Caramel Apples

I have been having a love-hate relationship with food for the last 6 months.  I am always hungry but NOTHING looks or even sounds appealing to me.  Hence my lack of posting anything.  Then entered this caramel into my life.  After making it, I ingested almost nothing else but this caramel, some apple & my prenatal vitamins for 2 days.  SO good.  I am pretty partial to The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory's caramel apples, but this recipe may even rival those.  I highly recommend trying this!  I found the recipe along with great tips on dipping the apples at Brown paper packages

1/2 c. butter
1 c. light corn syrup
2 c. brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
8 -10 apples

Combine the first 3 ingredients in a large sauce pan.  When the butter is melted, add the condensed milk.  Stirring CONSTANTLY and scraping the sides often, cook to 230 degrees (soft ball stage).  Take off heat and stir in vanilla.  Allow to cool for 3 - 4 minutes before dipping apples.  Or pour into buttered dish and allow to cool and set up then cut into individual pieces (or if you are a ravenous pregnant woman you can just eat it out of the pan by the spoon full, it's allowed I promise.)

Strawberry Syrup

One major plus about living in the middle of nowhere is that you are surrounded by farms. Springtime + farms = yummy berries. So I have had my heart set on making freezer jam this year with all the abounding strawberries in season. And might I add that I have been putting off this venture for some time now because I was convinced it would would involve a week of standing over a giant pot of scalding hot fruit mixture that I would in the end have to throw out. This is not the case. I was able to make a batch start-to-finish (clean up included) in less than an hour. So don't fear freezer jam making, it is beyond easy. If you can stir, you can make it. Now back to the syrup. So I was truly clueless to how much 8 quarts of strawberries actually is. A LOT. After making the jam, strawberry daiquiris, strawberry frosting and the girls eating 2 quarts themselves I still had a good deal left. I remembered seeing a recipe for a syrup here and since they never disappoint I gave it a go. Wow, I think I could eat this on everything. The cinnamon gives it an incredible twist. A must try.

1 c. granulated sugar
1 Tb. corn starch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
2 c. thinly sliced and then roughly chopped strawberries (fresh or frozen)

Combine sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in saucepan; stir in strawberries. The strawberry juices will dissolve the sugar and make a wet mixture. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Makes approximately 2 c. of syrup.

Creamy Yogurt & Berries

1½ c. plain yogurt
1¼ c. heavy whipping cream
½ - ¾ c. brown sugar

Begin by pouring yogurt into a bowl. Add the cream and using a whisk, stir the mixture well. It will still be surprisingly thick when you are finished. Now sprinkle the brown sugar over the top. You do not want any to land in a big clump. Just sprinkle lightly to ensure even distribution. DO NOT STIR THE MIXTURE now. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for several hours. The brown sugar will slowly dissolve into the creamy mixture underneath. Before serving, whisk the mixture to make it smooth. Serve with fresh berries or other fruit.