Category: All Things Sweet

Decorating for Halloween is less fun than it used to be! It has always been the first of the fall festivities that I have always enjoyed! I grew up next door to my cousins, Greg and Melissa. Most of the time, we went trick-or-treating together. And, usually, only to our grandparents and our aunts and uncles’ houses. And even though Halloween in Georgia is still warm, and we were sweating, dressed in cheap vinyl costumes with masks with holes and slits barely big enough to see and breathe through, we were having the time of our lives!

Then I became a parent, and oh, what fun I had dressing my kids up! Can you relate when I say I took something I loved and made it up into so much more? I decorated and had Halloween parties with hay rides, bobbing for apples, and bonfires. And, rather than cheap vinyl costumes, my kids had cute homemade costumes. I would spend weeks shopping and planning.

That is until the year I talked Savannah into being a snowman! She was in the second grade when I decided a snowman would be too cute! I bought the white sweatshirt and sweatpants, a top hat, and everything I needed to accomplish the look. I thought she was precious, but she did not! She hated the carrot nose most of all. But she also didn’t like the pipe or the hat, and it just happened to be one of the hottest Halloween nights in years. By the time we walked the neighborhood and returned home, we were all miserable, and I had learned a lesson. That the kids were much cuter when they were happy, too!

Now that we have grown children and no longer live in a neighborhood, Halloween is just another day. Traditions change whether we like it or not.

Occasionally, I still find myself in the kitchen making the treats I made for years. Pecan brittle is a candy that I associate with fall and Halloween. Caramel corn has always been a favorite, but I tried something different this year.

I call this Caramel Halloween Munch. It’s slightly different from the caramel corn as it’s made with Bugles and Chex cereal. I decided to add Chester’s Puff Corn as an experiment. I’m so glad I did! Added to this mixture, they remind me of Buc-ee’s Beaver Nuggets.

The Caramel Halloween Munch is sweet, crunchy, and delicious! For festive fun, I added some candy corn and Reece’s Pieces to the cooled mixture. This is sure to be a hit at your next fall party!

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Caramel Halloween Munch

Course Snack

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

• 4 cups Bugles
• 2 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 3 cups Chester's Puff Corn
• 1 cup tiny pretzel twists optional
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3 tablespoons light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375℉. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
• To the pan, add Bugles, cereal, puff corn and pretzels, set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, combine brown sugar, butter and corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture comes to a full boil. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.
• Pour the syrup over the Bugle mixture and using two wooden spoons, toss to coat all of the pieces well.
• Bake for 12 to15 minutes, stirring every 4 to 5 minutes. Watch very closely, it can burn fast!

I am a big music fan! I love different genres, mostly rock, blues, and contemporary Christian. As of late, I am listening to The Wheels On The Bus, Baby Shark, and E-I-E-I-O on repeat! (I’m having fun with that, though!)
I also enjoy learning about the artists. I often watch some of my favorite bands’ old concerts on television, and if there is a documentary, I am sure to have it recorded.

I grew up listening to country music. There was even a music park in my hometown. As a child, my aunt and uncle were partners in the operation, so I saw several legends in concerts. Of course, I was too young to appreciate most of them! I vaguely remember a few, like Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, and George Jones. I even remember Jerry Lee Lewis not showing up one night. But one of the most memorable concerts I ever went to at the Lanierland Country Music Park was Jimmy Buffett!

I was a teenager by then, but that is a concert I will never forget! I felt cool in that little country music park for the first time! Some of the genre lines are blurred these days. What was once rock is now country, and so on. I’m unsure where Jimmy’s music fits on the spectrum these days. But he was not considered a country singer back then! I knew a few of his songs that night but discovered most of his music later. I had never been allowed to go to pop or rock concerts, so my love for music genres other than country began that night! I watched in awe as parrot heads danced and sang with their hands in the air. For the first time, I realized how music made people feel.

I have played my JB playlist more over the past few weeks. His recent passing saddened me, and I have reflected on what that concert meant.

Today’s recipe has nothing to do with Jimmy Buffett. I wanted to share my story to honor Jimmy Buffett in my way. Today’s recipe is for a Cane Syrup Skillet Cake with Buttermilk Whipped Cream. If the cake doesn’t grab your attention, the buttermilk whipped cream should!

I grew up eating cane syrup. I do not have it often as an adult, but when I do, it tastes just as good as it ever did! My grandmother’s syrup-sweet bread was legendary in our family. By the time I came along, she no longer made it, but family members who had it still talk about it, and the recipe is included in the new family cookbook that we are working on. The buttermilk whipped cream that tops this cake piqued my curiosity.

Cane syrup screams autumn, just like apples and pumpkins. I have seen it made a couple of times. Once at Cades Cove, just outside of Gatlinburg, and at a festival at a nearby state park.

This recipe comes together fast and makes an easy weeknight treat! We keep cane syrup on hand, so all of these items were pantry items for me. I’m not fond of straight buttermilk but I love its tanginess in different foods. The cake was delicious and moist, and the whipped cream tasted sweet and tangy.

This cake makes a delicious dessert and would be a great recipe to remember for the holidays. This cake would also make a great for breakfast or brunch.

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Cane Syrup Skillet Cake with Buttermilk Whipped Cream

Course Dessert

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

CAKE

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 3/4 cups cane syrup divided
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

BUTTERMILK WHIPPED CREAM

• 3/4 cup cold heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup cold whole buttermilk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sugar

Instructions

CAKE

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet with baking spray with flour.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves and nutmeg.
• In another large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups cane syrup, oil and egg until well combined.
• In a small bowl, whisk together 1 cup boiling water and baking soda.
• Gradually add flour mixture to cane syrup mixture alternately with baking soda mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, stirring until just combined after each addition. Pour batter into prepared skillet.
• Bake until golden brown and a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes.
• Using a wooden pick, poke holes all over warm cake. Slowly pour 2 tablespoons cane syrup over cake. Let cool completely. Top slice of cake with Buttermilk Whipped Cream and drizzle with cane syrup. Serve.

BUTTERMILK WHIPPED CREAM

• In the bowl of stand mixer fitted with whisk attachment, beat cold cream, cold buttermilk, vanilla and salt at medium-high speed until frothy. Reduce mixer speed to medium, and add sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until soft peaks form. Use immediately.

My family has requested homemade ice cream several times lately. With the hottest summer days upon us, it’s a nice treat! The line at Dairy Queen is even a bit longer these days.

You are missing a treat if you have never made homemade ice cream. Until a few years ago, my mom, uncle, aunt, and their families would still often gather to make homemade ice cream. Over the years, I can remember several homemade flavors, such as butter pecan, Milky Way, and banana. My family loves peach ice cream, and I love to make them happy. However, I have not been able to taste peaches since I had covid a few years ago. So, vanilla is the flavor that will please all of us.

I like to have hot fudge and caramel topping for those wanting to add something. And if it’s homemade ice cream, only homemade toppings will do!

They are both simple to make, although the caramel requires more attention. Below are a few tips for caramel sauce, but please, do not let them stop you from trying it. It is worth the extra attention!

Tips for making homemade caramel sauce:
1. Have your ingredients measured and near the stove before you start.
2. Use a much larger pot than you think you need. When you add the cream and the vanilla, your mixture will bubble up violently.
3. Cook your caramel in a good quality, heavy pot.
4. Do not stir the mixture. The sugar will melt rather quickly. After it melts, you can swirl the pan gently as it boils.
5. Don’t leave the pan. Your caramel can go from the perfect medium amber color to burnt caramel in a few.

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Salted Caramel Sauce

Author Amye Melton

Ingredients

• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Instructions

• Add sugar and water to a medium to large saucepan, do not stir.
• Heat over low heat until the sugar melts.Increase the heat to medium-high and allow the mixture to boil for 5 to 10 minutes, gently swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture turns a medium amber caramel color.
• At this point turn the heat to low and remove the pan from the burner.Slowly add the cream, vanilla, and Fleur de Sel and stand back. The mixture will bubble.
• Return the saucepan to the burner and whisk the mixture until smooth. Continue to cook over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes.
• Pour into a heat proof container and allow to cool at room temperature for several hours. The caramel will thicken as it cools.