Easy Caramel Apples

    Oh man, I have been such a slacker! I've been preparing for Thanksgiving! Only to have all of my beautiful plans crumble in my face but that's another story... I've really been wanting to post this recipe for caramel apples. This is THE BEST chewy caramel I've ever made and it got rave reviews at church and from my Carrabba micos at work! You can easily double this recipe! Grab your candy thermometer and definitely pin this for your next fall festival!

Easy Caramel Apples

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of butter (4 sticks)

- 1 cup of light corn syrup

- 1 can (14 ounce) of sweetened condensed milk

- 2 cups of brown sugar

- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

- pinch of salt

- 12 to 15 medium sized apples

    First, prep your apples by washing them and drying very well. Place a popsicle stick of choice into each one. Then, line a cookie sheet with wax paper and set aside. Combined everything except the apples and vanilla in a large heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Stir the mixture constantly until your candy thermometer hits 240-250 degrees F (the firm-ball stage, it will be just beginning to turn a dark caramel color). Remove from the caramel from the heat and stir in vanilla. Carefully dip each apple and add topping of choice! Let cool and enjoy! 

Roasted Chicken

    I had a lot of fun researching this recipe. I started by watching a couple of episodes of The French Chef, because not only is Julia Child informative, she's also a hoot! Next I searched the Pinterest and I found a recipe from Ina Garten because who doesn't love the Barefoot Contessa? After poking around on the internet a little more, I was ready to tackle my challenge. Two things, you're going to want to get the raw chicken as dry as possible and you definitely want to invest in a baster if you don't have one. I really tried to use every scrap of my vegetables because I hate wasting good food.

Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

- 1 whole 5-6 pound roasting chicken

- 3/8 cup (6 tablespoons) of butter (divided)

- 1 large bunch of fresh thyme 

- 1/2 of a large garlic bulb (5 or 6 whole cloves)

- 1 small onion

- 4 large carrots

- 1 celery stalk, leaves and all

- sea salt

- black pepper

- favorite poultry seasoning (I used GOYA)

    Start by preheating your oven to 425 degrees. Spray your cast iron skillet or roasting pan with cooking spray and set aside. Clean your chicken by removing the giblets, rinsing with water, cutting off excess skin and fat, trimming the neck, and checking for pin feathers. Make sure that the fat glands behind the tail are removed as well. Next, take paper towels and pat your chicken as dry as you can, inside and outside. Once dry, salt and pepper the inside and place it in your prepared pan. Peel your garlic cloves and place them inside of the chicken. Cut off the ends of your carrots and place them inside as well. Slice carrots into large chucks and set aside. Cut up the celery into large pieces and stuff inside, leaves and all. Cut the ends off of your onion and stuff inside, I used the skin on and all. Peel the rest of the onion and cut into large chunks and set aside. Use half of the fresh thyme to stuff and save the rest. Once stuffed, tuck the bird's wings behind where it's neck would be and tie the legs together with kitchen twine (or tin foil if you are out). Melt 3 tablespoons of butter and brush the entire chicken with it. Liberally season the entire bird with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. Place the carrot pieces, onion chunks, and top them with the rest of the thyme in the bottom of the roasting pan. Place the chicken in the oven and let cook for 45 minutes. Melt remaining butter and baste it onto the chicken. Flip the carrots and continue to cook for another 45 minutes, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes. Once your meat thermometer registers 165 degrees throughout your bird, remove and baste again. Cover with tinfoil and let sit for 20 minutes before carving. 

S'mores Cookie Bars

    I have found the perfect dessert for your summer cookout!! We had THE BEST CAMPING WEEKEND!! We thought it was going to rain all weekend, but in true Florida weather fashion, it held off until Sunday evening for us! We were prepared this time and we had a blast! I'll post some pictures after this AMAZING recipe! Seriously, you're going to love this dessert and you will be the hit of the cookout! I made mine with whole wheat flour but, I'm sure you could make it with regular all purpose flour just as easily.

S'mores Bars

Ingredients:

For the crust:

- 2 and 1/4 cup of graham cracker crumbs

- 1/3 cup of sugar

- 2/3 cup of butter, melted

For the cookie top:

- 2 and 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened to room temp

- 3/4 cup of granulated sugar

- 3/4 cup of packed brown sugar

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 2 eggs

- 3/4 cup of mini chocolate chips

- 2 cups of mini marshmallows

- 2 large Hershey's bars, broken up

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a medium sized bowl, start the crust by mixing together the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar. Pour the melted butter on top and gently mix together with a fork until crumbly. Press the mixture into the bottom of prepared baking pan. Bake the crust for 7 minutes and mix together the topping meanwhile. To make the cookie top, start by stirring together the flour, salt, and baking soda, set aside. Next, cream together the softened butter (not melted) and the sugars. I used a spoon to mix this recipe, but you could whip out the mixer. Once the butter and sugar is creamed, mix in the vanilla and eggs. Once thoroughly combined, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients only mixing until just combined. Fold in the mini chocolate chips and mini marshmallows (I may have used my hands at that point). Carefully dollop the cookie dough on top of the baked graham cracker crust, pressing the mixture flat without disturbing the crust underneath. Bake the bars for 12 minutes, remove and top with broken Hershey's pieces. Quickly return to the oven and bake for another 15 minutes. It will puff up a lot due to the marshmallows, you want it to do that. Let it cool and slice into bars. Enjoy!

Now for some camping pictures! 

My camp kitchen setup!

My man!

Happy Birthday Heather!!!!

Enchilada Pinwheels

    These little pinwheels are so good! They're perfect appetizers or could even be a great make-ahead lunch! Oh, and they are so ridiculously easy to make! I use canned chicken breast chunks just to make it that much easier but, you could also use fresh cooked shredded chicken. I whipped this up for my birthday weekend, Frankie really liked them and you will too!

Enchilada Pinwheels

Ingredients:

- 2 (12.5 ounce) cans of chunked chicken breast

- 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened

- 1 (10 ounce) can of diced tomatoes with green chilis, drained

- 1 package of taco seasoning (about 2 tablespoons)

- 1 cup of shredded Mexican four cheese

- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic

- 1/4 cup of chopped green onion

- 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro

- 8 large tortillas

    In a large bowl, mix together everything (except the tortillas lol). Spread the mixture evenly onto each tortilla and roll them up. Place them in the fridge until chilled. Slice into pinwheels and serve!

Bridget's Creamy Coleslaw

    Isn't it the most beautiful coleslaw you've ever seen? I've had this recipe written out on a page from my server book and stuck on our fridge since September. I made it for our hurricane party and for my birthday cookout last weekend! It's so funny because I hated anything with mayo in it growing up. Needless to say, I am now a big fan and I love my coleslaw recipe! I like my coleslaw dressing to be thick and creamy. If you'd like yours to be a little bit more liquid, milk may be whisked in before you toss it. I would stick to whole grain mustard too, it really gives it something extra. This will be perfect for your cookouts all summer long!

Bridget's Creamy Coleslaw

Ingredients:

- 1/4 cup of whole grain Dijon mustard

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 3/4 cup of mayonnaise

- 1 tablespoon of sugar

- 1/4 teaspoon of salt

- 1/4 teaspoon of pepper

- 2 tablespoons of white or red wine vinegar

- 2 tablespoons of milk (optional)

- 1/2 of a large head of cabbage, thinly sliced into bite sized pieces

- 2 large carrots julienned into small pieces  

    First, mix together the dressing. Wisk together the mustard, sour cream, mayo, sugar, salt, pepper, vinegar, and milk (if using). Once combined, toss the cabbage and carrots in the dressing. Let chill and serve cold.

Beet Salad Bites

    So, this last week has been a super busy one! Between work and prepping for our little class of 2006 reunion party, I am completely worn out! I wish more of my classmates had made it this weekend but we did have a nice time visiting with the friends that were able to attend! If you know me, you know that I am a goat cheese fanatic! I got a little excited when I found this recipe! Be generous with the honey and make sure your beets are roasted until tender!

Beet Salad Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 pound of fresh raw beets

- fresh baby spinach

- 7 ounce package of plain goat cheese

- 1 cup of roasted walnut pieces

- honey to garnish

- plastic skewers or toothpicks

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Start by peeling and chopping the beets into bite-sized pieces. Toss the cut beets in a little olive oil and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Top them with salt and pepper and bake until tender. If you can't find dry roasted walnut pieces, you can roast them yourself in the oven with some salt. Once the beets have cooled, you can assemble them. Take about a teaspoon of goat cheese and roll it in the nuts, skewer on a toothpick with the beets and spinach. Drizzle with honey and enjoy!

Class of '06!!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

    Talk about a crazy weekend! My little brother was supposed to get married on Friday but Hurricane Matthew had other plans. Stephen was called away to serve in the National Guard. We were very fortunate that the storm stayed off of the coast Thursday night and we remained out of harms way. There are still thousands without power that need your prayers. On the slightly brighter side, we had a lot of family time while bunkered down for the storm. My dad smoked a couple of pork butts and a huge brisket in the smoker over night. Saturday we had a cookout and the weather was perfect. I made my famous corn casserole and it was a hit. I tried this new cucumber salad recipe too! It is the perfect side dish for a bbq on a hot day!

Fresh Cucumber Salad

Ingredients:

- 3 large cucumbers, cored and sliced

- 1 medium white onion, sliced

- 1/2 cup of sour cream

- 1/4 cup of mayo

- 3 tablespoons of white vinegar

- 2 large tablespoons of chopped fresh dill

- 1 teaspoon of sugar

- salt and pepper to taste

    In a large bowl, whisk together the sour cream, mayo, vinegar, dill, sugar, salt, and pepper. Once combined, toss the cucumbers and onions in the mixture. Chill until ready to serve.

Family Time!!!!!

Cannoli Dip

    I am sad to say that a couple of weeks ago the world lost a beautiful person. I remember Ms. Andrea growing up and her children are good friends of mine. She was always such an encouraging woman with a passion for her children and an adventurous spirit. I think the thing that I will remember the most about her was her positive outlook on things. We will all be missing her smile, hugs, and kind words.  I was glad to help get together some refreshments with her family and friends last week. We had a lovely visit where we all remembered her. This Cannoli Dip recipe was everything I'd hope it would be. A rich and decadent dessert, perfect for a crowd and perfect for summertime!

Cannoli Dip

Ingredients:
- 1 (15 ounce) package of ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened
- 1 and 3/4 cup of confectioners sugar
- 1 and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
- 1 cup of mini chocolate chips, divided
- waffle cones to serve
    With an electric mixer, cream together the ricotta, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Once completely combined, fold in 3/4 cup of the mini chocolate chips. Sprinkle the remaining chips on top and serve with waffle cone pieces or cookies.

Cheesecake Strawberries

    I can see it now. I see my family and friends splashing in the pool. I see the sun shining and beer flowing. It's the time of year to host barbecues! I am definitely going to be making these little strawberry bites all summer long, they are so good! This recipe makes about a dozen strawberries. You could easily double or triple this recipe for a crowd! Cheers to another Florida summer y'all!

Cheesecake Strawberries

Ingredients:

- 4 ounces (1/2 block) of cream cheese, softened

- 1/4 cup of confectioners sugar

- 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

- 12 strawberries

- 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs

    With an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla. Pour the mixture into a piping bag. With a paring knife, cut out the tops of the strawberries and the bottoms to make a flat surface so they will stand up. Pipe the cheesecake filling into each strawberry and roll in graham cracker crumbs. Chill until you are ready to serve.

Crunchy Caramel Popcorn

    Last weekend I attended the cutest baby shower for my friend Amanda! We had a lovely day celebrating with her! She sent us home with so many goodies! My favorite was the homemade caramel popcorn, I knew I had to attempt recreating it! I set out with my dad's popcorn maker and a vision. It starts of similar to making my peanut brittle recipe! The only difference is you're going to be baking and mixing a lot. You're going to love how crisp and buttery this recipe comes out!

Crunchy Caramel Popcorn

Ingredients:

- 4 quarts (16 cups) of popped popcorn

- 1 cup of salted peanuts

- 1 cup of packed brown sugar

- 1/2 cup of light corn syrup

- 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter

- 1/2 teaspoon of salt

- 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

    Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Spread the popcorn and peanuts out on prepared baking sheet and place in the oven. In a heavy 2 quart saucepan, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt. Stir and bring to a boil over medium heat. Once rapid boil begins, stop stirring and time 5 minutes. Remove the popcorn from the oven. Once timer goes off, quickly stir in the baking soda and vanilla to the sugar mixture. Once thoroughly combined, pour the mixture evenly over the popcorn and peanuts. Stir and then place into the oven. Bake for 45 minutes, removing from the oven every 15 minutes to gently stir. Once finished, remove from the oven, stir one last time, and let cool. Break apart and enjoy!

Celebrating with the beautiful mommy to-be! 

Cheesecake Bites

    My friend Rebecca is having a baby girl! I thought it would be cute to make a little dessert to bring with me to her baby shower this weekend. These little cheesecake bites are so super easy! I topped them with pink frosting and sprinkles for the occasion. You could totally top them with anything you'd like. Maybe with a little melted chocolate or chopped nuts and caramel!

Cheesecake Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 cup of graham cracker crumbs

- 1/4 cup of finely chopped pecans

- 1/4 cup of melted butter 

- 2 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/4 cup of sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
    Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a 9x9 baking dish with tin foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together the graham cracker crumbs, chopped pecans, and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom of prepared baking dish and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, cream together the sugar and cream cheese. Add the sour cream, eggs, and vanilla. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust mixture. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. Let cool, slice, and serve. I froze them overnight before I sliced them to make the slicing process easier.

Cucumber Bliss Bites

    Is Christmas really almost already here?? I can't believe it! So, my original plans for these little dill cucumber bites of bliss were for my cookie swap party on Friday. Needless to say, I may have forgotten about them. Which is not surprising considering the crazy hours I've been working at both of my jobs lately. I'm finally on break for Christmas though! Thank goodness! Anyways, it worked out nicely because Frankie and I drove up to Jacksonville to visit with an old friend of mine on Saturday and I just threw them in the cooler and brought them up North with us. This old friend of mine wasn't just any old friend! DeeDee Hughes was not only my best friend throughout my entire childhood, she was the sister that I never had growing up. It was really nice to have some time to visit and celebrate! She threw an ugly Christmas sweater party, so much fun! You're going to love these cucumber bites, they did great surviving the trip! 

Cucumber Bliss Bites

Ingredients:

- 1 (8 ounce) package of cream cheese, softened

- 1/4 cup of ranch dressing

- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise 

- 1 tablespoon of fresh chopped dill

- 1/4 teaspoon of white pepper

- pinch of salt

- black pepper to taste and to garnish

- 3 or 4 large cucumbers

- 1 package of cherry tomatoes, sliced into fourths

    With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, ranch, mayo, dill, white pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cut the cucumbers into bite sized slices and use a melon baller to scoop out some of the seeds. Put the cream cheese mixture into a pipping bag and pipe into the cucumbers. Top them with the cherry tomatoes and black pepper. Chill and serve.

Such a fun party! Even our wine had an ugly sweater!

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2015

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone! I'm sure by now everyone has a fully belly and happy families! My family eats a huge lunch and then naps in the afternoon. I think I had my first glass of wine at 11am! Even though Thanksgiving is finally here, I've definitely been celebrating for the last two weeks. I wanted to highlight some of my recipes so we can pin them for next year!

Mom's turkey feast!

       After Friendsgiving, I was more than happy to throw in the apron and have mom take over for Thanksgiving. I decided that I was only making two things, the cranberry sauce and the appetizer.

 

Here's my recipe for Cheesy Sausage Puffs!

    I'm sure you're all sick of hearing about my Friendsgiving by now. Too bad! It was freaking awesome! We ate so much and it was my first time making a turkey by myself!

A cheese tray is always sure to keep guests happy!

Here's my recipe for The Best Sweet Potato Casserole!

The turkey is the star of the Thanksgiving dinner!

  

Here's the recipe for my Apple Cider Brined Turkey!

And of course, the most handsome man alive carving my beautiful turkey!

Once you're stuffed with turkey, it's time for the sweets!

I made this pumpkin layer cake for our luncheon at church

and everyone loved it! I even had to send a few recipe emails!

Here's the recipe for my Pumpkin Layered Cake!

Here's the link for my Pecan Pie Bars!

Here's the recipe for my Pumpkin Cheesecake Trifles!

I didn't go too crazy with my decorations. I did have a lot of candles though.

Our seat place cards came out pretty cute!

I found the chalk board skewers at Michael's!

Then, I just stuck them in some chocolates!

Lots of candles, pumpkins, and pine-cones!

I hope these recipes and tips have been useful! 

And I hope you are all having an amazing Thanksgiving!

Cheesy Sausage Puffs

   I found a similar recipe months ago and I've been wanting to try these! What better excuse to make them than it being Thanksgiving Day! You really can't go wrong with sausage and crescent rolls. My one piece of advise, make sure you pack these little sausage balls really tightly so they don't fall apart.

Cheesy Sausage Puffs

Ingredients:

- 1 roll of Pillsbury crescent rolls

- 1 cup of finely shredded cheddar cheese

- 1 pound of spicy ground sausage

- 1/2 teaspoon of ground thyme

- salt and pepper to taste

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spray lightly with cooking spray. In a skillet, lightly brown the sausage. Sprinkle the meat with the thyme, salt, and pepper while cooking. Make sure to break it up really good into crumbles. Once the sausage has cooked most of the way through, drain the fat and place the meat into a bowl. With a pizza slicer, slice the crescent rolls into tiny pieces. Add the cheese and crescent roll pieces to the meat. Mix with your hands really well. Form the mixture into tight little balls and place on prepared baking sheet. You can kinda make these as large or small as you'd like, just make sure to adjust the cook time accordingly. Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. 

Crescent Pieces!

Apple Cider Brined Turkey

    Practicing for Thanksgiving last week, I cooked my first ever brined turkey! I was a little nervous once I had boiled everything together, it didn't smell as wonderful as I'd thought it would. My nerves didn't subside until we were slicing into the juiciest, most tender turkey I've ever had! On top of soaking it for almost two days, I rubbed it with butter! Lots of butter. Oh, and not to mention roasted garlic and fresh rosemary! Making your own roasted garlic is super easy and I highly recommend trying it! Here are directions how!!

Apple Cider Brined Turkey

Ingredients:

  For the Brine:

- 3 cups of apple cider

- 2 gallons of water

- 6 large sprigs of fresh rosemary

- 1 tablespoon of minced garlic

- 1 and 1/2 cups of salt

- 2 cups of brown sugar

- 3 tablespoons of whole peppercorns

- 6 bay leaves

- The peels of three large oranges

    Mix everything together in a giant stock pot and bring to a boil. Let it completely cool and soak your thawed turkey for at least 12 hours. 

  For the butter rub:

- 3/4 cup of butter, softened

- 3 tablespoons of finely chopped fresh rosemary

- 5 large cloves of roasted garlic

    Mash the roasted garlic and then mix with the butter and rosemary

Here's my butter rub!

    Once the turkey is removed from the brine, pat it dry with a paper towel. Then, rub the butter mixture everywhere. I mean everywhere. You want to make sure to get it under the breast skin and inside the turkey as well as all over the outside. I put a couple of sprigs of rosemary on the inside instead of stuffing it. Next, you want to roast your turkey according to it's weight! Here's a good guide! I cooked my 15 pound bird, covered in a roasting pan for about 3 and 1/2 hours at 350 degrees. I uncovered it for the last hour to allow it to brown.

Good luck my friends and Happy Thanksgiving!!