A sweet ending to a good day

Lately I've been concentrating on painting for my upcoming show at Gallery9 (this Friday coming!) but today was sort of a day off. Instead of working outside or in my studio, Tim and I worked on the yard: edging the driveway, mowing the lawn, removing much of the garden, etc. It was a productive day outside and that's always fun.

Caramel crackers with walnuts and sea salt. Yum. 

We've recently altered our diets in my household, focusing on fresh food concentrating on increasing our vegetable intake. It's paying off. Our Lucy, 4, and Pippa, 2, aren't complaining and that feels like we're being good parents. I know I feel better, too.

All that said, we do have indiscretions, of course. Take tonight, for instance. Tim took Pippa to the grocery store and I cleaned up. I had a hankering for a sweet end to mealtime so Lucy and I got to work on my little made up dessert creation.

Making this treat got me thinking about how I used to usher in October with a small fete where my brother, sister-in-law (although she was just a girlfriend then), my parents, and anyone else invited to attend that year would make peanut brittle, caramel popcorn, carve a pumpkin, and watch "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow." Fun times. Can't wait until the girls are older and we can start up October with some such tradition.  This dessert is an adaptation of the caramel popcorn because we didn't have any popcorn on hand.

Caramel Crackers

Saltines - 12-18 or so
Granulated Sugar
Sea Salt
Light Cream/Butter or both
Walnuts

Arrange saltines on a sheet of aluminum foil. In a frying pan, add around 1/2 cup of sugar to around 1/4 cup of water and cook on medium until the sugar melts and the water evaporates. There'll be a great amount of bubbling sugar goodness. Watch the pan until the sugar starts to turn brown. (Once it starts it goes fast fast!)
When brown, remove from heat, add a splash of light cream or a pat of butter (or be decadent and add both!). The mixture is SUPER HOT and will bubble, so take care with this step. Stir and spoon onto the saltines, being as generous as your amount of crackers allows. Before set, sprinkle with scant amount of finely grated sea salt and some walnuts if desired. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading!
kmw