Relish Tray

 

 Not that people want details but I have not posted lately because I had the flu. We can all applaud that I survived and managed to eat some green beans for lunch today. This past weekend for my husband's family Thanksgiving I was asked to bring a relish tray. I had no idea what this was. I researched a lot and was able to put something together that was fantastic. 

 What you will need-

*Pickles (I had dill whole pickles and spicy slices) 

*Asparagus (pickled)

*Beets (pickled) 

*Corn relish

Olives (green and kalmata) 

Cheese (thinly sliced)

Salami  and summer sausage (thinly sliced) 

Crackers 

 

*The starred items above came straight from my mothers garden that she canned for me. I am spoiled I know. The rest were bought at the store. 

My platter is hiding in the background. You can use any platter just arrange your items together in a neat way and set out for a fun appetizer. The dill pickles were a huge hit and that entire jar was gone. Make sure you warn people about those sneaky spicy pickles. They surprised a couple people.

Since I will not be posting till after Thanksgiving I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your friends and family. I hope to have some fun upcoming posts about the holiday soon.

Until next time~

XoXo Emily

Prepping for Thanksgiving

Tis the time of year when we eat way too much food and then go shopping or hunting. At least that is what we do in my neck of the woods. Wisconsin is full of delicious food options for the holidays. I actually spend a ton of time researching what to serve and I have learned rather quickly that depending on where you live you will have different things served on Thanksgiving. The traditions are amazing and I hope to be able to host my first Thanksgiving at my house and stay somewhat true to my family traditions. 

This is my ever growing grocery list for next Thursday. It is really important to be super prepared when you are feeding 11 plus people. Tonight and Sunday I will be purchasing all of these tasty things. I plan on making some things from scratch and others will be semi-home made.

Anyway here are my top ten tips to prep for Thanksgiving. This maybe my first time hosting at my home but trust me I have thrown a ton of parties and I think I got it down at this point.






#1. Turkey it needs time to chill. I feel like we need to start here. Turkey should not scare you. 
Turkey's take a long time to thaw. I plan on getting mine tonight and on Monday setting it out in the fridge to thaw by Thursday. In general, a frozen turkey will require approximately 24 hours for every 5 pounds at or below 40° F to to fully thaw. There are a ton of ways to cook your bird I plan on roasting mine in a roasting pan. I am trying something new this year and I am doing a cheesecloth method. More on that on a later post. I really feel like focusing on the meat is the most important part of my Thanksgiving. I am making a turkey and a ham as they are on super sale right now and most of the people I invited actually prefer ham.

#2. Make a list and check it twice. Actually check it 12 times. I am a list maker and if you plan on hosting an organized and successful Thanksgiving you should be one too. The reason it is important is you do not want to be that person on Wednesday night in your sweats trying to buy last minute stuffing with the other 500 people that forgot to get something. Make your list and make sure you get everything as early as you can. 

#3.  Do not forget the little things. Serving utensils, plates, stiring sticks for drinks and platters. I know this seems like a no brainer but I can count numerous times where I am at a party and they do not have proper serving spoons or platters to put food items on. 

#4. Make a good first impression. We tend to forget some things when we live in our space all the time. Make it smell good before guests arrive by lighting a candle or cooking bacon. I am only slightly joking about the bacon. You do not have to have a spotless home but put away clutter if you can. Specifically make sure your entry to your home is clean and people know where to put their shoes and coats. 

#5. Do not let people starve. Wait... What? This is Thanksgiving how could this happen you ask? We tend to focus on the meal and not that when people arrive they will be hungry when they arrive. How many of us have not eaten all day to prepare for the giant feast? Put out some snacks and they do not have to be fancy. Some meats, cheeses and crackers will do or even a veggie platter. 

#6. Tupperware. If you plan on eating all the leftovers yourself all the power to you. I do not plan on doing this I plan on sending a lot of the food home with my family. I do not keep a huge stack of Tupperware so I reminded my guests to bring their own to pack up leftovers. 

#7. Drinks. Ryan and I do not drink soda and do not keep any in the house. I will still have it in the  house for everyone else though. It is important to try to cater to others when throwing a party. I do not mean go buy specific drinks for each person but having a nice bar full of options is nice. See HERE on how to set up the perfect bar cart. 

#8. Do not try to do it all. I mean sure you can go ahead and make a turkey, ham, homemade mashed potatoes etc etc... It is possible but I do not recommend doing that. You will work yourself to death.   Everything I have read states that you should not try to do it all. Thanks to some of my guests they are bring dishes to pass. I totally recommend asking people to do this if you can. It takes some of the pressure off of you from cooking all day. The other thing you can do is buy some things pre-made. GASP. I know it sounds crazy but if you do not home make the cranberry sauce no one is going to care or die. One year I actually took the time to make home made cranberry sauce and my husband told me that it was a waste of time everyone likes the can stuff anyway. I was out to dinner with some of my Zumba friends last night and we talked about how crazy it is to make your own bread. I will also be buying rolls because I am  not spending hours making and baking rolls.

#9. Ask for help.  I am blessed that I have a spouse that is down for anything. If I ask him to do dishes while I cook he will do it or clean the whole house. Shout out to Ryan for being a boss. He is not the only person I have help from though. My mom I know will show up early and do whatever I ask her to do. This is fantastic and it is good to be able to have help when you need it. It does not take away from the meal if people help you along the way. Make sure you ask for help if you need it. 

#10. Be thankful and soak up the family time.  Sometimes we only get to see family on holidays. It is sad and we do not know how much longer people will be with us. Make sure you take time to speak to each family member or friend one on one during your Thanksgiving. I am really excited to spend time with my family that is the whole reason I planned to host this year. 

I guess in the end Thanksgiving is what you make it. I plan on making it the best experience I can for my family and I this year. I am so blessed and happy to be able to feed them some yummy food and laugh around the table together. 

What do you plan to do this year? Leave a message in the comments! 

Until next time~
XoXo Emily  

Crock Pot Stuffed Peppers (FAIL)

Today we are going to talk about something that food bloggers and chef's do not like talking about. Recipe failures. Oh they happen and they are horrible. This one was at least edible but it was bland. I mean the worst kind of bland where you have to go and bust out the sriracha to try to save the dish. It is funny because the moment I took them out of the crock pot and they started to disintegrate into a strange mushy shape I knew deep down this was a fail. I mean look at how the pepper is all mushy looking and the block.. Yes, let us call it a block of meat is still sitting there in a giant lump.

The first thing outside of talking about how crappy this dish is that I want to talk about is how it is okay to fail. Things in life are not perfect. Sometimes it takes years to perfect that cookie recipe you are working on. That is totally normal. You have to practice at things and fail sometimes. Is it sad when it happens? Hell yes it is and it will make you question why you even cook in the first place. I mean I know that sometimes Ryan is scared to tell me something is awful as I do not always handle failing well.

This is how life works though. You learn from those mistakes and down the road it makes you a better cook in the end. I now know that cooking peppers with ground beef in a crock pot for 8 hours is horrible. Just do not do it folks.

So in closing I want to say that you need to fail and it is okay. Go out in the world and fail at some things. Trust me it will be fine and you will be stronger in the end.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Crock Pot Fajitas

 

Some Sundays you want something easy to make while you are running errands and attempting to watch the Packers lose horribly. This is that easy dish. You cut everything up and throw it in the crock pot 4-6 hours later magical fajitas. I love it because not only is it easy but you have a ton of leftovers for lunches. I like to take mine and make fajita salads all week. Just a reminder it is okay to allow these to cook up to 8 hours in the liquid on low and I have totally done it before. You chicken maybe a little dry though.

What you will need-

4 chicken breasts (thawed)

2 cups of salsa 

1 sweet (yellow) onion

1  green pepper

1 poblano peppers

1 red pepper 

Cumin

Paprika

Cayenne pepper 

Onion powder

Garlic powder 

Salt & pepper

Tortillas

Cilantro 

Sour Cream 

Avocado 

Shredded cheese

Black olives

Hot sauce (sriracha)

Start by roughly cutting up your onions and peppers. Put 1 cup of the salsa in the bottom of the crock pot and a layer of onions and peppers. Add the chicken on top of the this layer. I cut my chicken breasts into strips if they are huge (which they totally were this time). Repeat this step again seasoning with the cumin, paprika, cayenne pepper, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder as you go. The last layer should be whatever veggies you have left over. I managed to make two layers like this. Now all you have to do it put the top on it and in 4-6 hours it should be good to go on low. I put mine in at 12:30PM and it was done at 6PM.

This is what it looks like when it is done. I take the chicken out 15 minutes before eating and chop it or shred it depending on what I want to do. This allows the chicken to soak up some of the yummy juices you see in here.

This next step is important. You fajitas are going to be a little water logged so adding them to a frying pan and heating them up to evaporate some of the liquid off is a good idea. This was my husbands idea because he is smart. I would have forgot and they would have been a super mess.








This is when I cut up some avocado and get the sour cream, cilantro, black olives, hot sauce and shredded cheese out. You can put any toppings on you want or omit things as well.

 I want to make sure I am sharing quick easy meals with you all since I had some requests for these type of meals. The best part is I have another crock pot meal in the crock pot right now for dinner tonight. I will share that later this week. Life is busy and I love using my crock pot to make sure that I get healthy meals in that are super easy to make. I  hope  you try this out and share in the comments how it all turned out for you. 

Until next time~

XoXo Emily

Zucchini Noodle Pasta

Many people will tell you they do not like a certain ingredient in life. They are all liars. I am serious and take a moment to hear me out. I always thought I hated cauliflower. I never ate it when people put out veggie trays. Then I started eating healthy and thought maybe I should try it roasted and it is cheap to make so if I hate it I will throw it out. I love roasted cauliflower. It was not that I hated the ingredient it was that I hated the preparation method. This is what I am saying when I say people are liars. You hate tomatoes? It maybe because you do not like the way someone made them or you do not like them raw. I have proven this recently by using my husband as a guinea pig. These zucchini noddles are the perfect example. He does not like raw zucchini and he does not like it roasted. Do you know what he does like or rather love. These noodles!

Go out on a limb and try something new. Like this delicious dish. You never know what you thought you hated you may actually love.

What you will need-
 1/4 cup olive oil
1 cup of mushrooms
3/4 cup onions
3 garlic cloves
1 pound of ground half turkey/half beef mix
5 zucchinis
3/4 a jar of pasta sauce
1 cup of tomatoes
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mrs. Dash to taste 
Sprinkle of mozzarella cheese

You want to start by cooking your mushrooms and onions for a few minutes to break them down. Stove should be on medium/high. Dice your onion and mushroom to bite size pieces and toss in the pan with the olive oil. While that is cooking down peel your garlic/chop it and throw that in the mix. Make sure you season with salt/pepper/Mrs. dash as you add each thing to the pan!

While everyone is getting happy in the pan start to use your zucchini or "zoodle" maker to make your noodles. I actually use my device right over the pan so they can start to cook down. The way this "noodle" maker works is you hold the zucchini like a pencil and use the device like a pencil sharpener. It is a ton of work but it is a great and healthy alternative to regular noodles. I cannot wait to get my food processor to see how that differs from this method. I cooked this down for about ten minutes and covered it with a pan lid for the last 5 minutes to really steam the mix.

I cannot stress this part anymore. The first time I made these "noodles" my sauce was insanely watery. When the zucchini cooks it gives off all of its water. You need to take your pan and dump the zucchini/mushroom/onion/garlic mixture into a colander to drain out all the liquid. Then take your pan and put it back on the stove to medium/high heat again.

Now it is time to cook that meat mixture until it is no longer pink. In this picture it is almost done. You can use your same pan you just used to cook the "noodle" mixture. I like to use a mix of turkey and beef as turkey can get too dry. I want the health benefits of the turkey though as it is leaner so a mix is the perfect answer. You can always use just turkey or beef. My local grocery has it pre-mixed which is fantastic. Another thing is that you can drain out the grease but I did not as it is not give off a lot to have to drain.Make sure you season your meat really well I used my salt/pepper/Mrs.dash.

Time to add your sauce to the meat mixture and let is simmer for about 3 minutes. This is when I add the fennel, parmesan cheese, red pepper flakes and tomatoes. 


The last step is to add your zucchini noodles/mushroom/onion and garlic mix back in the pan with the meat mix and sauce. We want to slowly mix everything together and let it heat back up on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

This is when you toss a sprinkle of mozzarella cheese on top and try not to burn your mouth as you eat this dish. It is so good and my husband who we thought used to not like zucchini proved the world wrong about not liking ingredients.

Until next time~

XoXo Emily 

Veterans

I live in a country where as a woman I take a ton of things for granted. I can do things in the United States that I would never ever be allowed to do in less developed countries. I can drive myself to work. Just think about that in some places a woman is not allowed to drive much less go to work unsupervised by a male relative. Even better I was able to marry someone outside of my religion that I personally picked all on my own.

I then was sitting in my car on my way to work thinking why do I have these freedoms still? These basic rights of equality that all women have in the United States. I have them because my grandfather fought in the military for my country. He went to Alaska and almost froze to death to give me basic rights. He worked his tail off to defend me and my country. I sit here and think how awesome is that? Someone goes out in the world and puts their life on the line so you can drive you MINI Cooper to work each morning. Something so basic that you do without batting an eye. Then there is my dad who was in the Marines. Someone who wears his Marines hat with pride and did the same thing my grandfather did protecting me. These brave men went out and did something I could never do.

I mean how do you thank someone for that? I do not even know how to go about posting something meaningful that would show the amount of gratitude I feel today and every day for these people. I mean yes I wore red, white and blue today and the a ton of places offer free food to veterans today. But is that really enough to show we care? Make sure that you support the veterans in your life every day not just on veterans day. When you see a vet in uniform or you see someone rocking a military hat thank them for their service. I do this ever time I get the chance because let's be real I love driving my car to work!

Here are my two personal vets on my wedding day. Are they not super handsome!?

Here is Jupe (Francis) Wesoloski my amazing grandfather and Mike (Michael) Fonder my fantastic father. I was blessed to be raised by such strong and amazing men.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Turkey Noodle Soup

Remember when we made that delicious turkey in the crock pot last week? When you have a giant turkey breast and two people you run out of things to do really quick. Therefore, you make your mom's chicken soup recipe but you sub in turkey. This recipe has ruff estimates for ingredients because as you know it is hard to get recipes out of our parents and grandparents. My mom is notorious for saying things like "add salt to taste." The good news is that you can make this soup in under an hour in a half really. Quick and oh so perfect for this cold fall weather that is finally creeping in. The best part of this recipe is that I have enough for Ryan and I to have lunches all week!

 Things you will need-

1 pound of carrots (an entire bag)

5 stalks of celery including the leaves

1 yellow/sweet onion

4 cups of turkey breast 

1 bag of frozen Reames noodles 

64 ounces of chicken broth

2 chicken broth cubes

1 Tablespoon of chicken better than bouillon  

96 ounces of water

2 bay leaves 

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley to taste 

Mrs. Dash to taste                                                                                

                                                                              

You want to start by cutting up all the carrots, celery and onion. Make sure that the celery has the leaves added to the soup. I know this sounds strange but they add such great flavor. Add to a giant stock pot and let simmer on low for about 2-5 minutes to soften the veggies. Add that cut up turkey meat to the party in the pot!

Now you have to add all the liquids. Start by adding the chicken broth to the pot. I like to use a mix of chicken broth already made, bouillon cubes and broth paste. You could use all of one type of you want. After I add the broth I add the water then the cubes and paste. Mix really well. Your stock pot should be pretty full at this point.



Let us take a moment to talk about seasoning things. You should season every step of the way. You added carrots. Then season with salt and pepper. You add the onions. Season! Seasoning as you go ensures that you built layers of flavor. I will say that my hubby mentioned that the soup was a tad too peppery this time so be mindful of others you are cooking for. I love pepper so I tend to go over board. I also like to limit my use of salt which is why Mrs. Dash was also used. I added the parsley right before I added the water. You only need to add that one time. I do not tend to season with parsley more than once unlike salt and pepper for example.

Does this not look fantastic?
Let the soup cook covered for about an hour to an hour and a half on the stove at a simmer. Make sure it is covered otherwise you will lose all that tasty broth as it will evaporate away. Then you will have stew and not soup.15-20 minutes before serving add your frozen noodles to the pot. Make sure at this step you remove the bay leaves. You cannot eat them they will make you really sick. They are only added for flavor and then removed at the end of cooking.

Good heavens is it delicious with some oyster crackers added. Make sure you let it cool before eating. I say this because I never do and I burn my mouth all the time.

I literally used almost all my Tupperware with the leftovers. As you can see we have enough for the entire week of lunches. It makes so much and since I already had the turkey it only cost me $11 at the grocery store. I  hope when you have leftover turkey or chicken that you make this recipe sometime. It is really tasty and so versatile.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily 

Flavored Water

Not all water is created equal in the world. I was raised on delicious well water straight from the ground (at my grandpa and grandmothers) and it was fantastic. I have never had a strong love for pure boring water. Even now when I have lost all my weight and I exercise regularly I do not get a thrill out of plain water. So what is a healthy girl to do?

Flavored water is the answer.

There are so many things you can do to pump up your water. Here are some of my favorite add in's-
Cucumbers- I once had this at a spa and thought I needed to make it at home. I will cut tiny pieces and throw it in a glass.
Lemons & Limes- These are so light and refreshing. A little goes a long way. I always ask for lemon in my water when I go out to eat. It is my restaurant go to to avoid that sugary soda.
Strawberries- I will admit that this is a rare treat for me. The strawberries are best muddled in the water. It gives a sweet taste to the water that I love. In the spring after picking the berries this is perfect.

Sometimes you are running around and do not have time to cut up fruit or whatever. That is okay too there are a ton of zero calorie flavors you can add. I always have at least 3 crystal light squeeze bottles at my work desk or in the pantry at home. Making herbal tea and letting it cool is another great way to add flavor. I like to make wild sweet orange and drink it cold all the time.

 All my favorites!

Ultimately cutting sugary soda and juices out of your life does not need to be boring. It was a rude awaking to me when I realized I was drinking upwards of 1,500 calories in drinks each day. Turning a new leaf and cutting those out has really changed my life for the better. I challenge you to try to supplement your life with some flavored water and make some healthy lifestyle changes. A little goes a long way.

Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Crock Pot Turkey

Not sure if everyone is catching on but I love my crock pot. Working 50 plus hours weeks and trying to fit in Zumba classes makes me a really creative person. I do not like to rely on fast food at all and I insist on still making quick or easy meals. This recipe is really based off of my really close friend Maggie's recipe. I went over to her house for a girls weekend or something or other and she made this for us. It is fantastic and so darn easy to do.

What you will need-
A small turkey breast (no more than 10 pounds)
A packet of onion soup mix
8 ounces of light beer
2-3 tablespoons of butter

Start by getting that turkey out of the package and into the crock pot. I let my turkey breast thaw overnight in the sink. Make sure you drain all of the juice out of the bag before placing turkey into the crock pot. If the turkey is too large do not freak out. I had this happen with a ham once you just have to cut some of the meat off and throw it back in the crock pot on the sides of the turkey.

Add the light beer. This gives the turkey breast an awesome flavor and keeps the meat from drying out.

Add the onion soup mix packet to the top and sides of the turkey breast. This looks fantastic already! The last thing you want to do is add the butter and put the lid on that bird. Thank goodness I have a snap down lid because I had to latch it down on top of the giant turkey breast. Cook on low for 8-10 hours and eat. 

Here is what it looks like after you add Frank's wing sauce and a little blue cheese chunks. Add it to a 100 calorie pita pocket and you have a fantastic lunch.

I really believe that turkey can be substituted for all kinds of meat if you do it right. These pita pocket sandwiches are to die for. You can also make things like enchiladas, curry with rice and turkey noodle soup with your leftovers.

 

I hope that when you are crazy busy you are able to really utilize your resources like I do and make some fantastic meals in your crock pot. 

Until next time~

XoXo Emily 

Scarfs

 I may have a slight addiction to scarfs. Remember when I posted this post for example-
T-Shirt Scarfs

I even went as far as learning how to make my own infinity scarfs using my sewing machine. I gave a ton of them away one year as Christmas gifts. My husband hated the unorganized piles of scarfs laying around and he built me a a custom wall rack for my scarfs that is currently overflowing.

I wanted to share some scarf wearing tips since I tend to in the fall-spring wear them every other day-

1. Really any scarf can be an infinity scarf. Tie the two ends together and wrap it around your neck. I try to "hide" the knot with other parts of the scarf and have it on the back of my neck if I can.
2. Layer those scarfs. I have some really thin scarfs. I like to pair them with a more full scarf ( I have a great light weight grey one) to add a little volume.
3. There are literally 1 million ways to tie a scarf besides infinity. Look on Pinterest and find some interesting ways. My fashion board on there has a ton of ways I have tried. My favorite goes my many names but is pretty simple.
- Start by folding your scarf in half. Put the folded scarf around your neck. Pull one end of the scarf through the folded loop on the other side. Twist the folded loop creating another loop. Pull the remaining end of the scarf through the second loop created. It should make a fun "fashion knot".
4. Scarfs go with any outfit. You would think this is a no brainier but I tend to have people ask me all the time what to wear with their scarfs. Today for example I am wearing a t-shirt, scarf, straight leg jeans, tom's and a t-shirt sweater. A normal t-shirt may be boring but throwing on a scarf makes you look more put together instantly. Plus, it keeps your neck nice and toasty.
5. Scarfs can do double duty. Is it summer and you are going to a concert and you are freaked out about getting cold? Bring a scarf wrapped around your bag. Wear it like a shawl when the temperatures start to dip. Not only is it just enough warmth but you will look super chic.

I highly recommend getting some scarfs into your wardrobe soon the temperatures will eventually start to fall. I know I am well stocked and ready for fall/winter.

Here is Luna rocking a pirate scarf for Halloween and some glow sticks. I wish you could see the cute skull and bones on the scarf. All you can really see is the black outline. As you can tell she loves when I dress her up.








Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Pico De Gallo

There are few dishes in life that you make over and over again and that people routinely ask for. I may have mistakenly made this for work once and people now beg for it regularly. I find it funny that they beg for it because honestly it is so simple to make on your own. There are not a ton of secrets in this Pico. Now for those non-Spanish speakers pico de gallo is a fresh chunky salsa. That is the easiest way I can think of to describe it.

Things you will need-

3-4 tomatoes
half of a white onion
half of a red onion
1 can of jalapenos
1 can of mild chilies
cilantro
salt
lime juice 

Here is a picture of some juicy tomatoes I bought. Pick your tomatoes based on how juicy you want the Pico to be.

I have an issue. It sucks but I cannot cut onions at all anymore. I literally start crying right away. I managed to cut up these two lovelies by myself because the hubby was running the dog. Usually I make him cut up the onions. That is what marriage is for right!?


Back to the recipe!

1. Cut up your tomatoes and onions. I like to keep my pico de gallo chunky so I do not cut anything up finely. Throw them in a big serving bowl.
2. Add the jalapeno and chili's. I use canned because I am slightly allergic to jalapenos and bad things happen to my hands if I handle fresh ones. You can totally use fresh. I would recommend subbing out the canned for 1-3 fresh peppers. You can do the same for the chilies they

are just mild green chilies.
3. Add Cilantro to taste. You can omit this if you hate cilantro. We may not be able to be friends though if you hate it....
4. Add lime to taste.
5. Add salt to taste.

When I say to taste that is the best part. You can eat some yummy pico as you go!

This is what you should end up with. It is so fresh and tasty. I like to make it the night or day before to really allow those flavors to all mix and become happy. Scoop it up with your favorite brand of chips and you have a winner at any football game or potluck.

Now you all know my secret pico de gallo recipe and you can make it for me in the future.


Until next time~
XoXo Emily

Caramel Apple Bar

This weekend was the big party. It was extremely fun and it appears everyone had a great time. One of the tastiest parts of the Halloween party was the caramel apple bar. Everyone loves a caramel apple!

Here is what you need-              
3 pounds of caramels
Evaporated milk (3/4 a can)
Crock pot linerCrock pot
Spoon or stir stick
Plates
Parchment paper
Sticks

Toppings-

Roasted peanuts 

Oreo's

Sprinkles

Mini M&M's

Mini chocolate chips

My caramels came with sticks to make the caramel apples which was fantastic. 

WARNING! Make sure you put a liner in your crock pot so that you are not trying to scrap burnt caramel out of your crock pot late at night. 

You want to start by removing all of the wrappers from the caramels and throwing them into the crock pot at least an hour on high before people show up.  It was helpful to have six people help me with this because 3 pounds is a ton of work! As the caramel melts slowly add the evaporated milk to keep the caramel from burning on the bottom and to make it creamy and easier to dip apples in. Mix the caramel frequently until melted and then turn crock pot down to warm setting.

Prep all the toppings by cutting up nuts and smashing oreos. My friend Marshal is a oreo smashing pro. Put the toppings on plates so it is easy for people to grab. 

Rip a piece of parcenment paper off to place your toppings on. This is where you roll the apple. Make sure you make a "road" out of toppings for your apply to pick up. If your "road" is not thick enough the apple may stick to the parchment paper.

Here is how to get that perfect apple.

#1. Insert stick into apple. 

#2. Slowly roll and dip into caramel that is in the crock pot. 

#3. Allow excess caramel to drip off back into the crock pot. 

#4. Roll your apple in the toppings and make sure evenly covered. 

#5. Place on parchment paper to dry. 

It took a little of trial and error in the beginning but once I had the technique down I had everyone making perfect apples. After they were dry we placed them all in fresh parchment paper and into adorable caramel apple treat bags!

I wish I took more pictures but we were having way to much fun. 

Until next time~

XoXo Emily