Caramel Apples with Walnuts
Serves 6
6 gala or red delicious apples
6 wooden sticks from a craft store, washed and dried
14 oz package individually wrapped caramels,
unwrapped
2 tablespoons water
1⁄
2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup walnuts, chopped small
1. Wash the apples to get as much wax off as possible,
and dry completely.
2. Insert wooden sticks ½ of the
way into the stem end of each apple.
3. Place apples on
a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper.
4. Place
the chopped walnuts into a small bowl, and set aside.
5.
Combine caramels and water in a saucepan over low heat.
Cook, stirring often, until caramel melts and looks smooth.
6. Stir in the almond extract.
7. Dip each apple into the
caramel about ¾ of the way up the apple. Scrape excess
off the bottom of the apples on the side of the saucepan.
8. Roll the caramel apple in the bowl of chopped walnuts
to cover caramel.
9. Place on the parchment covered
cookie sheet and repeat with all of the other apples.
*Refrigerate the tray of apples until ready to serve.
Harvest-Spiced Cider
Serves 4
4 cups unfiltered apple cider
3 cinnamon sticks
3 star anise, whole
1 teaspoon cloves, whole
zest of 1 orange
dried persimmon or slices of orange peel for garnish
1. Place the cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves into
a large saucepan over medium heat.
2. Lightly toast the
spices in the pan for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
3. Add the apple cider to the spices, simmer for 10
minutes without letting it boil.
4. Reduce the heat to
low, add the orange zest, and stir.
5. Using a small hand-
strainer remove as many of the whole spices as you can.
6. Ladle the cider into mugs, making sure not to include
any whole spices that you might have missed. Garnish
with dried persimmon pieces or slices of orange peel.
*Cider can also be served room temperature in small
mason jar.
Cornhusk Doll
Cornhusk dolls are one of the oldest forms of dolls known in
the Americas.
You will need:
small natural-colored string or twine
scissors
bag of corn husks, which can be easily purchased at
a local craft store.
bucket of water
small fall-colored scraps of fabric
fall-colored yarn
1. Soak the corn husks in a bucket of water until they are
pliable.
2. Take four corn husks and arrange them on top
of one another with the straight ends all lined up.
3. Tie the
straight ends together tightly with a small piece of string.
4. Trim and round the straight edges with the scissors.
5. Turn upside down and pull long jagged edges of the husk
over the trimmed edges– 2 husks on each side.
6. With a
small piece of string tie about 1 inch down from where it folds
over to form the “head.”
7. Take another husk and roll it tightly
into a cylinder. Cut the cylinder to measure four to five inches
long. Tie at each end with the string, this forms the dolls
“arms.”
8. Fit the arms through the center of the doll, right
under the neck.
9. Use another piece of string to tie a “waist.”
10. Using small scraps of fall-colored fabric, wrap around
the doll to make clothing.
11. Use fall-colored yarn to tie the
clothing onto the doll.
