Warm and cozy!

 As I have said in the past, I love FALL!  One of my favorite treats is Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte!  I always get excited when I know its that time of the year.  I pull up in the drive thru and I hear "can I interest you a pumpkin spiced latte?" I get all warm and tingly inside (lol) and of course, my answer is always a resounding YES! .   So needless to say, I was really excited when I spotted this gem on pinterest.  While browsing  Crock Pot 365 blog, (another passion) I found a recipe for Caramel Apple Cider. As I read through the recipe, I thought to myself, that would be great to serve at the Caramel Apple Soap class next month! But, the best part came at the end of the recipe!  A link to other wonderful copy cat recipes for Starbucks...and guess what?  Yes!  It including my favorite, Pumpkin Spiced Latte!!!  Thank you so much for posting this Stephanie O'Dea!

Starbucks Pumpkin Spiced Latte

Ingredients.

adapted from Taste of Home's Halloween 2008 edition

2 cups milk (I used 1%)
2 T canned pumpkin
2 T white sugar
2 T vanilla (not a typo. it asks for tablespoons)
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
OR: 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp cloves, 1/8 tsp nutmeg, and a teeny tiny pinch of ground ginger
1/2 cup brewed espresso or 3/4 cup strong brewed coffee

garnish with whipped cream (optional)

Directions.

This will make enough for 2 people to have a big mug with a bit leftover. If you are having friends over, adjust the recipe accordingly. I used a 4-quart crockpot, but as small as a 1.5 quart will work with these amounts.

Add the coffee/espresso and milk to the crockpot. Whisk in the pumpkin, spices, sugar, and vanilla.

Cover and cook on high for 2 hours if everything is cold. Whisk again.

Ladle into mugs, and garnish with whipped cream and additional cinnamon. I added a cinnamon stick to be fancy.

And yes, this will be served at the Fall Pumpkin Soap class!

Well as stated earlier, I wanted to server the Caramel Apple Cider at the class we hold.  So here is the recipe for that.

Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients

serves 4, (can easily be multiplied --use a larger cooker though!)

4 cups apple cider

3 tablespoons caramel syrup (the ice cream topping)

1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

4 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream (optional; I leave it off for my kids)

Directions.

Use a 2-quart slow cooker. Mix it all in together---stir, and cook on low for about 4 hours. I like to put it on after I clean up the breakfast dishes and then leave it alone until our after-school snack. I've also made a large pot for Girl Scoutevents and  playdates. The kids really like it, and it's a nice change of pace from hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Leftovers refrigerate and reheat well (in the microwave).

Stephanie added: Now this is sweet---I've modeled it after the stuff they serve at the store. After making it this way a few times, I've successfully cut back on the syrup without my kids (and their friends!) knowing---do what is right for your own family.

Happy Fall Ya'll!

I love fall! It is my favorite time of the year! I enjoy watching the foliage transforming into deep purples, rich gold, burnt orange and fiery reds.  It’s a breath taking experience yet hard to find in Southeastern New Mexico.  The closest place for my family to enjoy this seasonal transition is just a day trip away…. to the Sacramento Mountains.
 One of my favorite stops on the way is Runyan Ranches.  This quaint little place is nestled in the foothills of the Sacramento Mountains, along the Penasco River. Tom and Pam Runyan’s applestand has been in business for over 50 years. It offers a wide variety of gourmet preserves, jellies, fruit butters, fruits, cider and unique snack products. They also offer guided horseback riding, trout fishing, catch and release fishing for catfish and bluegill. Plus a petting zoo filled with different kinds of animals. They whole family can enjoy a day here!  I love, LOVE their apples!  Which brings me to this weeks tutorial!  

Caramel Apple Soaps

Inspired by Anne-Marie

Brambleberry.com and SoapQueen.com

If you haven't checked out soapqueen.tv with Anne-Marie you don't know what you are missing.  She is such a hoot to watch and a wealth of information!  I was excited to see her post this on her own blog but for the sake of going back and forth, I just re-posted it here!  Have fun with this and let me see your pictures when you are done!

Level: Easy  Time: 45 minutes  

Yields: 1 Caramel Apple Soap

Ingredients

8 oz White Melt and Pour

8 oz Clear Melt and Pour

Flexy Fast Trial Size

Liquid Brown Colorant

Liquid Yellow Colorant                                              

Sparkle Gold Mica

Epsom Salt (optional for the sprinkles)

.5 oz Chipotle Caramel Fragrance Oil

Craft Sticks

                                                                            1 Apple

Buyeverything you need in the click of a button (apple and craft sticks notincluded)!

Please note that the quantities below may change depending on the size of the apple you mold with.

Prep: Put on your vinyl gloves and combine Part A and Part B of the single use flexy fast. I love using this size because you’ll always get the proportions correct. Stretch and fold the mixture just like a taffy machine. When your mixture is a soft bubble gum pink color it’s ready to mold.

Tip: Vinyl gloves are important. Plastic or latex gloves will stick to the putty making a gloppy mess. Check out more tips for flexy fast success here.

Molding the Apple: Carefully form the putty around your Apple. Really press the putty into the apple to ensure that you get all of the realistic details and to release any air bubbles. Make sure there are no holes in the putty that the soap could potentially leak through. Leave a really small hole at the top of the apple. We’ll trim the top up later so it doesn’t have to be pretty. While the putty is pliable, you have about a minute to work so work fast. Once fully formed, let the mold dry for about 30 minutes.

Trim the Mold: When the putty seems to be dry, cut off the top of your mold with a craft knife (which will be the base of your apple). Having a clean cut line will prevent tearing when unmolding your apple.

Time to Make the Soap!

ONE: Melt and combine 8 ounces of clear melt and pour soap base and 8 ounces of white melt and pour soap base. This will give us an opaque color without it being too light in color.

TWO: Add colorant and fragrance combination. Mix well.  Then pour the soap into your respective handmade mold and let the soap cool for about an hour. Chipotle Caramel is such a delicious smelling fragrance oil, you’ll really think you’re making caramel apples (no, really).

·         Color Combination: 2 parts Liquid Brown, 1 part Liquid Yellow and 1 Part Gold Sparkle Mica. As you can see in the picture at the bottom of the post, I played with several “caramel” color combinations so have fun with this part and customize your own custom caramel color. Let me know what you like the best!

·         Alternate Fragrance: 2 parts Red Apple to 1 part Caramel Sundae. The combination is soooo yummy!  I made several caramel apples; they were so cute I just couldn’t stop.

THREE: After an hour of cooling time, unmold the soap making sure it’s hard enough to unmold but still a little warm. This is the key to adding the craft stick with ease. It will be a little more difficult if the soap has completely cooled. Then press your craft stick to the top of the soap (where the stem would be on the apple).

FOUR: You should have about a cup of  caramel colored soap left over (give or take depending on the size of your apple). Melt that back down and let it cool to about 140 degrees. Then dip your apple soap into the melted caramel colored soap just like you’re making a real caramel apple.

FOUR: Drips and all, plop the caramel apple on wax or freezer paper and let the soap drip down just the sides like real caramel. And while the soap is still warm add “sprinkles”! We used our Coarse Epsom Salt but Jojoba Beads would be fun too. Let the soaps dry and use a mini spatula to peel the soap away from the wax paper.

 You need some help?  Well, we can help you!!!  Classes are being formed right now! 

                                 Just go to our facebook page to find out date and times.

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Here we are!

Hi and welcome to Making Scents Of It All!  My name is Kaccy and I am the owner of Kaccy's Kandles.   As you can see from our name, our passion is to create with our hands and its always better if it smells good!  We make candles, soaps, lotions, air fresheners, aroma reeds, incenses, facial products, hair care products, scrubs, body butters and well, so on, so on and so on!

I want this to be a place to create, share, laugh and just be yourself!  We are all created in God's image and we are all unique individuals!  Just to let you know, Jesus loves you but I am His favorite :-)

We are working on classes in the Eddy New Mexico area and hope to have them posted soon!  You can visit us at www.kaccyskandles.com or like us on facebook at www.facebook.com/kaccyskandles!

Grace to you!