Sweet & Savory :: The Caramel Jar Blog

Blog has been relocated to : http://thecarameljar.com : Come find us!

2013-08-26T13:16:00.000-04:00

We've loved our blogger blog, but it was time for an upgrade!

Come follow our NEW BLOG at our new location...

http://thecarameljar.com

- Your Caramel Girl

The Caramel Girl Grows :: Organic Celery & Scallions

2013-03-27T05:00:00.000-04:00

Ha! When I typed the first part of the title...I was actually dreaming of growing a few inches myself. Considering I haven't grown an inch since I was 11... : sigh : Follow along in our new blog series : The Caramel Girl Grows : where I attempt to grow a few veggies...

Celery and Scallions

Before I embark on the true outdoor veggie growing landscape, I tested my green thumb indoors! Perhaps you've seen on Pinterest the "veggies you can grow from scraps" pins? No? Really? You haven't seen it? It's ok, I've got you covered! Take a peek here! More about my attempts after the jump!
Read more »

Recipe :: Restaurant Style Salsa

2013-03-26T06:00:00.000-04:00

Yep, it's officially spring and I'm longing for a bit of sun ripened tomatoes. Honestly, I'm longing for more than just sun ripened tomatoes...but my dream of said tomatoes and other nostalgic wants {biking, hiking, margaritas, and warm sunshine} will have to wait until July/August. Until then, I'll keep dreaming while running my fabulous handmade caramel shop!

Perfect companion to tortilla chips, tacos, breakfast Burritos!

During the winter months, my go to salsa is : homemade : from a can of tomatoes! Nice and simple - just a food processor or blender will do!

Take a peek at the recipe and photos after the jump!
Read more »

Recipe :: Forgotten Kisses

2013-03-25T15:12:00.002-04:00

Anyone remember these meringue cookies? When I was young, my Mom would make these for the holidays tinted a festive shade of pink and green. Trust me, I was a girl in heaven if I could score a few of these babies off a cookie tray! And when I grew up, there was often a tin of these ready for me to take back to college after my breaks. This my friends, were the golden years! Skip scoring off a cookie tray and fast forward to girl hoarding a tin of cookies in her dorm room at Hamline! Oh yeah!

These cookies are light, crisp, airy and have chocolate. Yep, chocolate lovers, this one is for you!

Forgotten Kiss Low Fat Cookies!

I couldn't find my Mom's recipe, so I adapted Emeril's! Photo and recipe after the jump!
Read more »

The Caramel Girl Cherishes

2013-03-21T16:24:00.002-04:00

Recently, a few of my friends have suffered unimaginable losses. My heart breaks for them. It reminds me to stay true to myself, do what I love, be kind, cherish those around me, and love fiercely.

Husband doing what we love to do...hiking in Maine!

This weekend, I head back to NYC for a weekend of learning at the Hello Etsy Conference and spending time with my all time favorite person...husband.

Have a great weekend!

xoxo

Your Caramel Girl

The Caramel Girl Tag Along Travels :: New Haven : Guilford

2013-03-18T12:47:00.001-04:00

Tag along. I remember wanting to tag along with my big brother, because of course everything he was doing was "way cooler..."

We made a pit-stop for tasty Chorizo Tostada in Newburgh, NY

Well, some things never change. Husband has been doing a fair bit of traveling this spring and I'm tagging along. Trust me, it's "way cooler" to be in New Haven, CT than in Danville, PA! A few highlights of my tag along trip to Connecticut after the jump!
Read more »

Experience is How the Caramel Girl Travels :: Seattle

2013-03-08T13:16:00.000-05:00

For those that are following on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, it's old news that I'm traveling a quite a bit this spring. My husband has a few work obligations, I have some personal travels and business adventures, so I'll be on the road about every 10 days. I thought I'd share what I love about traveling.

Famous, yet quiet!

When I was studying in Finland ages ago, I read a book for a sociology course called the The Tourist Gaze by John Urry. One thing he touched on was how often we let others guide us to 'seeing' things that someone else has indicated are important and "worth our time" to see. Let me mention, I'm not saying that curated historical installments, art exhibits and other monuments documenting events, people, or places are not important. However, {I, the caramel girl} prefer to take matters into my own hands, and experience v. seeing without direction.

Not a person in sight. Surreal.

Why experience v. see? It's really simple for me : the memories : I remember delicious meals with friends where we laughed until we nearly burst. I remember the people watching, the smells, sights and sounds of the back alleys of Istanbul. I remember skiing and the view from the top of the Canadian Rockies and whimpering when I realized how fast and high the gondola was. And I remember hiking with beer for the weekend loaded on my back to a rustic cabin in the woods outside of Tampere, Finland for a weekend of sauna, music and food. Irreplaceable and interpreted by me, for me.

So toss the guidebook aside next time you're on the road and see what memories you capture that you'll hold near and dear to your heart. Encourage your friends and family to ask, "What did you experience? v. What did you see?"

The photos capture a highlight of our late night adventure searching for food after our very long flight. The Public Market is empty, absolute solace, with only us on the street. Unforgettable.

Until next time,

Your traveling Caramel Girl

Recipe :: Homemade Crunchy Granola

2013-03-06T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yep, I was on a healthy kick yesterday! Homemade banana chips, white bean & chicken chili and granola!

Dried Blueberries, golden raisins, toasted coconut and flax seed!

Some of my dearest colleagues "ahem" are focusing on improving their daily eating habits, thus it rubbed off on me. While I embark on a few trips in the next few months, the thought of road trip and airplane food is serioulsy depressing me. {I'm not a fast-food kind of girl} So, I figured if I bulk up on my healthy eats before each trip, that my advance efforts may ~~erase~~ offset damage done during each excursion. Yeah yeah, I know, this is not true and I should eat moderately and healthy all year round...

If you're like me and trying to incorporate a few more healthy eats/snacks in your daily routine, here's my favorite granola recipe that I adjust based on the staples I have on hand. This is a super crunchy granola that doesn't clump and has just enough sweetness to enjoy with milk or topped on your yogurt!

Full recipe and photos after the jump!
Read more »

Recipe :: Banana Chips

2013-03-05T13:38:00.000-05:00

Quick little recipe for all of our healthy eaters! Yes, there are a few, I like to consider myself one of them, but it's a struggle being surrounded by these.... This recipe is merely so I can detox from my bacon, avocado and tomato sandwich binge. I almost forgot about the fried chicken on Sat. lol

So easy and delicious. The sweetest banana ever!

My relationship with these little sweet morsels stems from middle school. I had a friend that was on the swim/dive team with me that would make me buckets of them! Let's just say, one road trip to Duluth, I'm pretty sure I wolfed down enough bananas to get my fill of potassium for a year. Maybe two.

A few more pics and recipe after the jump!
Read more »

Still here!

2013-02-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

Ikes - it's mid Feb and we've been radio silent.

I think we have great reasons...

1. Launching new blog soon! So over the moon excited!

2. Recovering after the holidays! This takes some time. :)

3. We're crazy busy with some new and exciting products for The Caramel Jar!

Here's a teaser of what's to come!

Korean Fried Chicken!

Pan roasted Cauliflower, Lemon & Capers

xo

Your Caramel Girl

Holidays 2012 :: Full Swing!

2012-11-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's here, it's here! Holiday season 2012 has officially launched! I feel like we've been prepping for the last six months to have a smooth season and now we're finally under way! Our team is trained and ready to execute!

I love our simple eco friendly packaging. :)

More pics after the jump!
Read more »

Recipe :: Pumpkin Puree

2012-11-19T09:26:00.000-05:00

I love pumpkin. The smell, texture and color make me love autumn even more! Plus, it's delicious - creamy, savory and SO easy to make! In preparation for Thanksgiving, I roasted and pureed a delicious sugar pumpkin for my homemade pumpkin treats this week!

This will be used for pumpkin pies & pumpkin muffins this week!

Here are a few pictures of the nitty gritty on roasting your own pumpkin to spin into some beautiful puree {sorry for the high quality iphone photos {lol} - but big bad camera was SO not charged!}
Read more »

London London!

2012-11-16T09:03:00.000-05:00

A little mini recap of London in photos...

More photos after the jump!

Reunited with my BFF {we're a bit soggy here...lol}

Free Range Turkeys....Thankful

2012-11-15T07:55:00.000-05:00

It's a busy week! Actually each week is busy, which I'm oh so grateful for!! I'm finalizing preparations for the kick off of our Holiday season, Thanksgiving with my husband and the arrival of family for Christmas. {YAY!} But amidst all the chaos, I came across this photo and video that I took on an afternoon running errands before Hurricane Sandy. It really made me realize how "thankful" I am for so many things in my life including :: farmers that love what they do! ::

In preparation for Sandy, these free range turkeys at Forks Farm Market in Orangeville, PA were sheltered from the storm. Oh, and they're cute little guys. When I walked up to the barn where they were being housed for the storm, they all waddled over to check me out! Even pecked at my phone...{see still shot!}

Hello to you too!

Take a peek at the video below - they were pretty talkative that day.

Until next time,

Your prepping for Thanksgiving Caramel Girl

Grilled Turkey :: Beer Wed Group

2012-10-29T11:10:00.000-04:00

In between oodles of caramel making, wrapping and shipping, I try to find time to spend with those I love! Specifically, our Beer Wed Group! This is exactly what it sounds like. A group, that meets on Wednesdays to drink beer.

Sure, we could have thought of a more catchy "name" for our group, but honestly, let's call it what it is. Keep it simple.

This past weekend, my husband and I were trying some new recipes including a grilled turkey! Think of a cross between a smoked turkey and a roasted turkey. And yes, the skin was delicious! Ladies, keeps the men busy and out of your kitchen. {Just saying...}

Of course, if you cook a turkey, I feel like it calls for a party. Most days we're not as fancy as Ina Garten....Perhaps there aren't flowers, place mats or even chairs for that matter. But we gather to drink, eat and be merry. I truly couldn't ask for better friends {really family} to share our joys and life challenges with.

A couple photos of the before and after bird!

Mister Turkey filled with onion, orange and apple!

Almost done!

Until next time,

Your stuffed Carameltier

p.s. follow us on Instagram @thecarameljar for real time photos of what we're making!

Vacation and Hurricane Sandy...

2012-10-26T10:02:00.000-04:00

We won't talk about my absence from blogging b/c let's be honest I'm busy here! Amidst the crazy fall schedule and exciting press coverage, this Caramel Girl is heading to London.... That is if Hurricane Sandy doesn't give me a big fat rainy detour or delay!

Seriously...of all weeks to come up the coast. lol

Why London? Once upon a time, this Carameltier traveled to Finland to study abroad {circa 1999-I'm old}. Seriously, how many people do you know that studied in Finland! I met some crazy people, including a great British gal named S. We bonded over late night trips to the Grilli {think french fries at 5am after clubbing all night}, pancake parties and banana bread. So with Mom as a perfect travel companion {her first abroad trip} I'm headed across the big pond for an a bit of an adventure together!

Stay tuned as I post more about the food {of course}, traveling abroad with my mama and how Hurricane Sandy gives us a gentle send off...

Until next time,

Your traveling Carameltier

Facing Fears :: Conquering Goals!

2012-09-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe there are just a few weeks left to savor the longer nights and warmer breezes! With a bit of a lull in our weddings and an extra day off, I took a little time to chip away at a long term personal goal. Conquering my fear of heights. Yep, I'm that girl.

Baxter State Park

I'm the girl that gracefully declines any and all adventure seeking on ropes that hang perilously above water, land, or crevices of rock. I'm the one with two feet firmly on the ground rather than racing away on a rickety roller coaster. Although I've been to the top of the Empire State Building, I always stay as far away from the edge as possible. I *may* have a severe case of butterflies before I even fly up the elevator to the observation deck. More photos after the jump!
Read more »

Back in Action!

2012-08-20T10:00:00.001-04:00

Perhaps the title of the post is deceiving since we never really stopped our action packed production! We've been busy, crossing off wedding after wedding from our calendar & creating amazing little elephants for our baby shower favors! Hundreds of spools of ribbon later, we're thinking about the final push to 2013. Between closing out summer and celebrating the New Year, we'll embark on another holiday frenzy!

Stay tuned for more as we prep for the season! You can always follow us on Instagram at @thecarameljar to see more behind the scenes at The Caramel Jar!

Until then, a few food pics from our adventure in DC.

We biked, so I ate. Lots. Grits, eggs & crab cakes! YUM!

Recipes :: Creamsicle Cups

2012-08-09T09:00:00.000-04:00

I scream, you scream, we all scream for homemade ice cream! Remember Creamsicles, the popsicle with the glorious ice cream center? These were my favorite as a kid. Citrus outsides, creamy insides, the perfect balance of sweet and tart.

Check our new twist on an old favorite after the jump!
Read more »

Recipes :: Chickpea Burgers

2012-08-08T09:00:00.000-04:00

Hosting a BBQ this weekend? One of the trickiest parts of a barbecue is figuring out what to offer your vegetarian friends. Skip the freezer-burned Boca burgers that stick all over the grill and try our Chick Pea burgers! These little morsels are sure to delight even the non-vegetarians and {bonus} they won't stick to your grill! ;)

These remind me of Falafel on a roll. ;)

More photos and full recipe after the jump.
Read more »

Recipe :: Goat Cheese Puffs

2012-08-06T11:36:00.001-04:00

Looking for an appetizer your guests won't be able to stop eating? Try these delicious mini goat cheese puffs. The pastry and filling are simple to create - something we love! Your friends might think they walked into a fancy catered event after munching on a few of these rich and creamy treats!

Goat cheese puffs - the perfect tea party snack or Bridal shower appetizer!

Recipe and more pics after the jump!
Read more »

Recipes :: Delightful Hamburger Buns

2012-07-12T15:44:00.001-04:00

If you're like me, you're thinking - hmmm beautiful day, empty patio, let's host a BBQ tonight! The perfect buns for your Juicy Lucy, yep - homemade! Read on as I knead my new favorite dough that I discovered from The Kitchn to create these beautiful light and airy hamburger buns! We're confident that your guests will love them! My favorite way to use the extras {if you even have any!}, is bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches the next morning!

Soft and pillowy hamburger buns!

More photos and full recipe after the jump.
Read more »

Recipes :: Juicy Lucy

2012-07-10T11:39:00.000-04:00

Looking to spice up your burgers for your next summer BBQ? Try a Juicy Lucy! These hamburgers have been a family favorite for the past 15 years. Perhaps you've even seen some TV footage on various cooking shows about the famous Minnesota Juicy Lucy's {don't forget, I hail from this town!}. Our legendary Juicy Lucy joints {for those going to MN} would be Matt's Bar and the 5-8 Club.

For those that aren't familiar, the Juicy Lucy is basically a cheeseburger with the cheese on the inside. It melts down, oozes out and keeps the patty moist! My family's favorite version has a few pickled jalepeno slices and cream cheese in the middle - creating the perfect spicy burger!

Full recipe and a few how-to photos after the jump!
Read more »

On The Road Again...Silver Springs, MD

2012-07-09T08:49:00.000-04:00

You may recall from last summer, my husband and I drove from PA to MN to see family. Yep, we're road trippers. We love it. Trapped in the car together, no where to run. It's like heaven to us! Seriously!

This summer, my husband is on the road with his job - so we had to rent a little sublet in a town outside of DC. Silver Springs, MD to be exact! Lots of time in the car for us, but so many adventures to be had!

Take a peek at our first weekend...

Sunset on the Susquehanna River - near Harrisburg, PA

We rode 40 miles this weekend, with a goal of 100 by the end of August

Husband on the road during our 7am ride. Thank goodness it was shady!

We went to our old favorite Indian Restaurant {Heritage India} on Wisconsin Ave. Still AMAZING!

Until next time,

Your traveling Caramel Girl

Recipes :: Best Blueberry Muffins

2012-06-20T11:46:00.000-04:00

I took a minute this week and recreated these amazing muffins {pssst...this is an updated post from 2011} after finding a heap of beautiful blueberries at our local market. Blueberries are in season across the eastern US - so head out, grab some at your market, pick your own or perhaps you rob your blueberry bush outside your front door {hehe} to create these memorable treats.

Slightly crunch tops on these delicious blueberry muffins will have you indulging in more than one!

Blueberry muffins...I know, seems simple right? And this recipe is simple, but I think they are by far, the best blueberry muffins I've ever had! The flavors of the buttermilk and blueberries together is light, yet creamy and makes a great "wake-up" treat!

The thing that makes these so delicious for me, is the delicate nature of these muffins! I'm used to dense, overly sweet, and super greasy muffins and these are so soft with the crunchy sugary top, moist on the inside and oh so delicious. You can't have just one...Seriously...More pics and full recipe after the jump!
Read more »