Friday, November 4, 2011

Culinary Smackdown - Supplemental

While I was preparing my Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup entry for the October Culinary Smackdown,  I multi-tasked a couple of other things.  Around Halloween, the Mrs likes to have candied apples.  Not caramel apples, not chocolate covered apples, but basic, red candied apples - with no nuts. 


These are getting harder and harder to find in stores.  So while I was roasting the squash, I had time to make candied apples.  I bought one of those kits where you add a shitload of sugar and water, bring it to a boil...


...then dip.





What a runny mess these turned in to.  Over the next couple of days, the candy slowly slid off.  I'm not even sure if the Mrs ate one, but she did thank me (which is a rarity).

After I took the squash out of the oven, and in an effort to be energy efficient, I made some Pillsbury Pumpkin Sugar Cookies.   The Pudge and I were all over those.

24 comments:

chickory said...

what a sticky mess. I like caramel apples with nuts but no matter what the apples are coated in they are difficult to eat. I think a cool way to enjoy the flavors is a parfait like dessert of layers: apples, caramels, nuts, repeat.

Jenny said...

I watched a show on the Food Network about a company that makes these super coated candied apples and I thought "what's wrong with caramel?". Sorry you had a sticky mess, but if you make the Mrs. Happy then isn't your job done?

fishy said...

Hey Buzz ..... do you have a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory in your region? They make the best, the very best, apples.... candied, carameled,nutty, combos and on your choice of apple species.

But .... not sure they are made with love or with chasers of pumpkin cookies. Good thing Mrs. Buzz said thanks or your blog babes would maybe have a new kind of smack down.

Karl said...

Good afternoon Buzz Kill,

It's the thought that counts. She appreciated your efforts.

Pillsbury? A chef of your capability and you couldn't whip these cookies up from scratch? You're feeding the corporate monster. What kind of a lesson does this teach Pudge?

You enjoy your weekend.

Sharon Rudd said...

Ah, hah! I remember you commenting that the Mrs likes candied apples. An A for effort, Buzz, and glad she thanked you.

Thanks again for participating in the Smackdown. Can't wait to find out what Boxer has up her sleeve for the next one. But content to wait until January to find out :)

Can you believe how close Thanksgiving is? Are you cooking?

moi said...

Heh to Fishy. And most of your blog babes are armed, to boot.

I prefer caramel apples, since I could never suss out just what, exactly, that candied flavor was (plus, I'll walk miles for anything coated in, containing, or made out of caramel). It always tasted mostly like a generic coating of crackled sugar. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

Aunty Belle said...

@ Fishy

Howl!!!

BuzzzK, I'se a repeat--at least the Mrs did appreciate yore efforts--sometimes it's the look of it--Uncle doan eat 'em, but less there be candy corn in a candy jar, he doan think Halloween can come. Same wif' that ribbon candy stuff at Christmas--he jes' likes to look at it, it yells "HO HO HO!" to him. But he doan eat it--it gits all cummy by February an I has to scrape it out of the jar. But--the man be happy.

Nevermind Karl, he means well, but onc't in awhile, store boughten is OK.


I'se been in a tunnel or somethin'--Boxer won the smackdown? OKaaaay, this will be fun!

Aunty Belle said...

ooops--thas' Gummy.

Buzz Kill said...

All
Sorry I haven't posted in a while. I've been both busy - and sick. I thought I was coming down with pneumonia again, but it turns out it's only bronchitis (woohoo). So it looks like I'll be able to cook for Thanksgiving this year.

Chicky
I like caramel apples too. You can get those dips and just slice up apple wedges for dipping. I can eat that all day.

Boxer
My job is NEVER done. And that's all I have to say about that.

Fishy
I've never heard of Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I checked and they are in NJ, just not in my area code. The Mrs will just have to settle for what I can provide. I have blog babes - nice.

Karl
I made the cookies because the Mrs bought them. I'm not much of a scratch baker anyway.

IE
I am cooking this year but for a much smaller crowd. For reasons I won't go into here, I'm down to around 15 (from 31 last year). It'll make my life easier.

Moi
I'm a caramel fan too. I love Goetze Caramel Creams. I looked up some scratch candied apple recipes and a lot of them called for red hots candy. I knew the Mrs wouldn't go for spicy, so I went with the packaged mix. There's a LOT of sugar in there.

Aunty

I like the ribbon candy too. Boxer did win and will hostess in January. Can't wait to see what the theme will be.

Karl said...

Ah heck, I was just trying to get a rise out of you. Get it "rise" like in dough.

Aunty Belle said...

ick! Sorry youse low sick--suck on some of them vitamin C candies? 'Course iffin' it's bronchitis or pneumonia I'se know to put some ionized silver in a vaporizer an' nebulize mahself.

Kiddin' aside, hope ya' feel up to snuff soon.

Jenny said...

Dude. Where have you been?

Karl said...

Good evening Buzz Kill,

Happy Thanksgiving to you and the family.

moi said...

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours! Hope you get to enjoy it and also report back in a Buzz-ey Blog Post!

Bali Maze said...

Happy thanksgiving from here in Bali

Milk River Madman said...

Really BK? I come to check you out and it's a post from a month ago?

Aunty Belle said...

BuzzK--

Sugar, now, youse got me worriet--whar'sya been? Pls ck in an' tell us'uns if youse sick, sick of blogging, run off wif' a french maid, join the Foreign Legion....hopin' to hear from ya soon.

Sharon Rudd said...

Hey, Buzz, just stopped by to let you know we're all hoping you're ok and to let you know Boxer has announced the January Smackdown: http://boxeranonymous.blogspot.com/2011/12/culinary-smackdown-announcement.html

Take care,
eggy

Aunty Belle said...

Wishin' All the Buzzk's a very blessed Christmas!

Jenny said...

:-(

LaDivaCucina said...

Hey Buzz! I think you and I are on par with "busy-ness" and lack of time to write our blogs! You are missed but you'll be happy to know that I am busier than ever with La Diva Cucina! Business trumps blog again!

Wishing you and your lovely family a wonderful Christmas holiday full of good food, good company and good cheer! All the best for a fabulous 2012!

xo

chickory said...

Merry Christmas!!!! D'oh!

Aunty Belle said...

Buzz, it's weird wif'out ya'--our rims is out of round or somethin'.

Jes' a note to wish ya a blessed Christmas season an' a happy New Year!

Jenny said...

Happy New Year to you and the entire BuzzKill Family. Looking forward to your return in 2012.