Half Way Stop.

Half way though something can either have a positive or a negative effect on one self. It how one deals with it.

Oh my  there a lot going samhain sirens...But today drawing is by Elegantly Enchanting and she offering Athame. One can see it just not athame.

 

But one thing in many fancy my liking is a purse charm....Confession time...never heard or thought of this before.

I'm a fan of cooking, chocolate, and caramel. So in my book this recipe offer it all.

Pecan - Caramel Spiders

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups toasted pecans

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, in pieces

1/4 teaspoon salt

5 ounces thin black licorice strands, cut into 2-inch pieces

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

4 ounces milk chocolate, chopped

Chocolate curls or jimmies, optional

Directions

Line 2 baking sheets with waxed paper and lightly spray with nonstick spray. Mound 30 small clusters of pecans, about 3 or 4 pecans each, spaced a couple inches apart on the pan.

Make caramel: Warm the cream over low heat and keep warm while you cook the sugar.

Put the sugar and corn syrup and in a deep, heavy-bottomed large saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves. Stop stirring, raise heat to medium-high, and simmer until the sugar reaches the hard crack stage, or 305 degrees F on a candy thermometer, about 7 minutes.

Whisk the butter and salt into the sugar mixture. Gradually pour in the cream and vanilla taking care since the mixture will bubble up. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar reaches soft ball stage, 240 degrees F on the thermometer, about 5 minutes more. Immediately remove from the heat and cool for a minute.

Ladle a couple tablespoons of warm caramel over some of the nut clusters, to make the spider bodies. Then press 6 pieces of licorice into the warm caramel to make the legs. Repeat with the remaining caramel and licorice. (It's helpful to have an extra hand here, since the caramel can set quickly. If caramel hardens, warm over very low heat. ) Let spiders cool 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, put the chocolates in a medium heatproof bowl. Bring a saucepan filled with 1-inch or so of water to a very slow simmer; set the bowl over, but not touching, the water. Stir the chocolate occasionally until melted and smooth. (Alternatively, put the chocolate in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Melt at 50 percent power in the microwave until soft, about 1 minute. Stir, and continue heat until completely melted, 2 to 3 minutes more.)

Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melted chocolate on top of each spider. Sprinkle with jimmies or chocolate curls, if desired. Let cool until firm.

If you haven't click on the first link above...A lot more is being offered.

Confession time...I sure was having some major anxiety about going to work. This morning I was planning to head out to Joel and Candy.

Had my legs wrap and thin cardboard wrap into it. The little shithead dog Jay-Jay likes to nip and every so often he breaks the skin.

It looks like I have 3 days to do out there. End of October is my last day. I'm driving about 40 miles one way.

Not sure when Alice and Nicole is giving it up out there. It's a little closer drive for Alice but Nicole she has to drive farther them I do.

 

I got all my bulbs now planted in my royal sunshine flowerbed. Today I finish planted some fuzz like grape hyacinth and grape hyacinth but there called banana...yellow in color.

But I'm sharing my bulbs what I didn't get planted to my relatives in Spokane area. I'll let them figure how they want to divide them up.

I know Bart build a box for a garden it looks like it an 8X8 plot.

Well I'm well over half way done with the four ornaments I start. Three of them I even back washed or antiqued. Just waiting for the oil base to dry which I use for the back wash effected. So those three can be sealed.

I do have a Scottie dog in that bunch which only I have his fur painted a dark brown.

Well some things I don't even have half way done, then something I'm pretty much right at the half way point. But yes I do have things all the way done....Coffee is on.