All Hallow's Eve {Part I}

All autumn I've been dying to make some bright red candied apples. Partially in tribute to my love of pretty sweets and partially in the spirit of making the most of having our very own kitchen (after two years of dormitory life). I coerced my roommate Nikki into spending a good portion of Halloween afternoon stirring what could have been a cauldron - given the sinister appearance of it's bubbling red contents. We used Martha's recipe, Gala apples, and prunings from the plum tree back at home as sticks. I'd never quite tasted a candied apple, or made one for that matter, and we also didn't have a candy thermometer, which I'm told is key. Miraculously they turned out well until it came time to clean up and we realized the rapidly hardening candy mixture had transformed our pot, spoon and cookie sheet into a sculptural work of modern art. I'm pleased to report that after a little boiling water, all was fully resolved - or, more accurately, dissolved.

Snapshots: {Top} Apples on a vintage plate - found while thrifting along the coast last summer. {Middle} Apples on the "farmhouse kitchen table" - purchased second hand refinished over the summer. {Bottom} Red, shiny, sugary, deliciousness.