Baked Apple Blossom with Caramelized Topping

I love anything apple.  Especially in the fall!

I found this recipe for a baked apple and I tweaked the recipe a bit with ingredients that I love.

I hope you love it as much as I do!

Ingredients:
2 Honeycrisp apples (or other crisp apples)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans
4 caramels

First, cut off the top of your apple.

Next, cut out the core of the apple.  I used my metal measuring spoon to remove the core and seeds which worked perfectly.

Then, take a sharp knife, and carefully make 2 narrow cuts around the perimeter of your apple like pictured below. 

Next, flip your apple over and with your sharp knife, cut lengthwise slits around the entire apple like show below (up and down slits).

When you are finished, your apple will look something like this.  Doing this creates the "blossom" effect for your apple.  So when it's all cooked, you can push down at the top of your apple to "bloom" it open!

Next, place 2 caramels in the center of your apple.

Place your apples in an oven safe dish.

You are almost done!  Now you just need to make the delicious topping, which in my book, is the BEST part!

Melt your butter and brown sugar in a microwave safe mug.  I melted my butter/ sugar mixture for 20 seconds, took it out, stirred it, and then put it back into the microwave for another 20 seconds.

Then, add in your flour, cinnamon, and chopped pecans.  Stir everything together right in the mug.

Top your apples with the brown sugar mixture.

Bake at 375 for 35 minutes.

When you are done, your caramels will be melted on the inside, and your pecan sugar mixture will be warm, gooey, caramelized and oh so delicious!  

I serve mine with a scoop of fat free whipped topping on the side!

Dig in!

Such a warm and delicious part of autumn that you won't want to miss out on!

Welcome to the Lake!

Hello friends!

I've had people ask me for awhile now to do a house tour so I finally am taking the time to take some recent pics to show you around.  Most of the pictures are very recent either from this summer or from today, September 26th, 2014.

Come and check out the lake house with me!

This is the outside of the house this summer with a fresh coat of paint on the shutters, front door and house trim.  The picture below that is the maple tree in the front yard.

The pictures below are pictures of around the house and yard.  The first picture is the black walnut tree that sits just outside of our bedroom window.  The squirrels from this tree are very entertaining for our dog, Max, all throughout the year!  We have the lights on a timer so they go on at dusk and stay on throughout the night.

There are a few pictures of our back deck area and the side of the house as well.

Below is what I lovingly refer to as "the stairway to heaven".  They are the steps down to the lake and dock area.  We built these steps back in 2011 and have 2 landing areas with benches so we can rest on the way up.... boy is it a hike! 

Above are pictures of the 2 legged feathered friends that come to visit us down at the dock!  Love feeding these guys! 

Below is a corner in our dining room.  It's just a little nook with a small fireplace next to the patio doors that lead out back.  It's fall so I have it decorated for the holidays.

These are pictures from our dining room area. 

The pictures below are of our great room area.  There is another fireplace in there along with our grand piano.

This is a picture I made on canvas that is hanging in our great room.  I love this picture and every time I see it, it reminds me of God's love for me.   <3

More pictures of the great room area all decorated for fall.....

And now.... one of my favorite rooms in our home ...  our kitchen.  When we moved in back in 2010, we took down the wall between the living room and the kitchen to make an island.  We also relocated a washer and dryer to down stairs which opened up room for the fridge/pantry area.

These curtains are one of my very first sewing projects ever!  I remember it took me like 2 days to make them!  The bottom brown fabric is actually a table cloth.  The only thing I did not do when making them was I did not line them.  It's something I will probably go back and do so you can't see through the brown fabric but other than that, I love how they turned out! 

I found this awesome vase thingy at Kirklands in Toledo.  I fell in love with it!

I bought this picture from Kirkland's in Toledo, too.  It is HUGE!  It hangs above our bed in the master bedroom.  When I look at it I feel like I can feel the breeze blowing through the white curtains and I can hear the sounds of the waves from the ocean.  One of my favorite pictures of all time!

The above picture is Max on squirrel patrol.  This is one of his favorite perches in the house. 

The below picture does say poop.  You are not reading it wrong.  It hangs just above the toilet in our main bath.  :)

The  other pictures are of our main guest bathroom.  I remodeled this bathroom in 2013 when my husband went on a work trip for 6 weeks.  It took me most of the 6 weeks to gut the bathroom, research everything on google because I had NO CLUE how to do any of it, and then put everything back in.  The bathroom was painted, tiled, and replumbed.  I added in  new vanity, new lighting, wainscotting, new tile floor, and a new toilet.  I was pooped, no pun intended, when I was done but it turned out pretty well.

Below are pictures of my shop.  The window seat is Max's favorite spot in the entire house! 

Below are a few oars hanging around the house.  If we ever had an intruder, they wouldn't stand a chance.  There are oars around every corner in this house!  :) 

And there you have it!  A tour of the lake house!  Hope you enjoyed yourself!

Welcome to the lake!