I meant to post these yesterday and time just got away from me. Michael has had a fever (which has not been pleasant) but it finally seems to be going away. If you could see what he's doing right now, you certainly wouldn't believe me when I told you 24 hours ago he was moping around the house refusing to eat much of anything.


I have, honestly, never tried salted caramel anything. But the idea sounded so delicious, and I was craving something chocolate, that I just knew I had to make some cookies. So if these don't resemble any "real" salted caramel tasting thing, then I am sorry. They are, in my opinion, completely delicious.

Ingredients:

- 4 oz semi sweet or unsweetened chocolate bar (I used Baker's)
- 3/4 C butter, softened
- 1 egg
- 1 tbsp vanilla
- 1 C brown sugar
- 1/4 C sugar
- 2 C all-purpose, unbleached flour
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 3/4 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 C Kraft caramel bits (if you can't find these, you can use caramel squares just chop them up)
Course Sea Salt, for sprinkling

Directions:

- Preheat your oven to 350 and spray your cookie sheet or line with parchment paper.
- Follow the instructions on your chocolate to melt it, either on the stove or in a large bowl in the microwave.
- Beat your butter, egg, and vanilla into the chocolate. Next add your sugars.
- Mix in your dry ingredients (flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and sea salt).
- Fold in your chocolate chips and caramel bits.

- Using a cookie scooper (or around 2 tsp of dough), drop on to the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with your course sea salt.
- Bake for 10 minutes, or until edges are slightly darker.
*Note: The caramel can, and most likely will in some, ooze out of the sides. If you want to do all to prevent this, make sure there aren't any caramel bits on the outside. If you have to use extra dough for each cookie to make this so, I'd say it's worth it. My first batch was quite a mess!*


Based on the recipe from Food.com.

It seemed only appropriate to start October off with a Harry Potter inspired recipe. As you may know from previous posts (especially last year's Halloween post), I'm a fan. And that may be putting it lightly. This year I'm rereading the series and making treats to match.

What's surprising is I'm already more than halfway through (finishing Goblet of Fire now). I think I was so worried about not finishing by the end of October that I was speed reading parts. I intend to slow down a little bit now and enjoy. Of course, now I'm on to the longer books... so I guess we shall see.

Annnnnnywho....

TREACLE TARTS!

If you didn't know, Treacle is an actual type of sugar, but it's basically Molasses and Corn Syrup. There was no way I was clever enough to come up with this on my own. I referenced Bakingdom's recipe, bless her for being just as big of a fan and having one ready for me to use.

Ingredients:

Crust

- 3/4 C unblecahed all-purpose flour
- 1/4 C confectioners’ sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 1/4 C (1/2 stick) cold, butter, cut into pieces
- 2 tablespoons water

Filling

- 1/3 C light corn syrup
- 1/4 C molasses
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp heavy cream
- 1/2 C bread crumbs

Directions:

For the Crust

- Put all the ingredients in your food processor and pulse/ run on low until a dough ball forms. OR use a pastry cutter and blend in your butter by hand, then kneed the dough until it is well formed. Chill in the freezer for around 30 minutes or in the fridge for up to two hours (at least one).

- Next, roll your dough out on a light floured surface to around 1/8 inch thick (AKA pretty dang thin). If you are using tiny tart pans (I got mine from Amazon), carefully lift your dough and place the (sprayed) pan underneath the dough, then press it into the pan and around the edges. Kind of like a complex cookie cutter. If you're making a large tart/pie, put it in your 9" round pan.


- Put the tart(s) on a baking sheet and chill for 20 to 30 minutes in your freezer.

*Optional*
* Preheat your oven to 350.
* Line your (chilled) tart(s) with parchment/wax paper and pie weights, beans, or rice (like in the Apple Nutella Bars recipe) and bake for 10 to 15 minutes.

Note: I did this with my first batch (which are not pictured) but they got WAY over cooked. However, they were chewier with the final product. If you want them more candy-like and less pie-like, I would definitely recommend doing it this way.

For the Filling

- Mix all your ingredients together in a bowl. Wow, that was easy!

Put it all together!

- Preheat your oven to 350.
- Put around 1/2 to 1 tsp of filling into each mini tart pan (or put it all in your large pie dish).
- Bake the mini-tarts around 20 minutes, or a regular pie-size for around 30 minutes.


DELICIOUS! If you like molasses, you will definitely love these!


I made these to celebrate finishing books one and two! Treacle is mentioned in both of them and really stuck out, so it seemed an obvious choice to make. Can you guess what I'm going to be making once I finish book four (yes, I already finished three)?

Here's a hint:

"He drank deeply. It was the most delicious thing he'd ever tasted and seemed to heat every bit of him from the inside." -Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

It's the last day of September. Can you believe it? It's cooling off here and the leaves are hinting at turning. I'm so excited. Michael and I have already had loads of fun playing in the leaves. See what I mean?


When Clark was home, the last thing we did was go to the Western North Carolina State Fair. I'm not sure if this is the proper title. I read somewhere that it was considered the "Agricultural Fair"... so don't quote me on any of that.

We had so much fun. Michael wasn't a huge fan of the rides (hoping he comes by this way of me and we can sit them out together in the future... that's me being selfish, though). But he definitely enjoyed all the sites, and, of course, the animals, tractors, and helicopter the most.











That sign said, "Keep Behind Fence"... luckily, Michael can't read. And he was, for the most part, behind it.

This is the LAST weekend of September. How crazy is that? I can't believe October is just days away. Today definitely called for a jacket in the morning, and most days have in the past week. I'm so excited for it to cool down to sweater weather. It just gives me an excuse to buy some, since I really only have maybe one good one. No exaggeration there, honest.


Dear Michael, It has been a week of mischief. I wish you'd take a nap every day instead of this two days off, one day on thing we have going right now. I know you're so excited about our days together and all of our adventures... but mama needs some more down time. At least most some days you let me sit on your bed and read while you play with your trains.

Dear Friends, You make time go by so much faster when Clark is away. Thank you for all your love and support. I don't know what we would do if we didn't have y'all to spend time with!

Dear Readers, In case you don't follow me on Instagram and haven't gotten the notice, fall is HARRY POTTER TIME. Yes, I'm one of those people. If you aren't, please forgive me and know that I forgive you in return. This coming week promises some treats (see below) from the book, as do the upcoming weeks as I continue to reread the books (Yep. I'm on #4 and shooting for all seven by Halloween) and watch all the movies.

Things to look forward to:

Treacle Tarts

Meet Me At The Fair

Salted Caramel Chocolate Cookies
The idea for this post came from Ashley over at The Sweet Season.

For my fall moms/wives of the month(s), I wanted to do another theme. Having done clean eating over the summer, it seemed only appropriate to find something else to stick with for seasons. I tired to think deep down what I would like to share, or have others share, and I immediately came to this:

Keeping faith in hard circumstances.

As you know from previous posts, this is close to my heart because we've been going through a few patches on and off for... well... ever. Lately it just seems like it's been worse.

As I started to seek out women to write and share with you, I realized that I haven't exactly been completely truthful with y'all. I mean, I want these women to get on here and share stories that could make them feel very vulnerable, and yet I wasn't sharing anything completely personal myself. I felt like a hypocrite. I then decided I would start the little series, in hopes that maybe I can encourage others (and myself).

Clark and I got married young. You may remember this from my Married in College series. I stopped sharing these stories after a while, but may continue them again at some point. It started to get too hard to look back on these times of trial and not feel certain emotions (anger, disappointment, embarrassment). While all these times were not trials, it seemed all the times and tales that came to mind were. Perhaps because they made us stronger, or maybe because I have a completely different view of them now a few years later. Still, I stopped. I felt like I was exposing myself more and more with them.

When we found out we were pregnant with Michael, we honestly didn't know what to do. I was about to graduate college, and we were supposed to be moving so Clark could finish his own degree at a different institution. We were faced with a decision. Still move, baby on the way, and trust that Clark could finish school... or "plan" and find Clark a practical job that would provide for his family. We went with moving, trusting that God would provide.

And provide He did.

The first year Clark was in school and Michael was growing, it was extremely difficult. Loaded down with schoolwork and work, Clark was doing his best to do it all so I could stay home with Michael. Though I searched for jobs, it was all half-heartedly done. The last thing I wanted to do was put my son in daycare and go to work, so selfishly I thought it was my right to stay home and let Clark go to school. What you should know with this, is I was providing from home. Even though Clark was working, we never would have made it without me deciding to put money I had inherited towards our well-being.

But after that first year things were getting tougher. Clark was distracted with my ever-nagging voice about money because my inheritance was running out. While I looked for work and found some successfully, none of it was enough for Clark to stop working or to balance out childcare. We were feeling more and more trapped again, and just couldn't figure out to do. We turned to God... but we felt like we were met with silence.

Clark withdrew from school, found a few small jobs, and we prayed for a better one to be provided.

In November our prayers were answered. Straight after our Thanksgiving he packed his bags and was told he'd see us in a month or so. He was not home again until Christmas. Since then his job (working on cellular towers) has been consistently inconsistent. He's gone anywhere from four to eight weeks at a time, usually only coming home when he has to for his USMC-R duty. As he realized he was missing more and more with Michael, and as Michael became more and more involved (and, may I say, demanding)... while we were grateful for his job, we started wondering if things would ever change again.

Here we are in a city with no family. While we have a good church and some very amazing friends, Clark being gone definitely takes its toll. I find myself wishing I could drive over to my sister's house, or call my parents to come take Michael for a couple hours just so I can get my haircut or go to the grocery store by myself. Clark comes home tired and needing rest, and instead he's bombarded with love from Michael and me and never quite catches up. It's the same with me. I find myself even more tired after Clark leaves than when he came home because we have jammed so many things into the time he was home.

We're all tired, grumpy, and not happy campers when Dada's work truck arrives and he waves good-bye again.

We started praying for change. Many things have presented themselves that felt so right, only to fall through and not happen. Again and again and again we find ourselves flat on our faces, and each time we feel heavier and heavier as we pick ourselves up. Many times we forgot to look to God to carry us, and in those times it has not been pretty. Even now we find ourselves constantly battling with God and feeling abandoned.

We question Him. Present Him with our trials and listen, demanding an answer. While I know that I can't demand things of God, and don't deserve His amazing love or the sacrifice and love of His Son in the first place... I get angry. I bang my fists at the silence, cry, and wait.

Two Bible verses give me the most comfort in times like these. I share them with you because even when I don't want to keep the faith, I find myself repeating them aloud over, and over, and over. They remind me that no matter how alone I may feel, I'm not. They remind me that no matter how upset I may be that I cannot plan things or know the future, God has a plan because He created my future. It amazes me that this isn't reassurance enough... but my fickle, human heart always seems to want more.

Here are my verses.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM and HE will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

My friends, if you are facing any kind of struggle, remember to cry out to Jesus. Check back here in October and November for some more encouragement and stories from two amazing women.

Hello friends! Have you ever been at a point of exhaustion where, "I'm exhausted!" just doesn't even seem to describe where you are?

That's kind of how I'm feeling.

I'm not sure why, but this round of Clark being gone has me feeling like I need the caffeine patch, or a week at the spa when next he's home. I'm just walking around like a zombie half of the time. I'm lucky my head is attached, because I truly think I'd forget it if it wasn't.

That's where I am right now.

However, I feel very motivated with the blog. I've been trying to post just about every day. It gives me something to keep myself accountable with. I'm not sure how long it will last, because we are also trying to cut down on Michael's TV time (yeah... I'm awful at turning it on to give mommy a breather). So please enjoy my consistency while it's consistent! HA!


These bars were meant to be "just" apple bars... but that didn't seem right. There are plenty of bars out there (including the recipe these were molded from) that are apple spice and so delicious.

But, just FYI, they are rather time consuming. You can make them throughout the day. If you want to make them in one setting... just make sure you have other things to do while your crust is sitting and the apples are cooking and... yep.



Ingredients:

Crust
- 1.25 C unbleached all purpose flour
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 7 tbsp VERY SOFT butter (almost melted, but still "formed")
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp water

Apple Filling
- 3 to 4 big apples, sliced thinly (I used granny smith)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp sugar (I'd say this is optional)
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tbsp water

Topping
- 1/2 C all purpose unbleached flour
- 2 tbsp butter (cold/cut into pieces)
- 4 tbsp Nutella
*Make sure to have enough Nutella to also coat your crust with it before adding your apples!*

Directions:

For the Crust
- Line a 11 x 7 pan with parchment (or wax) paper, with some hanging over the edges.
- In the food processor, add all of your crust ingredients. Pulse or place on low until you have a ball of dough. If it's too dry, add a little more water.
- Place the dough in prepared pan and use your hands or a spatula to spread it evenly across the bottom. Cover with foil and chill for 20 to 30 minutes.
- Make the filling and topping during this time. Preheat your oven to 375 so it will be ready at the end of your 20 to 30 minute wait.
- When the crust is chilled cover it with parchment paper, fill it with dry beans/uncooked dry rice/baking beads/pie weights and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the paper and the beans and reduce the oven temp to 350. Bake for 5 more minutes.
Cool completely before filling.

For the Filling
- Put your prepared apples (cored and sliced) in a sauce pan along with the *optional* sugar, water, butter, and cinnamon. Cover and cook over low heat for about 12 to 15 minutes (or until the slices soften).
- Remove the lid and cook a little more until the liquid evaporates. You don't HAVE to stir them-- it's your choice!
- Cool completely.

For the Topping
- Place all your ingredients in the food processor (since it's already dirty-- no need to wash it) and pulse several times until all ingredients are well combined and it's rather crumbly.

Put it all Together
- Spread Nutella across your cooled crust.
- Spread your apple filling evenly across the Nutella.
- Add your crumbly topping as evenly as possible.
- Bake on 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

Time consuming, yes. Worth it? Oooooooh, yeah.

We decided Michael turning two was the perfect occasion to finally get his haircut. It took some convincing Clark (see this post and scroll down to number 16 to read about that), but eventually he finally saw the light and agreed we could take Michael to our local barber shop the day before his birthday.








He really did so well once we convinced the barber he didn't need the cover/cape on to protect his clothes and such from falling hair. It was the only thing that really freaked him out. Afterwards we walked downtown to our local gelato shop and got a special treat. I mean... come on... it was his first haircut!

Three days following the haircut (with his birthday and our friends' wedding in-between), we went apple picking. It probably wasn't the best idea on my part to go after we had a few eventful days in a row as it was, but in the end Michael had a blast. He enjoyed the animals more than the apple picking... but we can give him a year or two before he starts enjoying the challenge of getting apples from the top of the trees.












There always seems to be food at the end of our adventures. This orchard had freshly made apple cider donuts (as well as other apple treats) ready for you before or after your picking. You also had the option to just buy apples and not pick them, which we also ended up doing since Michael was super enthusiastic about the actual apple picking part (did you sense my sarcasm there?).

More fall adventures to come! We definitely have a lot I want to check off of our Fall Bucket List this year.