"Poisoned" Apples

How fabulous are these!?

To quote someone else, "these look like something out of a Tim Burton version of  Snow White!" 

My best friend throws a themed Halloween bash every year.  This year's them is "Story Book".   These will fit in nicely...

 As the Queen in Snow White said:

 "But wait 'till you taste one, dearie. Like to try one? Go on. Go on, have a bite."

Creepy!

I first saw these on a website called MattBites.com.  Matt is a food photographer and also writes food columns for national news papers.  He posted directions on how to do this on his site, so of course I had to try it!

Click Here

for the recipe

Candied apples are candied apples, but the twigs are what set these apart.  I clipped these off of a cherry tree in my back yard.

I soaked them in hot water with a little dish soap to get the dirt off.  I sharpened the bottom of the sticks so it would be easier to poke them into the apples.

Helpful hint: buy the apples at a farmer's market.  The apples at the grocery store have a food grade wax on them that is difficult to remove.  Candy will slide right off of apples that have wax on them!

 Also, the lighter colored apples work best for the ones you want to color red. The darker Red Delicious apples work best for the black color.

Mix the water, corn syrup, and sugar.   Heat until the sugar has dissolved.  Boil the mixture until your candy themometer reads 300 degrees.  Be careful though, candy burns at 310 degrees!

If your mixure is boiling over, remove from heat and transfer to a bigger pan.  This happened to me and it made a HUGE mess that was difficult to clean up.  Boiled sugar that cools down, hardens quickly.  You get the picture....  Luckily, my husband was right there cleaning up after me!  *Luvs*

Once your mixture is the right temperature, add the food coloring, any flavored oil and stir together.  Dip the apple completely in the syrup and swirl it so that it becomes coated with the melted candy.  Hold the apple above the pan so the excess drips off. 

I had to re-heat the mixure after each dipped apple.  That part was fairly easy, just throw it back on the stove over medium heat and stir until thinned again.  After I was done with the red apples, I re-heated the mixture and added the black food coloring.  Adding black to red will help it appear darker.

Place the apples onto a baking sheet that's lined with foil and sprayed with a non-stick spray like Pam.

Let the apples cool completely before serving.

"This is no ordinary apple. It's a magic wishing apple.

One bite, and all your dreams will come true.

 Yes, girlie. Now, make a wish, and take a bite". 

- Queen from Snow White

Decorating For Fall

Fall is by far my favorite time of year!  There is a chill on the air, football season is in full swing (go Hawks!), the aroma from spiced candles fill the house... you get the picture! 

But, the real reason I love fall is because I get to bring down all the orange bins that have been shoved up into the rafters in the garage.  I swear, they are calling me all year long...

I usually start with the front porch.  Every year I forget to write down how many hay bales I buy versus how many I actually use, same thing with the corn stalks. This year though, I finally had the forsight to write it down!

My daughter has an affinity for white things....  white rocks, white shells and she always picks out white pumpkins.  Instead of carving them this year, we decided to paint them!  I spent $1.50 on three different colors of paint and had one happy little girl! 

The lanterns were an addition this year also. I've been seeing them in the Potterybarn catalog for some time now, and I love them!  A very homey touch.  I couldn't see spending $100 per lantern, so I went in search of some knock-offs.  I found some at Walmart for $10 a piece!  Score!!

I found the sign at a small shop down on Main Street.  I told myself that I wasn't going to buy anything large this year, but I just couldn't resist.  Pie Maker's Best?  How PERFECT for my porch! 

I picked up the broom at Walmart also... then I painted it black and green to look like a witch's broom.

 I love everything on my porch, but I think my favorite item would have to be the spiders.  They're just the right size.  The string on them is very long, so you can hang them just about anywhere. They even have black and orange glitter on them!  They are all throughout my home, even in the bathroom!

As you can see, I go a little overboard decorating for fall. I found some great Halloween fabrics and covered up a few of the pictures on the walls, added seasonal pillows to the couches, and a Yankee cranberry candle burning on the stove... 

After Halloween, all the spiders, witches and jack-o-lanters will come down. What's left (hay, un-carved pumkins, candles) will stay up through Thanksgiving and keep the house festive!

Ally