Caramel Apples

from our Best Bites

Yeah, yeah, I get it. Caramel apples aren't exactly earth-shattering or anything. But there are caramel apples and then there are caramel apples. Have you seen those amazingly gorgeous caramel apples at places like Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory but you haven't felt like shelling out $8 for some tastier-than-average produce? Well, today's your day. These are easy, easy, easy, will wow everyone who sees them, and are easily cut up for a gorgeously impressive Halloween party finger food!

--1 bag Kraft caramels or Kraft caramel bits
--About 4-5 large, tart apples (I use Granny Smith; some of them were a little too sour this time, but there's no real way of knowing that when you're buying them...)
--Desired toppings; could use crushed candy bars (I've used Twix, Snickers, Butterfinger {yum}, and Heath), chopped nuts like peanuts, cashews, or macadamias (my favorite), toasted coconut, melted white or semisweet chocolate, melted marshmallows or warmed marshmallow cream, peanut butter or peanut butter chips; the sky's the limit here!

1. Wash and dry apples; apples must be completely dry before you dip them in caramel.

2. In a medium saucepan, melt caramel according to package directions. Due to the fact that I live in the sticks, caramel bits are not available to me at this time; however, Sara was gracious enough to send me a picture of these little cuties that are doubly adorable because you don't have to unwrap them, thus increasing the melting-to-eating stage of the apple-making process.
3. Spray a generous piece of wax or parchment paper with non-stick cooking spray.

4. Firmly place a popsicle stick into the apple (make sure it goes about halfway down. You usually get some with the caramels; if not, you can get a big bag of popsicle sticks in the craft section of the grocery store OR you can get some fancy-schmancy pointed sticks anywhere you get cake and candy-making supplies.

5. When caramel is melted, quickly dip apples. The easiest way to ensure even caramel distribution is to dip the apple and then flip it over and twirl it around so it starts to drip down towards the top of the apple. Just be careful to not get any on your hand; you'll probably swear. And if it gets on your hand, DO NOT LICK IT. You'll definitely swear that time, plus you'll be burned twice and you won't be able to taste your delicious apples.

6. Working in the order that you dipped the apples, quickly roll apples in desired toppings. If the caramel is really starting to cool, you may need to really press the toppings into the caramel.

7. If desired, dip a fork in melted chocolate or white chocolate and fling it over the apples.

8. When cool and stable, store apples in refrigerator until chocolate is hardened. These will be fine for about 2 days, but after that, some moisture will creep underneath the caramel and it will start to slip away from the apple.

These are huge and messy to eat whole (and actually too much for me), so I like to cut them into slices to share. These also make awesome gifts; spray the inside of a cellophane treat bag (also available near cake decorating supplies) with non-stick cooking spray and place a hardened apple inside the bag. Tie with a cute bow and take it to whomever you really need to suck up to... :)

So spill it...do you like caramel or candy apples? What other ideas do you have for toppings? Who's making these for Halloween this year?

Holiday Hot Chocolate

from the kitchen of Ann-Marie

1 C sugar
1/3 C Hersey's unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp salt
1C water
5 1/2 C milk
1 (12 oz) Can evaporated milk or 1 1/2 C cream
1 TBSP vanilla

In sauce pan combine sugar, cocoa, and salt: add water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture boils. Boil and stir 2 min. Stir in milk and evaporated milk or cream and heat. DO NOT BOIL. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour in a thermos for easy serving. Makes 8 servings.

Bruschetta

from the kitchen of Whitney
4 plum or roma tomatoes, chopped into a fine dice (you can use other tomatoes, just take out the juice and seeds)
8 leaves of fresh basil (dried will not work) minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 cup chopped sweet onion (can use shallot or green onion also), chopped into a fine dice
2 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, separated
1 baguette cut into slices (about 1/2-1 inch thick)

Mix all ingredients but the bread in a bowl and let sit in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes. The flavors will mix nicely

Take a 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil, brush it on the bread, then place the slices on a cookie sheet. Toast in the oven for a few minutes until they're nice and golden brown.

Assemble by placing about 2 Tbsp of bruschetta on each slice of bread. Do not plate early since the liquid in the bruschetta will make the bread soggy. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar or top with melted mozzarella cheese, if desired.

Limeade-cucumber slush

from the kitchen of Shawnalyn

1 can frozen limeade concentrate
2 2L bottles of Diet 7-Up
1/2 Cucumber sliced

Pour both bottles of Diet 7-Up over the frozen limeade and stir until mixed. Add sliced cucumber and serve.
This never turns out like a true "slush" for me, but it is SO refreshing, and everyone who has tried it has loved it!

Texas Caviar

from the kitchen of Shawnalyn

Ingredients:
1 can black beans (drained)
1 can kidney beans (drained)
1 can of white northern beans (drained)
1 can black eyed peas (drained)
1 can shoepeg corn (drained) (or can use reg frozen corn approx 1 3/4 cup)
1 or 2 green bell peppers diced
1 or 2 Roma tomatoes diced
1 or 2 avocados diced
1 bunch cilantro diced
1 envelope Italian dressing (prepare dressing per package directions)

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and marinate in the fridge 1- 2 hrs. until chilled. Serve with tortilla chips or pita chips.

Fried Ravioli

from the kitchen of Shawnalyn

Ingredients:
Frozen ravioli
Eggs
Bread crumbs
Oil for frying
Marinara sauce
Cream Cheese

Directions:
Cook ravioli in boiling water as directed on package. About 3 min, until they float to the top. Then place them on paper towels and pat dry. Then beat eggs in pie tin or shallow dish. Add bread crumbs to separate shallow dish or plate. Dip cooked ravioli into eggs then into bread crumbs. Fill a deep skillet or large sauce pan with vegetable oil. Heat on med-high heat. When hot, add breaded ravioli. Fry for about 2 min, just until they brown. Transfer to cookie rack to drain oil.

Dipping sauce: Use your favorite marinara sauce and pour into a sauce pan over med. heat. Add in softened cream cheese, and stir until smooth. Cream cheese may stay a little lumpy. You can also make your own sauce easily by using a large can of tomato sauce, a smaller (14oz) can of diced tomatoes, crushed garlic, onion, salt, pepper, and few shakes of dried basil. Add olive oil to pan, then saute garlic and onion about 1 min, add all other ingredients, season to taste, and simmer 10 min. Then for this recipe, you could add the cream cheese.

These are soooo good. They are kind of like glorified mozzarella sticks. You can have them as an appetizer or as a dinner, and serve with salad and bread. They also freeze really well. I buy the big bag at Costco, and make them all at once. I then separate the fried raviolis into Ziploc bags and freeze them. To reheat, place them on a baking sheet and bake at 400* for about 10 min, just until they warm through and puff up slightly.

Hot Artichoke Dip

from the kitchen of Shawnalyn

Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese (softened)
4 cloves garlic
2 cans artichoke hearts (drained & chopped)
1- 2 jalapeno peppers ( seeded and finely chopped)
1 Cup mayo
1 Cup dry Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350*
Chop artichoke hearts, pepper and garlic in food processor. Add mayo, softened cream cheese and parm cheese. Place in a 8 X 8 baking dish. Bake for 20 - 25 min.

Shrimp & Cream Cheese Bites

from the kitchen of Shawnalyn

Ingredients:
Frozen shrimp
Cream cheese
Shredded Italian cheese blend (usually a 3 or 5 cheese blend)
Cheddar cheese
Lemon
Baguette
Olive oil
Salt & pepper

Directions:
Cut baguette into slices. Place on baking sheet drizzle tops with olive oil and salt. Broil for 2 min. or until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Thaw shrimp and chop into smaller pieces . Mix cream cheese, Italian cheese blend, lemon juice, shrimp, salt & pepper together. Place a spoonful on top of each baguette slice and top with shredded cheddar cheese. Place back into oven and broil for another 1-2 minutes until cheese is bubbly and starts to brown.

These are really good, simple appetizers. I have also had them for dinner as well. These taste good on rosemary infused bread as well.

Parmesan Popovers

from the kitchen of Shawnalyn

Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon herbs de Provence
4 tablespoons chopped parsley leaves
1 cups whole milk
3/4 cup grated Parmesan (about 5 ounces)

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
In a blender, combine eggs, flour, salt, pepper, and herbs, milk, and cheese. Blend on medium speed.
Spray a mini-muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pour the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup 3/4 full. Bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes.
Remove popovers from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack. Save in a storage container to take to the picnic.