we are not the only ones with a problem. Misery loves company, but not any more. Your shower mold will disappear with this easy cleaning method.

At number 9 we have Mini Apple Pie Cookies that are a year round favorite.  Apple pie filling with a touch of caramel that fits in your hand? Um, yeah, we think it is a great idea too.

We have several MAGIC cleaning tips for your and our number 8 most popular post is where it all begins. Cleaning Your Stove Burner is as easy as it gets!

Elegant, easy, healthy and delicious all in one recipe? At number 7, Soy Sauce and Brown Sugar Salmon Marinade is a hit! Perfect with Garlic Parmesan Roasted Squash.

We had never even heard of number 6 until Debbie found it on Pinterest. Monkey Butter is a pineapple, banana, coconut spread that is crazy good!  Like monkeys swinging from the rafters good. Like Gorilla pounding on their chest good. 

For our number 5 post we are working more magic. Hate cooking in a dirty kitchen? Well get out your magic wand and poof! Clean Your Oven the Magic Way.

Do you have recipes that when you make them and take them to an event, that you are ALWAYS asked for the recipe? At number 4, Lipton Onion Potatoes is one of those recipes.

But let’s work a little more magic. Have you been grilling on grates that have burnt on gunk on them? Our third top post is the Cleaning Your Grill the Magic Way! No scrubbing, that’s right, no scrubbing!

Short on time, but want something fabulous for dinner? How about million dollar fabulous? You don’t need to settle for regular spaghetti, when you can have

Million Dollar Spaghetti!

With over 432,00 views and pinned over 38, ooo times, we end our collection with the best of our magic tricks! A way to wash your outside windows with no squeegee and no streaks! What a great finale!

The Magic Way to Clean Your Windows

Here at MFP we are so grateful for the things we have learned, but even more for the friends we have made. Thank you for following our blog, for supporting our work and making our first year of blogging a pleasure. May you have a prosperous New Year.

We are happy to link this post to these great blogs: Lamberts Lately  – Living Well, Spending Less – Live, Laugh, Rowe – 52 Mantels – A Glimpse Inside – What’s Cooking Love

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But then I married my husband.  Bruce grew up in Portland, Oregon and was VERY used to having seasons.  After getting married, we decided to settle down in Southern Calif. to start our life together.

When our first Christmas came around as a married couple, I was SO excited!  I couldn’t wait to decorate our teeny little apartment.  I couldn’t wait to buy my new husband some presents and I couldn’t wait to go pick out a Christmas tree with him.

The day that we went to pick out our first Christmas tree, it was warm.  Like really warm.  Like shorts and sandal weather warm.  Maybe even swimsuit weather warm. Which was normal and perfectly fine for me, but Bruce was really having a hard time getting into the Christmas spirit.  Christmas to him meant cold weather and he was not excited about Christmas. AT. ALL.

Needless to say, our Christmas Tree selection night did not end well and being the sensitive newlywed wife that I was, my feelings were hurt that he was not in the Christmas Spirit. Bah Humbug!

Fast forward thirty three years later and now for most of our married life we have lived in an area that was blessed with seasons.  Sun in the summer.  Cool, crisp falls.  Snow and ice in the winter and fresh, green springs.

Now I look forward to every season.  My body actually starts to yearn for the next one as the previous one starts to wane.  And my favorite season now?

Definitely Fall.

Warm days with crisp mornings and cool nights.  Leaves on the trees starting to change color.  Oranges, yellows and reds. School starting.  Halloween and Thanksgiving.  I love it all!

So it’s no wonder why I pin a ton of Fall things on my Pinterest Boards including this one for Crockpot Apple Butter from Changing My Destiny.

Boy, I loved how this made my house smell while it was cooking!  (I love my crockpot and this is the one that I love!) Cinnamon and nutmeg wafting through the kitchen!  I actually had people come in and comment on how great my house smelled!  Ahhh….. Fall!

And now I get to enjoy the start of fall by eating this yummy Crockpot Apple Butter.  It couldn’t be easier and will definitely put you in an Autumn mood.   Spreading this Apple Butter is like spreading a little bit of fall on your food.  Fall on your bagels.  Fall on some toast.  Fall on some cinnamon bread.

And you know what holiday comes after the end of fall?

Yep, Christmas.

Hopefully the snow will be falling when hubby and I go to choose our tree.

This is a pin that definitely rocks!  Enjoy!

Print

Crockpot Apple Butter

Course Fruit

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 hours hours

Total Time 8 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Author Adapted by madefrompinterest.net

Ingredients

• 1 dozen apples peeled, cored, cubed - I used Pink Lady Apples
• 1/2 Cup Water
• 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon All Spice

Instructions

• Peel, core and cut up your apples
• Mix your sugar, cinnamon and allspice and then stir this mixture into your cut up apples.
• Pour your apple mixture into a crockpot and add the 1/2 cup water. Cook on med-high for 6-8 hours or until your apples are very, very soft.
• When the apples are done, put your cooked apples (do not drain) into a blender, food processor and use an immersion blender to "cream" the apples into a smooth Apple Butter.
• Depending on the size of your apples, the final yield will be around 2 pints.
• This Apple Butter can be frozen to save for later!

These are the sites to party with today!

Funky Polka Dot Giraffe 

Carolyn’s Homework

The Blackberry Vine

Home Stories A to Z

Hun What’s for Dinner

Memories by the Mile

Inside BruCrew Life

Sugar Bee Crafts

Cupcakes and Crinoline

A Bowl Full of Lemons

Chef in Training

Pint Sized Baker

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Anybody remember  this iconic question from the tv show, Different Strokes?  To this day, my husband and I will tease each other and repeat this question to each other, complete with the lower lip stuck out…What you talkin’ bout Willis?

Today I am here to tell you that these Colorful Candy Apples are what Willis was talkin’ bout!  Absolutely gorgeous in bright colors, these are reminiscent of the old fashioned clear, hard red candy apples that you used to get at a state or county fair.  But with this recipe, you can make them in any color that you like.  A new updated version!

Taking the recipe from a pin from Rose Bakes here is what you will need:

• 6-8 medium apples (washed, dried & stems removed) I used Granny Smith apples
• 3 cups of white sugar
• ½ cup light corn syrup
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp white food coloring – I used AmeriColor Bright White Soft Gel Paste
• 1-2 tsp. of your color of choice  – the more color you use, the brighter the apples will be!) I used pink, blue and purple AmeriColor Gel Colors
• Candy Apple Sticks (or craft sticks or short dowels)

• Cookie Sheet
• Non-stick Spray
• Heavy Duty pot
• Candy Thermometer

Spray your cookie sheet with a non-stick spray and set aside.   In a med to large pot, mix together the sugar, corn syrup and water over medium heat.  Have your candy thermometer inserted but make sure the tip is not touching the bottom of your pan.  Bring to a boil.  After reaching a boil, let it continue to boil until it reaches 302 degrees on your candy thermometer.  This process can take up to 20 minutes or so and there is no need to continually stir it but let just this mixture boil.

When it reaches the hard crack stage (302 degrees) remove from heat immediately  and stir in the vanilla flavoring.  Work quickly as this mixture will cool fast and you need it hot to easily cover the apples.

Quickly add your white paste and stir well.  Next add whatever color you have chosen for your apples and stir until well blended and then start to dip your apples. Tilt your pot a little to help easily cover your apples.  Let the excess candy mixture drip a little and then place the apples on the cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.

Now, even though this mixture is hot, it will cool quickly and the apples will be ready to eat within minutes.

These apples will keep for about 2-3 days but don’t refrigerate as they will lose their dry hardness.

Aren’t these beautiful?  Yes, I definitely believe that this was what Willis was talkin bout and Willis would agree that This Pin Rocks!

You can also find us on  Pinterest │ Facebook │ Twitter │ Instagram │ StumbleUpon │ Hometalk

Check out these sites that we are linking up with today!

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I really liked the tangy dressing and salty bacon flavor combined with the sweetness of the apples. I almost forgot there was cabbage in there! And yes it is better the second day when the flavors have marinated and then released it’s full flavor. I still wouldn’t order coleslaw as a side at KFC, unless of course they changed the recipe to this one from Ghetto Foodie. Then I would get it every time.

You got it….This Pin Rocks

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Apple Bacon Coleslaw

Author Ghetto Foodie

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1/4 cup pulp free orange juice
• juice from 1/2 fresh lemon
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 sm Fennel shredded
• 1 medium cabbage cored, shredded
• 1/2 pack of bacon fried crispy then broken up into small pieces
• 1 bunch scallions thinly slice1/2 cup finely minced parsley leaves, optional
• 4 firm apples peeled, cored and shredded

Instructions

• Mix everything in a large bowl and let sit in the fridge over night…This is always better if you let it sit for a day or so…really lets the flavours out.

Notes

Printed from MadeFromPinterest.net

 Look who we are linking up with today: Mommy by Day Crafter by Night, Chef in Training, Cupcakes and Crinoline, Mandy’s Recipe Box, Inside BruCrew Life, Lady Bug Blessings, Blessed with Grace, Naptime Creations, Back For Seconds, Memories by the Mile, Hun….What’s for Dinner?, Not Just a Housewife

The post Apple Bacon Coleslaw appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

Items you will need:  Fresh Washed Apples, Candles, Apple Corer, Pen

Turn your candle upside down and trace around the edge as a cutting guide.

Cut out around the top, and then hollow out your apple.

This is how my apple looked after it was hollowed out.

This is how it will look with the candle inserted. Be careful when pushing the candle in, or your apple will split apart. I like having  the candle sit just above the edge of the apple.

Pro’s:  These are unique, fun, easy to make and not very expensive.

Con’s:  As you know apples brown quickly, even when you wash them with lemon juice. I got about 8 – 10 hours out of mine before they started to look brown. But for special occasions, I think they would be worth it.

Yeah…..

This Pin ROCKS!

We linked with: Nap Time Crafers – Truley Lovely – Shaken Together – At The Picket Fence – Simply Designing – Finger Prints on the Fridge – My Romantic Home – Knick Knack – While He Was Napping

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