with Katie Jacobs
I couldn’t be more excited to team up with Crate&Barrel to create a sponsored Halloween table that’s not only cute and totally spooky but super simple to transition into the Thanksgiving holiday. Here’s my favorite images and inspo from our Halloween shoot as well as delicious recipes for the season!
My kids and I had a blast cutting bats out of black construction paper. We also cut large pumpkin silhouettes to use as placemats. I’m seriously obsessed with these Crate&Barrel lanterns that I turned into jack-o-lanterns by simply slipping black paper down into the glass.
Crate&Barrel’s rustic pumpkins are great for a Halloween table like this but will also transition well into the Thanksgiving holiday.
Salted Caramel Dipped Apples
12 apples
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup bourbon
1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
Twigs or wooden sticks for apple handles
Assorted toppings (melted chocolate, candy, sea salt, nuts, etc.)
Flakey salt for sprinkling
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the salted caramel, place sugar, honey, bourbon and apple cider in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil. Let boil, without stirring, for nine minutes or until light golden in color. Add the heavy cream, butter and vanilla, slowly stirring into pan. Boil for ten to fifteen minutes or until a candy thermometer reads 220–230 degrees Fahrenheit, stirring frequently. Remove the sauce from heat and add the salt and let cool for fifteen to twenty minutes, stirring every so often. Make sure the caramel does not become too stiff. If it stiffens too much you will not be able to dip the apples. While the caramel cools, push the twigs or wooden sticks into the top of the apples. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
When the caramel has cooled enough to touch, hold each apple by the stick, dip into the caramel and place them on the wax paper. Refrigerate for about fifteen minutes to set. Drizzle with desired chocolate and sprinkle with assorted toppings.
Store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Makes twelve.
Tortellini Soup
Fall is practically upon us and it has me craving comfort food. This Tortellini Soup has all the feels of fall but is a little lighter since we are still in that pre-autumn heat. It is super simple and comes together quickly, making dinner less than thirty minutes away.
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
6 carrots, peeled and diced
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups bone broth
1 28-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1 9-ounce package fresh cheese tortellini
2 14-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
6 cups fresh baby spinach
2 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tsp. fresh basil, chopped
Kosher salt and pepper
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Parmesan cheese crisps for topping
INSTRUCTIONS
Melt butter in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, bell pepper and carrots; cook three or four minutes until onion is soft, stirring periodically. Add garlic and cook for an additional minute until fragrant.
Add chicken broth and bone broth, tomatoes and Italian seasoning; bring to a rolling boil. Add tortellini and beans; cook for two minutes or until tortellini are cooked through.
Turn off heat. Add spinach, parsley, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Squeeze lemon juice into soup. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with parmesan crisps and serve immediately with crusty bread.
Apple Cider Mezcal Margarita
To Rim the Glass:
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 Tbsp. raw sugar
Corn syrup
Margarita:
3 ounces chilled apple cider
2 ounces mezcal
1 ounce Grand Marnier (or orange liqueur)
1 lime wedge
Maraschino cherries for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
In a shallow dish, stir together the cinnamon, allspice and sugar. Dip the rim of a glass in corn syrup and dip the rim into the spiced sugar. Fill the glass with ice.
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Pour in the apple cider, mezcal and grand marnier. Squeeze in the lime wedge. Shake for thirty to sixty seconds. Pour the mixture in the glass. Garnish with cherries.
