Caramels

I enjoy caramel and have often thought it would be fun one winter to make some...Winter has officially arrived complete with snow so I decided it was time. Since I know very little about making candy I looked up a recipe online. This is the one I used at Allrecipes.com.

All wrapped and in a jar. Yummy.

Here is the process after you let it cook for a very long time (about 45 min). Luckily for me my Mother in-law is visiting so we chatted and drank tea while I stirred the caramel.

I followed the recipe with only one alteration. I used dark corn syrup. I did this per another reviewers instructions and my results were great.

Also a meat thermometer will not work if you have lost your candy thermometer when you used it a long time ago to make candles. It especially won't work after you drop it in caramel a few times. Ugh. So either get one or you can use the cold water method of dropping a tsp of caramel into cold water. When you take it out of the water and it holds it's shape then it is ready to pour in your pan. I used this method.

 

Then you let it cool. I set my pan on our porch to speed the process up. I then tried to cut even rows. My husband who is a carpenter appreciated this. :)

Then if you are feeling generous you share some with your family while they are enjoying a game of monopoly. Then if your caramels are a big hit you share some more. If your children are like mine they will give you the sweet Bambi eyes complete with fluttering eyelashes and pilfer some more :)

Here I am experimenting with how I will wrap them in wax paper.

 

Seems fairly easy, fold, fold, twist, twist.

 

Cute.

I found these little tins at Michael's on clearance a few months ago. Perfect for caramels.

By 1/4 of the way into wrapping the caramels I changed my technique. I ended up rolling them in the wax paper and twisting the ends. It seemed to go much faster that way.

 

 

Side note- I Love the yellow bird cage candle holder behind the caramels. I found it on clearance at Fred Meyer.

 

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Spinach Garlic Cheddar Bread

I love baking. I especially love baking bread. As a teenager I walked to and from school. I loved the days when I would come home and smell the scent of bread dough. My mom would make pizza and cinnamon rolls. It was a special treat for us.

Bread makes me happy.

I bought a big package of spinach the other day and I have been thinking of all the ways to use it. So as I made bread yesterday I thought I might try adding some spinach to a loaf to see how it turned out.

 

Prepare your favorite bread dough recipe. You will add the following ingredients before you leave it to rise the first time.

I started with a generous handful of baby spinach, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, and a drizzle of olive oil. (Olive oil is optional but it helped give it a smooth chop)

 

I added the spinach, garlic and a drizzle of olive oil to my food chopper. (You could use your food processor or your chefs knife and finely chop)

 

This is what it looked like when I finished.

Grated cheddar...yummy!

Setting aside a small handful of cheddar I added the rest of the ingredients to my bread dough and used the bread hook to mix it in. Then cover and let it raise.

Shape it into a long football and place in prepared pan. (Cover and let double in size)

Preheat oven 350

Put in the oven bake about 20 minutes.

 

Add the rest of your cheese. Bake for another 10-15 minutes.

 

Delicious fluffy cheesy bread.

 

The bread was a hit around here with our spaghetti dinner. I could have added another clove of garlic and more cheese inside the bread, but it depends on how much you like cheese and garlic. The cheese melted to the crust gave it a crispy flavor that I personally enjoy.

It would be good with tomato soup.

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Alaskan Autumn

Our leaves have since blown away with the winds, but we have had a beautiful fall that has continues longer than I can remember it lasting before. We have a lovely lack of snow and instead we have mornings of frost carpeted grass and pastel pink and blue skies.
I kept telling myself last month that I would get pictures of the leaves in their full glory. Unfortunately I did not get those pictures, but I have enjoyed my husbands pictures from his hunting trip up near Fairbanks. He loves to hunt and this was his first hunting/rafting trip.

He loves to get out hunting.

Brian climbed a tree to get this picture.

I like this shot.

Field of Fireweed that has gone to seed.

Snow...

Low bush Cranberries.

Fall Decor

I love fall. The colors are vibrant while the air is crisp and heavy with the scent of cranberries. Spending the majority of my time at home I like to bring the colors of fall indoors. When I started adding fall accents around the house last month my husband said, "I wondered when you were going to do that." Which of course makes me feel very happy. My boys love to help add leaves and little pumpkins.

Side table: the bell jar and base I found at a local antique shop last winter. It was a perfect fit for a nest we found at my Mom's house last year. The faux eggs I found at Joann Fabrics.

 

The large pumpkins are plastic from Michael's. I modge podged sheet music to the smaller pumpkin. I then sponged brown ink on it to age it slightly. I could have added more. The clock in the back is the one I made a few weeks ago. I will post on that soon.

 

Below: Antique books that I found last winter to add color to the mantel. I made the garland using burlap and jute twine and hot glue.

 

I love the ocean so I leave my seaside decor out all year long and just mix it with every season.

I bought the antique window frame at a garage sale a few years ago. I added fall flowers to this wreath and string them up together.

 

Happy Fall

 

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Bagels, bagels, bagels

 

What is a great way to wrap up a dark Monday night? (Thanks a lot daylight savings) Why not by baking a batch of homemade fluffy bagels thanks to the gals at:

Modern Vintage Housewives

Today started off good with lessons for the boys going well. I even played the piano for a bit using my new Piano instruction books that I bought at Barnes and Noble last night. When the light outside lessened and I pulled the curtains closed to shut out the dark by 5:30 p.m. I started to feel a little closed in.

So while dinner simmered I enjoyed looking at the above mentioned blog that my friend shared with me. *Thank you Ruthanne :)* What caught my eye? Homemade bagels. Now these gals sound pretty amazing using sprouted wheat, but I am -ahem, ahem- fresh out. So I made them with boring regular flour. I would like to try the sprouted wheat, but I am not there yet. :)

Anyway, already I am thinking of all the variations I would like to try. My husband suggested jalapeño cheddar and cinnamon raisin, sundried tomato, blueberry...yummy! Maybe my next batch or two or eight. I will share pictures and results on those later, but in the meantime here are my plain bagels.

Bagel anyone?

 

 

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Noeo Science: Levers

Science class the last week has been learning about levers. Today the boys built two levers. They have now erased the board, picked up various objects, and written their name with their levers. So far neither has thought to pinch the other...yet. :)

 

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