It is for one of my closest friends who's pony she's had for a long time she had to put to sleep on Friday I rounded up all the video I had of him and some pictures and made an iMovie for her. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4WO7A8wrFw
Oh my I am trying to restrain myself, I love caramel so much that I order caramel cakes from a home cook in Mississippi, every holiday. Yes, I know I may be jeopardizing my health and wellness but I gotta live! Next time I make muffins I will try this, in fact I have a co-op order coming tomorrow full of granny smiths........
I'm having a bit of a hard time with the blog coding, so I'm going to post my Sugar River blog here for the time being. Enjoy!
Sugar River
Sauganash was a quaint community in Chicago where I grew up and to cross over the Peterson Avenue Bridge would take you into the little town of Edgebrook. For miles alongside Peterson Avenue ran the Edgebrook Woods, a forest preserves filled with tall, gorgeous trees that waved in the tempestuous, unpredictable winds of the Midwest. Graceful and laughing in the vivid sunlight, come night, they were riveting, too silent, still, and haunting under the moonlight. As a young child, my parents warned I shouldn’t go into the forest preserves alone, so I never did. Peeking over a half opened car window into the wooded jungle each time we drove home from an evening at my aunt’s home, it screamed eeriness, was intimidating, and spooked me, especially in a rocking autumn thunderstorm where the treetops lurched angrily, thrusting from side-to-side like a person lost in grief. I felt paralyzing fear that something evil could happen in the forest preserves should I enter and I might never come out. During the day, the lengthy entrance into the preserves was frightening enough with a sketchy black drive that resembled the long, hungry tongue of a venomous snake. My fear of the woods changed one summer when I was thirteen years old. A couple of my friends who lived near the edge of the forest preserves convinced me that it was a wonderful place to play. They warned to stay away from strangers but as long as we were in a pack, we were safe. One particular cunning friend, Craig Ryan, told me there was a magical river in the preserves to which my response was a cynical laugh. “It’s true,” he said eyes wide. “It’s called Sugar River”. Reluctantly, I decided to go into the forest with my friends. No longer a child, I felt it was a rite-of-passage and my parents would have to understand that when they found out I’d gone in, though I’d forgotten to mention it to them the first several times. As the day wore on we played climbing in the trees and running through the woods until finally, deep into the forest, we came upon the river Craig spoke of. To be sure, thinking back, it was a brook more than a river but at such a young age it seemed large, wide, and flowing. “This is the magic river,” Craig said. “Sugar River.” “Why do you call it Sugar River?” I asked. “There’s always candy here.” “Candy?” I repeated puzzled. “In the middle of the forest?” As he led and we all followed, Craig walked over to a hollow in a tree that stood at the riverbank. He reached in and sure enough, it was filled with candy. I was dumbstruck. He explained that each time they’d been there the candy was a different kind so you never knew what kind of candy would be in the hollow of the tree at the bank of Sugar River. I remember that on this particular day, my first time there, the candy was Kraft Caramels, dark and light. I was astounded. “Who puts the candy there?” I asked. “A wood witch,” Craig responded. The others giggled. I gave him a dirty look. “It’s true!” We ate the candy and played in the knee-deep river. We waded up the river through the rushing water and as I watched the little white crests turn on the tips of the miniature waves that splashed against our legs, I fell eternally in love with Sugar River and the candy it provided. I went to Sugar River many times that summer and each time there was candy in the hollow of the tree, just like Craig said there would be. Always a different candy that always gave us surprise and happiness. It was the only summer I spent going to Sugar River, but I’ll never forget it. As time does change things, Craig, I, and our friends went on to different paths in life after that summer. We were to begin freshman year at different high schools. I never saw any of those kids again. I have the memory of Sugar River, though, and those memories are as sweet and as vivid as the wonderful candy we ate from the hollow of the tree at the bank of Sugar River. Though the experience of Sugar River and my friends couldn’t necessarily be attributed to the candy itself, the sweets clearly played a major role in the experience. I can still see Craig and me spattering about, drenched with muddy river water, chomping on a mouthful of candy, ridiculously laughing at the silliest things, splashing each other, and making, what we could not know we were making back then, beautiful memories. This recipe below isn’t candy, but it has caramel in it and caramel always reminds me of the wonderful summer spent at Sugar River. Enjoy!
APPLE ALMOND CARAMEL MUFFINS with CARAMEL ICING 6 eggs 4 cups of chopped apples 3 cups apple juice 2 cups of chopped or sliced almonds 1 cup butter (2 sticks, melted) 1 cup powdered sugar 1 cup of caramel pieces (melted) (or canned or packaged caramel) 3 tablespoons of lemon juice 1 teaspoon of salt 1 teaspoon of baking soda 3 T baking powder 7 cups all-purpose flour Extra butter for greasing muffin pans Extra flour for dusting muffin pans
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Generously grease two large muffin pans (12 holder muffin pans or 4 6-holder pans). Sprinkle flour over the butter only to dust. In a large bowl, combine the eggs (beaten), apple juice, melted butter, powdered sugar, caramel, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly with a whisk. In another large bowl, combine the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour and mix together well. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture and mix thoroughly with a whisk. Add the apples and almonds and mix together well. Fill each muffin holder ¾ full. Bake for approximately 20-25 minutes. Ovens vary, so check for completeness by inserting a toothpick into the muffin. When the toothpick comes out clean, the muffin is completed. Remove from the oven. Let cool, but very good served warm, too. Serve plain or with caramel icing. Makes approximately 18-20 large muffins.
CARAMEL ICING 1 box powdered sugar 1 cup heavy whipping cream (more or less depending on desired consistency) 2 cups caramel Melt the caramel pieces (or use canned or packaged caramel). In a large bowl, combine the powdered sugar and gradually add the heavy whipping cream to the consistency of thickness you prefer for your icing and mix with an electric mixer or whisk. Add the melted caramels and mix well. Spoon the icing over the Apple Almond Caramel Muffins.
This is a wonderful afternoon snack and/or great with morning coffee.
Hi everyone, Hi, I'm new to this site, but I love it! I'd love to meet some of you, so if you have any tips for me, I'd love to hear them. Is there anything special I need to know that will make my search around the site even more invigorating? Thanks! Margaux
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