All Natural Homemade Caramel Sauce

Hello all!  I am almost done.  It has been such a crazy, but good, experience (see last post).  It has been a long and tiring experience.  But I can't complain.  It has been SO good!

The fall and spring are my favorite times of the year here in North Carolina.  Now that the weather is cooling down,  it is great reminder that the fair is right around the corner.  Fair food.  Mmm.  Caramel apples, deep fried candy bars, cotton candy, corn dogs - the list can go on.     A few years ago I shared this recipe, and I wanted to share it again here on the blog because it is simply fabulous, and since this is not a food blog, that is saying much.  It's not the kind of caramel sauce you would make for apples, but you definitely could dip your apples into it!  I wonder if cooking the sauce longer would make it a chewier caramel appropriate for apples.  Maybe I will have to try that.   It is a great sauce for desserts (cheesecake anyone?), dipping fruit, to add to hot chocolate or tea, and it makes a great little gift for friends and loved ones.   I found this recipe several years ago in a Better Homes & Gardens magazine. It's a great recipe, and I have not made any changes to it.  It's just perfect. Tastes perfect.  Looks perfect.  Cooks perfectly.

Here is the old post.

*The felt acorns wrapped around the canning jar can be found here.*

Homemade Caramel Sauce  

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB water
1/2 water
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Oven mitt

In a small saucepan, heat on low the cream and 2 TB of water.  Do not boil the cream.  In another pot, pour the 1/2 cup of water in a 2 qt pan, and pour the sugar and salt in to form a mound in the center.  DO NOT STIR IT.  Make sure all the sugar is absorbed into the water though.  Turn the heat on medium.  Cover with lid.  Let water boil, and once all the sugar is dissolved, remove the lid.  Do not stir.  Continue to boil until the sugar syrup turns amber (light golden color).  I used a skewer and a white plate to test the color of the syrup.  Here you can see that it progresses to a golden color after the allotted time.

This process will take about 12-15 minutes, so do not get distracted and leave the stove.  In the meantime, occasionally stir the cream.  You should see steam rising from the top by the time the syrup is ready.  Take the syrup pan off the heat, and while wearing an oven mitt, slowly add the cream to the syrup and stir.  You will see LOTS of steam, so please wear your mitt!  Return back to heat and stir for 1-2 minutes.  Add 1 tsp of vanilla.  You can serve this after it cools for a little bit, and store it in the refrigerator up to one month. 

Happy Fall!

xx nancy

An unconventional way to remove a water stain from wood

Do you remember when I got this table?

Well, the lady who sold it to me said she rubbed it down with a protective oil to help preserve it. She may have done that, but we have been getting a few stains here and there, which resulted in me throwing a cheap vinyl tablecloth over it to protect the wood.  A few weeks ago I ended up with a nasty stain.  Something somehow leaked through the tablecloth and onto the table.  I didn't even know it nor did I know how the long the stain had been there until I had taken off the tablecloth.  Needless to say, the wood had turned white.

The other day I was playing Go Fish with my 3 year old, and we were snacking on Lay's Wavy potato chips.

I noticed these little grease spots showing up, and I had the craziest idea to rub the inside of the bag of chips onto my water stain.   I figured it couldn't hurt.

Well, guess what.  It worked.   I cut a small piece of the bag and rubbed the oily side onto the table in a circular motion.  Within seconds, the stain was gone.  I wiped the table down with clean damp cloth to check if it was just a hoax.  The stain was gone. (!!!)

A few things to note:
This worked for me and may not work for you.  I thought this was a crazy idea and just wanted to share it.
My table is solid wood teak with no veneers.
My table does not have any protective coating like Polyacrylic or stains.
I didn't use a lot of oil.  If I needed more, I cut another small piece from the bag.

Have you found a successful way to remove water stains?  Do share!

xx nancy

One year ago: Triple Zip Pouch
Two years ago: Fabric Friday || Triangles

Guest Post at Just the Bee's Knees - Margherita Pizza Recipe

Today I am sharing my Margherita Pizza recipe with Sarah at Just the Bee's Knees.  I'm so happy she asked me to fill in for her today while she's off being lazy in Canada.  Sarah and I met when both our blogs were still fairly new.  Sarah is a mom and interior designer with really great taste, so she had me hooked from the beginning.  Now if only I could convince her to tag along with me to High Point Market.  Any takers???  Okay, enough design stuff.  If eating is your thing, pin this recipe to save for later, or make it tonight!   It's amazingly simple, and tastes great.   People might think you slaved away in the kitchen.  To see the recipe, you'll need to head on over to Just the Bee's Knees.   

*Sarah's not around to correct my typo, but when you pull the pizza out, place it on a cookie rack so air can flow underneath the pizza causing it not to condensate.

Thanks for stopping in!

Pinterest Food #3

you can see #1 here and #2 here.

you can view my pinterest food board here.

so where do i begin on this one?  i realized something the other day with my pinterest food posts.  i could actually be helping out someone.  someone like me.  someone who forgets to buy an ingredient on the shopping list, even though it was written down on the list.  someone who looks at the ingredient list and automatically assumes how to put it all together without reading the recipe. someone who doesn't read all the way through recipes until you're actually making it.  someone who somehow skips a step in the recipe, even though you were reading it as you were going.

 yeah, that is soooo me.

with this said, sometimes i have to alter recipes, but i'll make note of that below the food item. 
as usual, i am sharing recipes that i liked and will make again, and i don't snap photos of the foods i made.


Peanut Butter Cup Pie from Cinnamon and Spice and Everything Nice.

I didn't find the chocolate cookies she was talking about for the crust, so I used Oreos instead.  Creme and all.  And retarded me didn't buy two packages of cream cheese, so I only used one.  I added a little extra peanut butter to compensate.  I also used a 9 x 13 pan, and I threw the dessert into the freezer.  I didn't serve it frozen, but I let it defrost a bit. 

Snicker Bars from How Sweet It Is.
You MUST make this TONIGHT.  Period.

After each layer, I chucked it into the freezer to speed up cooling times.  I left these refrigerated right until serving.

Naan Bread from Allrecipes.com

Really good.  I used garlic in mine.  I would reduce the heat on the grill to maybe med-high since mine got a little on the burnt side last time.  Matt's been in Afghanistan, and he says naan is really good sprinkled with cinnamon and coarse sugar over the buttered naan.  Of course, skip the garlic. 

Curried Green Lentil Soup from The Little Ferraro Kitchen.

I used only a 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes, added an additional cup of coconut milk, and skipped the salt and pepper.  I didn't add those decorative thingys to the top of my soup either.  I ate Naan bread with it.  Yum!

Crispy Sweet Potato Fries from The Art of Doing Stuff.
It say "gauranteed" in the title, but that really ain't so.  Even many people made comments about that in the comment box.  She says it's all about the ratio of oil and cornstarch, so I guess after the 20th time making them, you'll finally get them crispy.  Other than that, they still tasted good, and I am going to work my way up the 20th time.

Pizza Dough from Annie's Eats.

Let's just say I pinned this 14 weeks ago and I have made at least 20 pizzas.  You do the math.  I half the dough recipe to make one single pie, which feeds 3 people.

Shaved Asparagus Pizza from Annie's Eats.

I tried this with white crust.  Yum! I  also tried this with whole wheat crust.  Yuck!

I didn't have any of that fancy herb cheese, so I made my own using this recipe.  I had to add more spices into the mixture though.  I just thought it wasn't enough.

French Bread Rolls from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.

I ended up throwing away my old roll recipe, and replaced it with this.

I don't knead it for as long as the recipe says.  Maybe two-three minutes in the KitchenAid.  I always use the window pane test when I make yeast rolls, and I half the recipe and make about 12 large rolls.  I think this recipe is fool-proof, but try not to go proving me wrong.  ;)

later taters,
nancy

Pinterest Food # 2

You can see # 1 here.

I am trying out the foods that are getting pinned on Pinterest because I LOVE variety.  I am not one of those gals who can eat the same thing for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I debated whether or not to share the recipes I disliked.  No one likes hearing their cooking sucks.   I know everyone has different tastes when it comes to food, and that's fine.  I am sure someone hates something I have made.   What would you do?  Inform others of poor recipes?  Keep it to yourself and let others find out on their own that the food tastes like crap?  Don't worry though.  I'm only sharing the recipes I liked and will make again.

As usual, I don't document the food I make, so I use the photos that were pinned. 

First up, the infamous 7up biscuits from Plain Chicken.  I'm sure you have seen this photo before because it's been pinned a bazillion times by now.  And I can see why.  They are freakin' awesome.  So easy to make.  So little ingredients.  So soft like a baby's bum.  I actually goofed the first time I made them.  I poured my melted butter into the Bisquick and had to add extra flour.  But they turned out just fine.  I made them a second time following the recipe, and they turned out great. 

Next I made this Chicken Enchilada Soup from Home is Where the Holmans Are.  The recipe calls for some fancy Mexican cheese (okay, I'm just too lazy to look up what the cheeses are), but I used cheddar and mozzarella instead.  It is a hearty, thick soup.  I enjoyed it.  Matt loved it.  I will be making it again. 

The other week I made BBQ Chicken on the grill, and I used a sauce recipe from Our Best Bites.  Oh my word.  I thought this sauce was delish.  In fact, I was eating it by the spoonfuls before putting it on the chicken.  You would have thought I was pregnant.  Matt liked it, but he wasn't as super impressed as I was.

I love eating Broccoli and Cheese soup.  Especially from Panera Bread.  This photo looked tempting, so I made the soup from Mel's Kitchen Cafe.  I did enjoy it, but I wasn't super thrilled by it.  It was delicious, don't get me wrong.  I guess I will hold every Broccoli and Cheese soup up to PB's standard.  Shame on them!  This recipe also calls for swiss cheese, which really gives it a different flavor to the soup.  Matt suggested ham would be really good in the soup.

From Me-To You made this gorgeous roasted bird.  Take a look at that photo!!  Doesn't this make you want to go out and kill (or buy :) a chicken RIGHT now??  Well, that is what happened to me, though Goldie, Tweedle, Sassy, Baby, and Halley are still alive.  I didn't have any of that fancy herbs de Provence or lavender, so I googled it and made up my own with what I had on hand.  It turned out great!

Zuppa Toscana soup from Mommy For Reals = YUM, and not because I "know" Danny. All I can say about this is I have made it 3 times since pinning it.  I made it once for my two sisters.  One sister made it for two weeks straight until she literally got sick of it. 

Thai Coconut Rice from Cooking for Seven.  This was good, but it was not as sweet as I was expecting, and the coconut flavor is not as pronounced as I would have thought either.  I will make it again though.

Have you made or pinned any of these items listed?

A Tastespotting Thanksgiving

I love Tastespotting.  I was introduced to it by a dear friend of mine several years ago.  It really is one of my go to recipe sites.  There is very little I have made that has either been a disaster or tasted bad.  Tastespotting is a visual food board and has been around before Pinterest.  You can discover so many wonderful blogs through Tastespotting. 

I love Thanksgiving because I love to eat. :)  I love homemade rolls, sweet potatoes, green bean casseroles, every dessert (well, almost) and of course stuffing!  Notice how I did not mention turkey or pumpkin pie?  Yeah, I am not a turkey eater nor do I love pumpkin pie.  I think both are gross.  I thought I would try my hand at creating a Thanksgiving dinner spread since I'm not cooking this year.  Wait. . . I never cook Thanksgiving dinners.


 Turkeys and Hams

1. Brined Roast Turkey Breast with Herb Pan Gravy
2. Lemon and Rosemary Turkey
3. Spiced Rubbed Turkey
4. 5 Ingredient Ham
5. Honey-Orange Glazed Ham
6. Glazed Ham

 Sides

1. Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes
2. Green Bean Casserole with Crispy Shallots
3. Cheddar Rosemary Mashed Potatoes
4. Spicy Cranberry and Apple Compote (Recipe in English)

5. Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quinoa and Herbs
6. Sausage and Sage Stuffing with Cranberries and Hazelnuts
7. Pumpkin and Sage Cornbread Stuffing
8. Yeast Rolls

1. Cranberry Meringue Pie
2. Grape and Apple Pie
3. Pecan, Pumpkin, and Cheesecake Pie
4. Almond Joy Pie
5. Frozen Peanut Butter Pie
6. Blackberry Pie




































Dinner Table Decorations

This picture was posted in 2009, and I believe it is a timeless table setting for Thanksgiving.  But then again, isn't that what you expect from DwellStudio's founder, Christiane Lemieux?  I have to admit that up until the last few years, gold was never really a color I liked in home decor, but that thought has definitely changed.

Source

And she even created a kid's table topped with activities!  How thoughtful, I love it.

Source

Don't forget to enter Monda's giveaway!  It ends on the 27th.

Guest Post ~ Homemade Caramel Sauce

Today I am guest posting over at Wayward Girls Crafts sharing an awesome fall recipe.  Caramel Sauce.  Mmmmm.  Seriously.  Go check it out because it is pure awesomeness.

Also, I announced the winner of NewMomDesigns, so check it out to see if YOU won!   I know some of you are waiting for the tutorial on my felt acorns.  I am postponing it until I hear back from a little a blog I know, so keep your fingers crossed for me that they will pick it up!  In the meantime, scroll on down and check out these yummy caramel shots then head on over to Wayward Girls Crafts to read my post!

Homemade caramel sauce is the perfect fall gift.  I gave one of these for my friend's open house.  On the top I wrote a little note, "Your new home is too sweet."  I wrapped my felt acorn ornaments around it, so she could use them for Christmas.

This would make a fun gift for a friend for any occasion or with a little note "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" for a thinking of you gesture would be a cute Get Well gift.

So read a little bit more about me and find the recipe here.

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I'm sharing this with:
CRAFT, S3, CraftOManiac, Singing 3 Little Birds, DIY Home Sweet Home, Marvelously Messy,
Sew Stylish Boutique, Home Stories A to Z, Today's Creative Blog, Strictly Homemade, Tip Junkie,   Ginger Snap Crafts,

Pinterest Food

If you have a Pinterest account, more than likely you have some sort of food board.

I decided to actually make the food I pinned, and here are a few recipes I tried in the last few weeks.

Maybe you pinned one of these dishes?

Sorry, no pictures of the food I made.

All pics come from my Pin board, and you can find the recipes there.

First up, Pretzel Bites.  (I'm actually eating these as I am typing :)

These are NOT like the pretzel bites you get in the mall.

This is just frozen roll dough you dip in butter and sugar and cinnamon. (that's the version I did)

They taste fine, nothing spectacular.  I'm eating them, so they don't go to waste. :)

I could see little kids loving them, but adults will not be fooled.

I don't plan on making these again, but I am glad I tried it out.

If you do make these, make sure you roll the dough between your palms after the first rise.

If your dough tears apart before going into the boiling water, they will not cook properly in the oven.  I learned that today.

If you make the parmesan kind, let me know how it turned out.

Second recipe is Creamy Tomato and Sausage Pasta.

First off, I used two drained cans of diced tomatoes, a teaspoon of sugar, hot Italian pork sausage, light cream, and dried Italian and basil seasonings. 

This was really good and super easy to make.

It's a very simple dish, and because of that, you think it might not be that great.

I will definitely make this again, especially if I need to serve a larger crowd.

This dish reheats well too.

I made this Mongolian Beef, and I was quite impressed.

I purchased sale beef from my local store, and I knew it was not flank steak.  It turned out just fine.  I used powdered ginger, accidentally added some rice wine vinegar, and used 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes.

I thought it tasted "authentic" (in quotes because I really don't know what authentic is), and the dish made me feel better because I knew I was not consuming MSG or cat. ;)

It tasted like something you would get at Chinese restaurant, and I would make this again.

Last up is this fried chicken dish.

I LOVED this chicken.  I bought chicken breast with the bone in, and they were huge (big mistake).  I should have filet the breast or cut it in half to reduce its size.  I used whole milk plain yogurt (not greek), and I added a few tablespoons of buttermilk powder.  I fried the chicken in canola oil since coconut oil is expensive.  I had to end up baking the chicken at 400 for 20-30 minutes after frying because they were so large.  The crust was crispy and very tasty.  Adding parmesan cheese was a great addition.  I will definitely make this again.  I skipped the sauce, and I served a side salad with the chicken.  Amazing!

(I have a giveaway starting tomorrow, so make sure you come back!)

Better Than IHOP Pancakes {Recipe}

Okay, I really just didn't know what to call these pancakes, but I do know they are way better than IHOP.  We love pancakes, and Owen usually eats 3-4 of them by himself.  If I can't convince you to try my pancakes, maybe this photo will.

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Milkshake"

This came from my attempt to create "protein" shakes without using powder.  My sister gave me a scare when she found out I was giving Owen part of my protein shakes.  Enjoy!

Chocolate Peanut Butter "Milkshake"
Serves 1 (or maybe 2 if you are willing to share ;)

In a blender combine the following and blend for a minute or until nice and smooth.

1 frozen banana
1/2 Cup Dannon Vanilla Lowfat Yogurt
3/4 Cup Silk Light Vanilla Soymilk
1 Tablespoon all natural Peanut Butter (I like to grind mine at Whole Foods)
1 1/2 Teaspoons Cocoa powder

Update:  You can freeze some of your milk to increase its thickness.  It gets really thick!
*You can increase the protein amount by using Greek yogurt instead.
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