Halloween of 2020 was one of the first times we gathered together as a family during the Covid 19 nightmare. However, looking back, it was one of the funnest LIGHT filled family gatherings we’ve ever had! Just about everyone came, because they didn’t have anywhere else to go! We planned yummy food, fun games and crafts for the kids.

A few years ago, Steph started a tradition in her family of making dinner in a pumpkin, and we added that to our party. We also bought individual apple shaped plastic jars of Martinelli’s apple juice and served those over ice. For some reason, that juice tastes so much better in those cute little jars!!!!

I had planned to make homemade caramel for the first time in my life, but after donning my mask, and venturing to Orson Gygi in Salt Lake City for supplies, I chose to buy a block of Peter’s Caramel instead. It was so good, and extremely easy!!! I just cut it into cubes, dropped them into my Staub dutch oven pan, put it in the oven on a low heat for a couple hours, and it was ready to go! We added some melted chocolate wafers to drizzle over the top, some crushed up candy bar toppings, and each person went home with two apples. We tried Granny Smith as well as Honey Crisp apples, and for this application, the tartness of the Granny Smith was the perfect balance to the sweetness of the caramel and chocolate, but both were good. I added the recipe from the Orson Gygi Blog at the end of this post. There is also a video on their blog as well, be sure to check it out!

We made homemade root beer in a big black plastic cauldron, which actually got better tasting as the night went on. A word of caution on this, don’t place it too close to your walls or drapery, it sends tiny splatters all over. It would have been better in the center of the bar where it would have been a quick and easy wipe up afterward. The kids had fun pouring colored dish soap from my laboratory vials I used as part of my decorations. The idea for this activity as well as the beakers, and vials came from a dear friend, and I love putting them out each year as they remind me of her!!! Thanks KJ!!! :)

I made each of the kids a little ghost pillow I thought would be so simple. . . These took hours and hours to make because I underlined the two white fabric pieces with a thin piece of batting, before sewing the little pom-pom trim in the seam. Underlining prior to stuffing makes the finished product smooth and not bumpy. Then they were turned right side out and stuffed.

They were worth the effort because the kids had fun cutting black felt eyes, noses and mouths to glue on. The littler kids, chose to draw their faces on with a permanent fabric marker instead.

We also made spiders from craft foam and googly eyes. These were simple and turned out so cute! All we did was trace each of their hands onto the craft foam, they cut them out, glued them together with the fingers facing out to make the legs. The googly eyes were glued on, and we used a white marker for the mouth.

For those who wanted to stay later, we finished the night watching Hocus Pocus, which has also been a family tradition for many years.

Even though we were still under quarantine to stay at home, we were all healthy, and had a great time making LIGHT filled memories together during a difficult time in world history! There were blessings during the Pandemic if we looked for them. Halloween of 2020 was one of them for us!

Love Ya, Les :)

How to Make Caramel Apples with Orson Gygi

Making caramel apples is a fun way to dive into the fall season. But in all honesty, we like to make them year round. Dip these delicious treats for yourself or as gourmet gifts for your friends and family. With a few tricks you can make them successfully whenever your heart desires, after all…

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Eh, that phrase probably doesn’t mean caramel apples, but here’s to hoping! We’ve got everything you need to make classic or gourmet caramel apples (minus the crisp Granny Smiths).

We wanted to give you everything you need to make beautiful, gourmet apples every time!

We’ve listed the instructions here, but if you’re more of a visual learner, go to the blog and watch the video. https://www.gygiblog.com/blog/2020/10/11/caramel-apple-step-by-step/

Here is a list of the supplies that you will need:

§ Peters Caramel 5lb Loaf

§ Sprinkles

§ Nuts

§ Colored Chocolate

§ French Oven or microwave safe bowl

Prep the Apples

Start with tart, green Granny Smith apples. The sour flavor of green apples works very well together with the sweet buttery flavor of caramel. (One 5lb loaf of caramel will cover approximately 20-25 medium apples.)

Clean the apples. Most growers coat their apples before they arrive in the store. The wax coating is for aesthetics and to help keep the apples fresh. To remove the coating use warm water- you can use a little dish soap or vinegar in the water. Then with a dry dish towel dry and remove any excess wax. Any moisture in there will create a barrier between your apple and caramel.

Insert the Wooden Skewers

Insert the Wooden Skewers into the apples after you have removed the stem. Make sure that the stick is in tight so that when applying the caramel it will not fall off.

Whichever end you want to use on the apple is great. If you use the stem end, you’ll get a more traditional apple shape. If you use the blossom end, you’ll have a more rounded apple shape, and it can give you a more solid surface to stand up.

Keep in mind that the apple will release moisture from the puncture point, so don’t insert the skewers until you are ready to dip. You can store the apples in the fridge until they’re ready (colder apples make the caramel set faster, but it does cool your caramel down quicker, so it’s up to you!)

Melt the Caramel

Oven:

Place the Peters Caramel Loaf in a cast iron french oven. Place the lid on the pot and put in the oven at 200 degrees for two hours. No need to check on the caramel or stir it. Just let it melt!

Once it is melted, give it one stir to incorporate any film that may have formed on the top- but limit your stirring. The more you stir, the more bubbles you’ll potentially create.

Microwave:

Place caramel in microwave-safe plastic or silicone bowl. Warm in microwave for 1-minute increments. Stir caramel in between each round of melting, and keep warming until caramel is melted.

A temperature of 175 degrees is perfect for dipping. If the caramel is too hot it will immediately slide off your apple, and is likely burning the sugar in the caramel.

If the caramel is too thick, you can continue to rewarm it- either in the microwave, or you can put your pan on the stove and warm it over low heat, while constantly stirring to avoid overheating or burning it.

Remove the pot of caramel from the oven and stir sparingly. We’ve noticed that the more you move and stir the caramel the more bubbles and air you will get on your apples.

Dip the Apples

With a spoon in one hand and the apple on a skewer in the other dip the apple into the pot/bowl and start to lift the caramel onto the apple while also turning the apple. Continue coating the apple with the caramel and allow the excess to drip back into the pot. You can decide if you want caramel all the way to the stick, or if you want to leave a little peek of green at the top. Your preference!

Once you have coated the apple, lift the apple straight up out of the caramel. Use a rubber spatula and scrape excess off the bottom while rotating the apple around to clean off the extra caramel.

Flip it upside down for a moment (30-45 seconds) as it cools, before setting down. You’ll watch the caramel become more glossy as it sets up. Place the apple on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Make sure to place the covered apple with the stick up.

Add some Yummy Toppings

If adding topping directly to the caramel, apply right after dipping, while still warm but not hot. The larger toppings need the warmer caramel in order to make them stick. Placing in the fridge immediately after applying will help keep sliding to a minimum.

Then place your apple on a piece of parchment paper, and give it some time to cool down. To speed up the process, you can refrigerate your apples. Or you can stick them outside if the temperature is colder than 65 degrees. You can leave it out at room temperature, just make sure the caramel has cooled before adding any chocolate.

Once the caramel has cooled you can then apply chocolate and other toppings.

To learn more about melting chocolate, read here. https://www.gygiblog.com/blog/2019/11/11/chocolate-melting-coloring-flavoring/

Dip your apple in chocolate, and allow the extra chocolate drizzle off the bottom of the apple. If you’re adding toppings to the chocolate, sprinkle onto the chocolate, or you can roll it directly in the bowl.

Drizzle chocolate on the outside with the tip of a spoon, and add more texture and layers to your apple. Makes your apple look fancy! You can immediately place your apple back in the fridge to help set the toppings.

Family

Halloween 2020 – It was all about Family