Bubble Wrap, a Candle and some Apples

I thought this blog title might catch your attention. And no this isn't a craft idea. I'll make connections with all three things. I promise.

Also, I don't want any of my followers to think I'm a super woman. I'm not. Several of you have left comments saying I'm a super woman. I love the compliments, but keep in mind, I've had a Mr. Mom (love ya Chris) who has been on a K-12 summer schedule. Having him home to help with laundry, grocery shopping and cleaning, makes my life pretty wonderful when I come home from work each day. I also have a tendency to not sit down much. I'm always doing something. Call it nervous energy. I think my husband might call it other things. Either way, I'm not a super woman. Just a working mom, who loves to play with her girls and throw crafts their way a weekly basis for selfish reasons.

Now, onto bubble wrap, a candle and some apples.

My sweet friend Shanna (who equally loves Halloween as much as I do and who is ALSO throwing a Halloween party to benefit Chinese orphans) sent me this spectacular candle in the mail today.



Tucked around the candle, were a couple of sheets of bubble wrap that Josie immediately started stomping on to create the sounds of fireworks. Both girls soon got into the bubble sheet action. I swear this stuff is the BEST invention EVER.



Thanks, Shanna. I love the owl on the candle lid and the smell (moonlight harvest) is absolutely fantastic. Of course, I'm using it right away. I'm sure my witchy ladies will approve too.

Here's the apple reference. Last weekend, I modified an apple recipe and it actually turned out better than I expected.



Keep in mind, my modifications tend to happen when I don't have the exact ingredients on hand or I'm short on time (not necessarily to make them lower in calories). Here's my recipe for apple-stuffed french toast.



* 4 large tart Apples, peeled, and sliced
* 1 tsp. Cinnamon
* Sugar to taste
* ¾ cup Brown Sugar
* 3 tbsp. Maple Syrup
* 3 tbsp. Butter or Margarine
* ¾ cup Walnuts or Pecans, chopped (optional)
* 12 slices firm White Bread (use for french toast)
* 3 Eggs, beaten (use for french toast)
* 1¼ cups Skim Milk (use for french toast)
* 1 tsp. Vanilla (use for french toast)
* ¼ tsp. Nutmeg (use for french toast)

Place apples in a medium-size skillet. Pour ½ cup water over apples. Simmer 4-5 minutes until apples are softened.

Drain apples in colander. Place in a bowl and gently mix in cinnamon and a little sugar if apples are too tart. Set aside.

In the same skillet, combine brown sugar, maple syrup, and butter. Cook and stir over medium heat until sugar melts and mixture just begins to come to a slow boil. Pour into a 13x9-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with nuts (this optional, the girls don't like nuts).

In the traditional recipe, you are suppose to place 6 slices of bread on top of syrup and nuts. Divide apples among bread slices and top with remaining 6 slices. Whisk together eggs, milk, vanilla, and nutmeg. Pour over "apple sandwiches." Cover and refrigerate over night. In the morning, preheat oven to 325º and bake uncovered for 40 minutes.

In my version, I just went ahead and made up traditional french toast (kept the french toast slices warm in the oven until I had enough for everyone) and then poured my baked apple mixture over one slice of french toast and sandwiched it with another piece of french toast and served with additional maple syrup. I honestly didn't have 40 minutes to bake it because we were on a schedule, but either way is yummy.

It's so filling and I don't even want to think about how many calories are in this recipe. I'm thinking the next time we have overnight guests, I'm going to pull out this recipe again. The house smelled like fall all day.