What Every Mom Needs Tonight!

You know how being a mom is a 24 hour job?  From taking care of everyone,  doing the grocery shopping,  scheduling doctors appointments,  cooking dinner,  not to mention bathing and putting the littles to bed. Maybe you go to work or like me you work from home. Your days can start to feel completely out of control.  I mean what the heck did we do with all of our time before we had kids!? I know as a stay at home mom (its hard to admit) but some days I don't even look in the mirror before noon. 

I realized the other day that I hadn't taken a bath in over a year. I mean, I really hadn't even taken a shower without another person babbling away next to me in years.  I can only think of a few times. So when my birthday came around this weekend I told my husband to keep the kids occupied for a bit so I could just relax.  I know,  what's THAT? We mom's put everyone before ourselves.  It's who we are.  But I am FINALLY realizing that it's so important to take time for ourselves.  To refresh our mental and emotional health.  This was my first attempt!  I must say,  I MISSED this.  Of course it only lasted about 15 minutes before my daughter barged in and wanted in!  But it was a start.  And I'm proud of myself.  And you know what?  I'm gonna be proud of you too. 

I had seen these bath teas before and wanted to try them.  There are three kinds.  Tranquil Nights,  Blissful Mind and Soothing Bliss. I used Tranquil Nights and my daughter slept so good so it must work!  They are organic,  botanical and all natural for your littles and made by a mama for mamas.  They come with a little satchel to put the bath tea in if you would like.  I added fresh flowers because like I said....  This was a big deal!!

My wish for you is to take time for yourself.   Just stop.  And breathe. You need this mama!

Source: Botica Bliss Bath Teas  Use code trickortreat for 10% off through November 2nd.

Gourmet Caramel Apples

We had a pumpkin carving party yesterday and since we had so many apples on hand I whipped up some homemade caramel apples.

The kids LOVED them.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 10 to 12 Popsicle sticks
• 10 to 12 medium tart apples, washed and dried

Directions

1. In a large heavy saucepan, melt butter; add the brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil, about 10-12 minutes. Stir in milk. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248° (firm-ball stage). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.
2. Insert Popsicle sticks into apples. Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. I set them on a silpat sheet but you could use parchment paper as well.  I let the apples cool.
3. Then I used chocolate wafers and melted them in the microwave or on the stove, whichever you prefer.  I put the melted chocolate in a zip lock baggie, snip the end and drizzle over the apple.  I added Reese Pieces because my husband loves them, but feel free to add any toppings!
4. Eat them all!

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

This is the best recipe you will ever make.  Guaranteed.  I'm asked to make these over and over.  Do not skip the salted caramel recipe, its easy to make and it's what MAKES this amazing. Trust me, you will thank me for sharing this recipe.

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars
Sallys Baking Addiction
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

SHORTBREAD CRUST

• 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted
• 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)

APPLE FILLING

• 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (1/4 inch thick)1
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

STREUSEL

• 1/2 cup (40g) old-fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup (70g) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (60g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• homemade salted caramel sauce (step-by-step photos included)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300°F (149°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with aluminum foil or parchment paper, leaving enough overhang on all sides. Set aside.
2. Make the crust: Stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes while you prepare the filling and streusel.
3. Make the apple filling: Combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside.
4. Make the streusel: Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and flour together in a medium bowl. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks (or even with your hands) until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
5. Remove the crust from the oven, and turn the oven up to 350°F (177°C). Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Sprinkle the apple layer with streusel and bake for 30–35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Lift the foil or parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars, but you can cut them into 12 larger bars. Once cut, drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top of each. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.
7. Make ahead tip: The bars will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Then, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving and drizzling with caramel.

Halloween Decor with Free Template!

So I'm getting in the haunting spirit over here and we decided to do a little decorating for Halloween. I started with the bats, cutting out about 80 or so and using double stick tape.  It looks AMAZING in person and it really didn't take that long.  I've included a links to everything below so you can create your own!

I was on a hunt for white pumpkins and so far have not found any in our town.  So I bought a bunch of the baby orange ones and took them home to spray paint.  I found some metallic colors that I had left over and they turned out awesome!  They are a little delicate since its painting a fruit basically but it holds up well as long as you aren't "playing with them".

I found the skull graphics on the Graphics Fairy sight and merged the two together to make a spooky framed art design.  I'm going for a vintage look this year.  It's still a work in progress and I'll show more with more links as I get it finished up.

I LOVE my vintage bird cage that I found, can't wait to decorate it for all of the seasons!

SOURCES:

Bat Template
Skull Graphic
Birdcage
Black Crows