caramel apple bites and pumpkin carving.

we now interrupt the california trip slide show for a quick break from halloween.

jess is having her

.

that and the fact that i am starting to get phone calls about revealing the randall family costume have led me to believe maybe its best to take  a quick side trip to cover this last week and then pick back up in yreka.

sorry mt. shasta.. you understand.

i pinned these cute little guys.

pretty much i wanted to eat something off a twig.

and i can't commit to a whole caramel apple.. it's too much pressure.

plus..the braces... forget about it.

enter stage right--- caramel apple bites.

homemade caramel is a completely different animal than the little faux junk squares you find in the plastic annoyingly well packaged wrappers. 
i made mine without a candy thermometer because i live on the edge and i forgot to buy one.
i wouldn't really recommend it unless you enjoy living on a wing and a prayer... which is all i really had left as i was boiling this crazy sticky mess to kingdom come.
first you melt your butter, sugar, cream and corn syrup. i know jess... corn syrup! but if you buy the good stuff you can get it without HFCS in it. and then only feel a little naughty.


i did not trust myself enough to make this in nicolette de le creuset. so it might have been my caramel was holding a grudge. its a sad day when you have to settle for the 10 year old non stick saucepan when you have french perfection right next door.

while trying not to pre call the fire department... chunk your apples. i tried the melon ball thing the original post talked about and didn't like it. 

now stick in the twigs you gathered earlier that afternoon from food safe bushes of course... no poison on your apple bites. that would be an unhappy halloween.

dip and swirl them in the caramel...

we rolled them in chopped dark chocolate and pecans...

and voila... mini caramel apple bites on twigs. these were divine. the light to photograph them was not. mine certainly don't look as perfect as the pinterest ones but big shocker. 
things on pinterest are generally aliens. 
nothing ever seems to be as pretty in real life. but i could eat this whole plate, and would have if my party guests (rutheah) hadn't fought me for them. :)

now on to pumpkin carving...

this was not on pinterest.

just hazy memories of my own childhood. 

the kids thought up and drew out their own designs. 

arianna was quite concerned with the slimy guts factor.

and the orange stained hands.

grayson was so proud of the face he drew. "a really mad pumpkin."

...admiring his pumpkins depths of rage.

getting pictures taken with their pumpkins was laughable.

once grayson realized he could put it on his head it was over.

everything went on his head.

working with still life pumpkins was much easier.

and because i care... how about just a teensy little sneak peek of a lion sitting at my kitchen table.

details soon to come. :)