Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple Bites

This awesome Fallish appetizer/dessert is from Our Best Bites. I love caramel apples and these bites put all the taste of caramel apples in a easy to eat package. You can just cover them in chocolate or you can add anything you like on caramel apples like toffee bits, mini m&m's, chopped peanuts, etc. They are fantastic party food. My kids especially loved them!

Chocolate Covered Caramel Apple Bites

5 apples (Granny Smith or your favorite apple)
1 packages caramel bits
2 tablespoons water
1 package chocolate almond bark
toppings: toffee bits, mimi m&m's, chopped peanuts, etc.

In a saucepan combine caramel bits and 2 tablespoons water and heat stirring constantly over medium low heat until the caramel bits are completely melted and smooth. Remove from heat. Dip apples and place on parchment or wax paper until caramel is set.

Microwave almond bark according to package directions. Core and cut apples into slices. Using a skewer or fork, dip each apple slice into the melted almond bark and set on a sheet of wax paper. Sprinkle each apple slice with desired toppings immediately after dipping because almond bark will set pretty quickly. Eat right away or refrigerate until ready to serve. These apple bites are better to serve the same day because they will crack and get mushy within a few days.

Ghost Brownies

This little Halloween dessert is adorable and easy to make. I saw this one on Pinterest and had to make it for a Halloween themed book club I hosted recently. I was so happy with how they turned out. These would be great to take to a school Halloween party or any Halloween party. My husband actually took the leftovers to work and all his coworkers thought they were fun.

Ghost Brownies

1 9x13 pan of baked and cooled brownies (homemade, boxed, or store bought)
Large marshmallows
1 tub white frosting
mini chocolate chips

Cut brownies evenly into 15 squares. Line a cookie sheet with parchment or wax paper and top with a cooling rack. Place the brownie squares on top of the rack.

Take the lid off the frosting container and microwave for 30 seconds or until the frosting can be stirred smooth and fluid. If frosting becomes too firm while decorating, microwave for 5 seconds and then stir.

Place 1 large marshmallow on each brownie. Spoon 1 tablespoon of frosting over each marshmallow to coat. Let stand until frosting is set, about 30 minutes.

Press mini chocolate chips into the set frosting to create the eyes and mouth of each ghost.

Pumpkin Roll

In my opinion pumpkin rolls are the perfect dessert. Oh how I love pumpkin baked goods and this fabulous dessert combines flavorful pumpkin cake with a creamy cream cheese filling. Cake and cheesecake in a beautiful spiral slice. It's a wonderful thing. This particular recipe is from Gimme Some Oven and it's surprisingly easy to make and so delicious. As a side note, you do need to have 15x10 inch jelly roll pan because there is just not enough cake batter in this recipe to make it in a rimmed cookie sheet.

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Cake Ingredients:
3/4 cup all purpose flour (plus 1 tablespoon for high altitude)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
powdered sugar for sprinkling at the end

Cream Cheese Filling:
8 oz brick cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
6 tablespoons sugar, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla

To Make the Pumpkin Roll:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs and sugar for 1 minute until thick. Add in the vanilla and pumpkin, and whisk until just combined. Fold in the flour mixture with a rubber spatula and stir together until just combined.

Line a 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper, leaving 1 inch of the parchment sticking up on both 15 inch sides of the pan so that you can easily lift the cake out after baking. Lightly mist the parchment paper with cooking spray for easier cake release afterward.

Spread the batter evenly into prepared pan. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until top of the cake springs back when touched. Carefully lift the parchment paper and cake out onto a flat surface. Then slowly, use your hands to roll the cake with parchment paper attached - rolling from the short end to the short end - until it is completely rolled up. Transfer the cake roll to a wire rack, and cool until it is room temperature.

When the cake is cooled, make the cream cheese filling. (follow directions below)

When the cake has reached room temperature, transfer the cake roll to a flat surface, and carefully unroll it until it is flat again or mostly flat - it's okay if the ends curl up a little. Spread the cream cheese filling evenly over the cake. Carefully re-roll the cake, gently peeling away the parchment paper as you roll until you can completely remove and discard it. Tightly wrap the pumpkin roll in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Remove and unwrap the pumpkin roll and transfer it to your serving dish. Lightly dust the pumpkin roll with powdered sugar, if you would like. Then slice and serve. Store uneaten pumpkin roll in a sealed container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 3 days.

To Make Cream Cheese Filling:
Beat together cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla until smooth. Spread on cake before rolling up according to directions above.

Canned Peach Jam - Two Ways

Isn't homemade peach jam beautiful!! I canned two types of peach jam this year - one using liquid pectin and one using powdered pectin. I have always wondered what the difference was and I figured it out! So in my experience, canned jams using liquid pectin set up more and are more like commercial peach jams (pictured above). Canned jams using powdered pectin do not set up quite as well, but they taste more like fresh peaches (pictured below). Both are absolutely wonderful because homemade jam is just wonderful, but you can decide what you want your finished product to be like. Are you hoping for a lovely set up jam that is easy to spread on PB&J's? Then pick liquid pectin. Are you hoping for that fresh peach taste all year long, but are willing to have a runnier jam? Then use powdered pectin.

Peach Jam (Using Liquid Pectin)

2 quarts finely chopped peaches
15 cups sugar
1/2 cup lemon juice (I used bottled)
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 pouches Certo Liquid Pectin

1. Peel and finely chop peaches - to finely chop the peaches I used my Pampered Chef food chopper - and measure out exactly 2 quarts of the chopped peaches.

2. Measure exact amount of sugar into a large bowl.

3. Combine in a large stock pot peaches, sugar, and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil on heat heat. Add butter to reduce foaming and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in 2 pouches of liquid pectin quickly, return to a full rolling boil, and boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

4. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

5. Ladle cooked jam into hot, sterilized, 8 oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. To sterilize jars I wash them and then put them in a high heat cycle of my dishwasher without detergent and let them sit in the hot dishwasher until I'm ready to fill them.

6. Wipe jar rims and threads and cover with sterilized lids and bands. Screw bands on tightly.

7. Place jars on canner rack and lower into canner. Water must cover the jars by at least 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, process the jars for 10 minutes plus the amount of time needed for your elevation (for me it is 10 minutes more, for a total of 20 minutes of boiling/processing).

8. Turn off heat and allow jars to sit in the water for 5 minutes. Remove rack of jars and place jars, upright, on a towel lined surface. Cool completely for 24 hours without moving. After 24 hours check each jar to make sure the jar has sealed by pressing the middle of the lids - if the lid springs back it has not sealed and you will need to refrigerate that jar and use it first. Properly sealed jars can be stored at room temp for about 2 years.

Peach Jam (Using Powdered Pectin)

2 quarts finely chopped peaches
11 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice (I used bottled)
1/2 tablespoon butter
2 boxes Sure Jell powdered fruit pectin

1. Peel and finely chop peaches - to finely chop the peaches I used my Pampered Chef food chopper - and measure out exactly 2 quarts of the chopped peaches.

2. Measure exact amount of sugar into a large bowl.

3.In a large stock pot combine chopped peaches, pectin, lemon juice, and butter. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Add in sugar and return to a full rolling boil; boil for exactly 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

4. Skim off any foam with a metal spoon.

5. Ladle cooked jam into hot, sterilized, 8 oz jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. To sterilize jars I wash them and then put them in a high heat cycle of my dishwasher without detergent and let them sit in the hot dishwasher until I'm ready to fill them.

6. Wipe jar rims and threads and cover with sterilized lids and bands. Screw bands on tightly.

7. Place jars on canner rack and lower into canner. Water must cover the jars by at least 2 inches. Cover and bring to a boil. Once it has come to a boil, process the jars for 10 minutes plus the amount of time needed for your elevation (for me it is 10 minutes more, for a total of 20 minutes of boiling/processing).

8. Turn off heat and allow jars to sit in the water for 5 minutes. Remove rack of jars and place jars, upright, on a towel lined surface. Cool completely for 24 hours without moving. After 24 hours check each jar to make sure the jar has sealed by pressing the middle of the lids - if the lid springs back it has not sealed and you will need to refrigerate that jar and use it first. Properly sealed jars can be stored at room temp for about 2 years.

Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce

I think homemade applesauce is heavenly. It is the best way to make your home smell like Fall as the apples cook away. Yum! This slow-cooker recipe for applesauce it the best. There's no stirring or watching the pot of applesauce to make sure it doesn't burn on the bottom - all you do it put all the ingredients in the crockpot and let it cook. It is the perfect accompaniment to any meal. I'm so glad I gave this a try - it will probably be the way I make applesauce from now on.

Crock Pot Cinnamon Applesauce

10 cups peeled and sliced apples (this measurement is approximate - I just peeled and sliced enough apples to fill up my crock pot)
Fruit Fresh
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup water

Peel and slice apples. I used my apple peeler/slicer/corer to make this process faster. As you place the apple slices in the crockpot sprinkle the layers with Fruit Fresh and mix around. All together I probably used about 1/2 tablespoon of Fruit Fresh. Add in the brown sugar, water, and cinnamon and mix it all together. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours and then on low for 2 hours, or you can cook on low for 6 hours. Blend apples in the crockpot with an immersion blender until it is the texture you like. If you do not have an immersion blender you can blend in batches in a blender. Pour the applesauce into a bowl and let the applesauce cool for at least an hour before serving. After it is cooled you can serve it or refrigerate it until you are ready to serve the applesauce. It is delicious warm or cold.

Pioneer Woman Spaghetti and Meatballs

This is the best spaghetti and meatballs recipe I have ever tried so it totally makes sense that it came from Pioneer Woman. I swear, her recipes are just so great! This recipe actually came from the back of one of her "Charlie" children's books, but I also think it's on her website. The meatballs are moist and flavorful and the sauce it super yummy. We have spaghetti all the time - which is why I have so many spaghetti recipes on my blog - and I think this spaghetti will go in to our regular rotation. I served it with Caesar salad and garlic bread and it was a fabulous dinner.

Pioneer Woman Spaghetti & Meatballs

Meatball Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup bread crumbs (about 2 pieces of thick bread processed in a food processor)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
splash milk

Sauce Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1, 28 oz can whole tomatoes
1, 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
1/4 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
8 whole basil leaves, chopped finely

To make meatballs combine meat, garlic, bread crumbs, Parmesan, eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, and a splash of milk. Mix together well. Roll into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on a foil-lined, non-stick sprayed cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a heavy pot. Add onion and cook for a few minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Pour in whole tomatoes and crushed tomatoes. Add salt, Italian seasoning, pepper, sugar, and parsley. Stir to combine and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. At this point I used an immersion blender to blend up some of the bigger chunks of tomatoes. Add meatballs and stir gently. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, stirring gently a few times during the simmer. Just before serving, stir in finely chopped basil. Serve over cooked spaghetti with grated Parmesan on individual servings.

Chicken Salad for a Crowd

I recently helped out with the food at my good friend's daughter's wedding. They had this chicken salad on croissants and I made two big batches of it. It was so yummy! It's a very simple chicken salad, but that's what makes it so good. You could add in some halved grapes or Craisins for a little sweetness, but just like this it is delicious. Thanks Kimberly for a great recipe!!

Chicken Salad for a Crowd

5 lbs chicken breasts, cooked* and chopped
4 cups diced celery
2 cups chopped green onions
1 cup slivered almonds
2 cups mayonnaise (or more)
salt & pepper, to taste

Combine chopped chicken with celery, green onions, and almonds. Add enough mayonnaise to moistened but not make too mushy. Season with salt and pepper to taste (I used probably 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon of salt). Serve in croissants or prepared puff pastries.

*To Cook Chicken Breasts:
Place chicken breasts in a 5 quart crockpot and add about 1 cup chicken broth. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Remove chicken, cool, and then chop/dice the chicken.