fall

Appley Dappley Foodie

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Pinterest has many great ideas for crafts and food. Most of them are simple, and when you see them you wonder why you hadn’t thought of them first.

That was definitely my response to these two great apple season recipes. I’m sharing the pictures from the Pinterest website, but the recipes I’m posting are my own variations.

Mini Caramel Apples

Pick your favorite kind of apple – my favorites are jonagold and snapdragon – and peel a few. Using a melon baller, scoop out the apple balls and put on a tray covered in parchment paper.

Put a lollipop stick into each ball.

Melt caramel.

Dip the mini apples into the caramel and put back onto the parchment paper.

Let cool. Refrigerate if necessary.

Enjoy!

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Mini Caramel Apples, photo 1 from Pinterest

Mini Apple Pies

Mix your apples the way you would normally prepare them for a regular sized apple pie.

Use a one cup measuring cup to cut out circles from pie crust. I use Pillsbury pie crusts, but you can use whatever you like or make your own.

Press each circle into each section of a muffin tin.

Add the apple mixture with a small pat of butter.

Cover with another circle of crust or cut strips and do a lattice-work on top or use a mini cookie cutter and place a shape in the center of the pie.

Serve on its own or with ice cream or whipped cream, whichever your favorite is.

Oh so yummy!

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Mini Apple Pies, photo 2 from Pinterest

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Mini Caramel Apples, photo 3 from Pinterest

Writing Prompt

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With October starting in just a couple of days, today’s prompt came easily enough.

If you decide to use this prompt and want to share what you’ve written with others, put your posted link in the comments. If you’re an artist and use this prompt, please share that as well. We’d all love to see the creativity around us, and that can inspire us too!

Squash, Gourd, and/or Pumpkin

October Listy

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October is both my favorite and least favorite month of the year. I had always loved Fall, but especially October. Cool, sleeping with the windows open, light jacket all the time, occasional boots (I have writing boots as opposed to riding boots), long sweaters (yes, I also have a writing sweater.) I am nothing if not ritualistic.

There are insane amounts of activities and appointments coming up plus my oasis of Writing Workshop and AP.

In 2009, I went to Wales.

In 2011, I went to Denver.

This year, I am virtually going back to Wales. On the days that I do not have an appointment, I am going on Sabbatical. I will still be online, and I will continue to attend Mass and will also be home for dinner (probably cooking – the point of this is to make my Fall better, not to make the family’s harder.)

If I remember the calendar correctly, I have six days in the two weeks where I usually find my solace. Sometimes, it’s simply a question of mind over matter. The middle of October is sad, and foreboding of winter and bad anniversaries, but it can also be a beacon – my Welsh adventure and Denver with my closest friends and this will be the first year since I’m aware of the difficulty of the time that I am homebound, so I am ‘traveling’.

My plan (still very tentative – I’ve only mapped out the days) is to go somewhere new each day and write. Or photograph. Or career plan. And network.

If anyone has any suggestions for writing (or photography) prompts, drop them by.

The more the merrier and I can add them to my prompt jar for one of those days. I got a great one last week from my friend, although when he said ‘tea’ I will admit to rolling my eyes. As it turned out, it wasn’t half bad. I might actually post it later today.

Yesterday, in class, the prompt was rain soaked, and I wrote about Manchester. Yes. *That* Manchester. I don’t think I’ve ever been any other place that so readily brings to mind a vulgar term for the female anatomy. I will be posting this later.