I was so thrilled to once again partner with Lenox who has the most perfect tabletop pieces for Halloween including the Valencia all purpose glasses, Contempo dinner plates, Vintage Halloween dessert plates, Colebrook flatware and pumpkin salt and pepper shakers. I repurposed this Etsy burlap runner from years past and filled my Julia Knight Florentine bowl with faux pumpkins and added a pepper plant and black bird for an extra pop of fun.

 

 

Caramel Apple Nachos

Ingredients

30 large marshmallows (I substituted these with white chocolate)

5 Tbsp butter

1 bag caramel bits

1 tbsp water

4-5 apples (sliced)

Toppings (mini chocolate chips, sprinkles, peanuts)

Instructions

In a saucepan, melt the marshmallows and butter over low heat. Stir periodically until completely melted. If you choose to use white chocolate chips instead, combine chips and a bit of olive oil in a bowl and microwave until melted.

Combine the caramels and water in a bowl and microwave until melted (I microwaved in 30 second intervals, stirring in between until caramel smoothed – it will bubble if it gets too hot)

Arrange the sliced apples on a plate and pour the caramel and marshmallow mixtures over them.

Add toppings of choice and serve immediately.

 

 

Sprinkle Cookies

(inspired by Shop Sweet Lulu)

Ingredients

Wafer cookies

Sprinkles

White Chocolate Chips

Instructions

In a bowl, microwave white chocolate chips with a bit of olive oil.

Cover the ends of your wafer cookies in the melted chocolate.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Add sprinkles.

Storing in refrigerator will harden the chocolate faster than leaving out.

 

 

Mini Rice Krispy Treat Ghosts + Mummies

Ingredients

Rice Krispy Treats

Frosting

Mini Chocolate Chips

Instructions

Apply frosting to Rice Krispy Treat.

Decorate with additional colors to create ghosts, using mini chocolate chips as eyes, or using decorative frosting create mummies, again using mini chocolate chips as eyes.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and store in fridge until hardened.

Serve and enjoy.

The post Halloween Treats + Tabletop Styling first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

For whatever reason, we can’t seem to eat our bananas fast enough, half the bunch always ends up going ripe. As an alternative to freezing them as banana pops, making banana pancakes, or the ever popular banana bread, we’ve made chocolate chip banana bars. Filling the house with sweet smells and having a yummy snack within an arms reach is reason enough to head to the kitchen and bake.

Ingredients (for ~24 bars)

Nonstick Vegetable Oil Spray/Cooking Spray

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup milk

2 eggs

1/4 cup milk (we use almond)

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 bananas (very ripe)

1 cup chocolate chips (Optional, though we always encourage a heavy pour on the chocolate chips. Unfortunately, we were running low on chips at this point, so our bars will include less than typically desired)

Instructions

Heat the oven to 350 degrees

Prep your baking pan with nonstick spray

Peel bananas and mash well

Stir in sugar, oil, milk and eggs. Once combined, fold in half the chocolate chips.

Spread batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle in remaining chips.

Bake for ~18 minutes and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.

Allow bars to cool and cut into squares.

The post Chocolate Chip Banana Bars first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

When we arrived at the orchard, I was thrilled to discover the amount of pick your own options they had available to us on the farm. We strolled through beautiful sunflower fields and ran around picking green beans, snap peas, tomatoes, blueberries and blackberries.

When our containers were full Wes spent some time playing on their fantastic playground. It’s seriously one of the greatest playgrounds I’ve been to, equipped with wooden structures created as ships and castles. It’s a special place kids can let loose and let their imaginations run free (plus its fenced in which is always a must).

I implemented the same tips from strawberry picking to ensure Wes was happy upon arrival and during our visit at Seven Ponds Orchard, although, I could not avoid the meltdown that quickly followed after it was time to leave the playground and head home for naptime. 

The post Blueberry Picking With Children first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

We collected quite a few and decided to use the remaining berries we did not eat right away to make a simple, three ingredient strawberry jam.

Three ingredient strawberry jam.

Recipe via Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 quart hulled strawberries

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Instructions

Coarsely chop strawberries

Transfer to large skillet and stir in sugar and lemon juice

Cook over medium/high, stirring frequently. Jam should thicken and bubbles will form on the surface. This should take about 10 minutes.

Transfer jam to a jar, allow to cool.

Seal jar, store and refrigerate up to 10 days.

The post Homemade Strawberry Jam first appeared on Lindsey Boova.

A few weeks ago, I took Wesleigh strawberry picking at Jones Family Farm, a 400 acre farm in Shelton, CT. Wes had a blast picking the berries, eating the berries, carrying her basket through the field and proudly showing me her stash. Since we collected quite a few baskets of berries, we were able to enjoy many fresh and decided to use the remaining berries to make strawberry jam.

A few tips to make the trip a success:

Make sure your child is in sneakers or closed toe shoes. Lots of berries get dropped on the ground and there is no sense ruining nice shoes, plus it will be a lot easier for your child to roam the fields in comfortable and supportive shoes.

Wear a hat, sunglasses and load up on sunscreen. Wes and I were out in the strawberry fields for a few hours where there is no shade so be prepared for lots of sunlight.

Pack water and wipes. As I mentioned, there is no shade and if you hit the fields on a warm day, you and your child will want extra water on hand. If your child is anything like mine, she will spend a lot of time eating the berries and strawberry juice will be dripping down her shirt. Wet wipes will come in very handy for these sticky moments.

Time your trip accordingly. To avoid any crankiness or meltdowns during our visit to Jones, I intentionally took Wesleigh to the farm first thing in the morning. Knowing we would spend a few hours in the fields and the farm was a bit of a drive away from home, I planned our timing so that we would hit the road after a hearty breakfast, enjoy the fields and then nap in the car during the ride home.

Fortunately, we enjoyed a gorgeous day in the fields and I look forward to making this an annual tradition. 

The post Strawberry Picking With Children first appeared on Lindsey Boova.