Apple Cider Cookies

POEM...

Close your eyes and open wide, for this special treat.

A finer one in your Halloween bag you will never eat.

Round in shape and creamy tan in color,

deliciousness on stick like no other.

Smooth and sticky covering roundabout,

making sure when I bite my teeth don't fall out.

Then I taste a crunchy bit of apple's nice red skin,

trying to take as big a bite as I can shovel in.

At last the crunch gives way to meet so sweet,

of the tender apple that just can't be beat.

Popcorn balls and chocolate all maybe nice,

but for caramel apples I would visit twice.

If you get your choice of a Halloween treat,

tell them you prefer a caramel apple to eat!

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 box Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Instant Original Drink Mix (10 packets - found next to hot chocolate mix)
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 (14 ounce) bag of Kraft chewy caramels

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. In a small bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder and cinnamon.

3. With an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar, salt and all 10 packages of apple cider drink mix powder, until light and fluffy.

4. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
5. Add vanilla and mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture to butter/egg mixture. Mix until just combined.

6. Scoop out cookie dough ball about the size of a walnut (about 2 tablespoons).
7. Flatten the ball of dough slightly in the palm of your hand. Press the unwrapped caramel into the center of your dough and seal the dough around it, covering it completely.
8. Shape the dough into a ball, and place on parchment covered cookie sheets about 3 inches apart.
9. Bake 11-14 minutes, or until very lightly browned around the edges. They may not look quite done in the center but that is OK.
10. Once the cookies are done, carefully slide the parchment off of the baking sheet right out onto the counter.
11. Allow cookies to partially cool on the parchment. When cookies are cool enough to be firm but still slightly warm, carefully twist off of parchment and allow to finish cooling upside down on the parchment or on a cookie rack. If they are not upside down while they cool they may drizzle caramel out the bottom.
12. Makes around 2-3 dozen cookies. Eat at room temperature or slightly warmed in the microwave.

Sources:

• http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2011/11/caramel-apple-cider-cookies.html

https://allpoetry.com/poem/6900544-Caramel-Apples-by-Daytonight

Decorative Fishing Lure

I love to go fishing. I can spend all day out on the water waiting for the big one to bite. Fishing, for me, can relieve all the stress after a long week. It reminds me of the time I have with my family and gives me a lot of great memories. I thought we would try to make a lure. It is a fun little gift for someone and is a fun project.

This fishing lure is is not meant to be used for fishing, but it is a great decoration for a cabin or someone who enjoys fishing.

Materials

• 1 ½ in x 1 ½ in dry pine wood
• 3 Small screw eyes
• Sand paper
• Saw
• Ruler or tape measure
• 2 treble hooks
• paint

First you need to measure 5 inches and mark it.

Then cut off the extra wood and draw the design of the lure on the wood.

Then cut with a bandsaw or hacksaw.

Now mark your design on the other side.

Then cut the extra, and it should look like this.

You can use a power sander or just sandpaper and round out the lure.

Contine sanding until it is smooth and well shaped.

Use eye screws and put to horizontally and the third at the bottom point.

Paint however you want your design, but I started with all yellow, then orange on the bottom, green on the top, and I put black stripes on the top.

Hopefully this will make a good gift for a loved one or a nice decoration for the cabin.

Sweet Pumpkin Treats!

Now that it is fall, the air is getting colder and everyone is getting back to school. I'm glad to say that it is officially pumpkin season! Time for pumpkin spice lattes and pumpkin smoothies and everything else pumpkin. If you can't tell already I love pumpkin, so when I found this recipe I instantly knew I was going to have to make them. I originally found this recipe on pinterest. When I read over the ingredients and instructions I knew it was a good recipe and I came up with some helpful hints and tricks for you that will make this recipe fool proof.  Here is what you will need and how to make a perfect pumpkin spice truffle.

What you will need for the truffle:

2 oz of cream cheese

2Tbs of powdered sugar

1/3 c of pumpkin puree

1 3/4c crushed graham crackers

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 oz of melted white chocolate

What you will need for dipping:

10oz of milk or white chocolate (which ever you prefer)

(possibly a tsp. or 2 of shortening or coconut oil to thin out the chocolate)

For a garnish crushed graham crackers or cinnamon and sugar

Steps:

1. With a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment mix cream cheese and powdered sugar together until creamy.

2.  Add in the pumpkin puree to the cream cheese mixture and mix until combined and forms a nice pale orange color.

3. Add in the pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, crushed graham cracker crumbs (Tip: make sure that there are no large chunks in the graham crackers so there are no major crunches in the finished truffles) mix until combined.

4.  Melt the white chocolate in a double boiler (Tip: if it is not melting correctly or looks to thick you can add a half tsp. of shortening or coconut oil to thin it out). When melted, add to stand mixer and mix until fully combined.

5.  Cover the bowl and let chill in the  fridge for at least 2 hours (I left mine overnight) YOU MUST CHILL!

Tip Longer is better when you're chilling truffles.

6.  Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and remove pumpkin mixture from the fridge. Using a 1oz baller, scoop pumpkin mix onto hands and roll until perfectly round and place all balls on parchment paper and chill again for another

2 hours at least.( Again I left mine overnight)

7.  After your pumpkin mixture has been

rolled into balls and has chilled for the second time it is time to melt the chocolate in a double boiler (Tip:  Again if the chocolate is very thick you can add shortening or coconut oil to it to thin it out, 1/2 tsp at a time.) Then you can start dipping your truffles.

Tip:  (My original plan was to use milk chocolate for the coating, but when i went to melt the chips in my double boiler they seized up on me and got all hard and stiff. I ended up using semi sweet chocolate because it is easier to melt and work with.)

8)After dipping your truffles place them in another baking sheet lined with parchment paper and garnish with crushed graham crackers or crushed nuts and let set.

Tip:   When dipping the truffles make sure to get all of the excess chocolate off by lightly tapping them on the side of the pan so you don't have chocolate pools under your truffles.

Tip:   I used crushed graham crackers and added about a 1/4 tsp of pumpkin spice to about 1/2 C of crushed graham crackers just to give it a little extra pumpkin flavor.

If you have followed me through this semi long, but very rewarding process you know how delicious these little pumpkin spice truffles are!  You will also find that this recipe is very simple and easy to master.  I hope you guys have fun making these at home and hope you enjoy them as much as I did.