* Diary of a Sweet Little Blonde *: pumpkin

Promised you all this recipe last week,

so here it is....

Spiced Pumpkin Brittle

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of pumpkin seeds, plus a handful more for dipping

1/2 cup of water

1/2 cup of light corn syrup

1 cup of granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon of unsalted butter

1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon of ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon of ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

1 1/2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. First, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat in a pan. Keep the seeds moving so they don’t burn and stop toasting once they start to tan and you can smell the toasted seeds.

2. Prepare a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silpat. In a medium saucepan clipped with a candy thermometer (make sure it doesn’t touch the bottom of the pan), heat water, sugar and corn syrup over medium high heat stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until it starts to boil. Stop stirring and let the mixture boil until it reaches 285 degrees. You may have to turn the heat up to high if the temperature isn’t increasing.

3.Stir in the pumpkin seeds and continually stir the mixture so it doesn’t stick to the bottom until the temperature reaches 300 degrees. Remove from the heat and stir in all the spices, vanilla extract, baking soda and butter, just until combined. The baking soda will cause it to bubble up a bit, but that’s normal.

4. Working quickly, pour the mixture over the baking sheet and using the back of a wooden spoon spread across the sheet evenly. Allow the brittle to harden completely at room temperature, or if you’re in a rush, pop it in the refrigerator for about a half hour or until completely hardened.

5. Break the brittle into random irregular shapes.

6. Temper the chocolate chips to dip the brittle into.

7. Finely chop a large handful of raw pumpkin seeds and place on a dish. After dipping the brittle in the chocolate, dip the ends in the raw pumpkin seeds and sprinkle with some sea salt.

8. To package them for gifts, place them in a box lined with parchment paper. Place a sheet of parchment between each brittle to ensure they don’t stick together.

Let me know if you guys have any questions

--its a fairly easy recipe just make sure you

get the corn syrup, sugar, water to the proper temperature

or it won't get to that crack candy state

and you will have taffy instead of brittle!

xo,

Rach

Recipe from Honestly Yum.

Hi!

I've missed you all. :)

Where have I been?

Where have youuuu been?

I've been way too consumed with work,

you all know those kinds of months.

You blink and the month is gone.

Anyways, I've been running

and traveling (I'm currently Live! from San Francisco)

and painting ( upcoming post)

and checking things off my bucket list

left and right.

I am going to be really dedicating some time

this November to blogging and sharing

some creative, inspiring, and wonderful things with you all.

So I hope you'll come back,

check-in and visit in the upcoming month.

In the meantime, I have some fun items

to share with you for my October Favorites list.

If you're new to my blog,

these are just items I fancy -

things I've recently purchased, and/or

seasonal items I'm loving this time of year.

Take a peek and feel free to leave your

own favorites in the comments.

If you like something, you can click on the items

to find out where to purchase them.

Clockwise:

1. Tis the seasons for pumpkins. I love this fabric covered pumpkin, which would look cute on a coffee table, next to a lamp, or on an office desk. The colors work wonderfully in my home, but given the fact they are so neutral- this decor can really work anywhere! You can find similar ones at Marshalls, T.J Maxx, or HomeGoods.

2. This adorable little sign is a must have for this time of year. Or if you're my mom, you have one that reads "A Happy Witch Lives Here!". These signs are a nice way to warn trick or treaters, you know - just so they're aware what they'll be dealing with when they knock on the door! ;)

3. I am obsessed with the plates at Anthropologie - and anyone who knows me knows how much entertaining I love to do! New plates are always necessary. These colorful bird small plates are great for serving salad, appetizers, or cheese (for a wine soiree) or scones (for a tea gathering!).

4. Its breast cancer awareness month, and so with it - we must celebrate with pink! I love the color of this coffee travel mug, and the message. I have a few ceramic travel mugs which are great for traveling with coffee and tea during the cool fall and winter months, but I may be adding this one to the collection. :)

5. Umm, hello cold front. This week its down in the 30's and 40's in New York and I can't stand having cold hands. Whip out a fabulous pair of gloves this time of year to battle dealing with numb hands in the morning. I love these little red ones with the bow...just adorable!

6. I bought this coffee from HomeGoods and its delicious. Festive for this time of year, this pumpkin pie flavored coffee will warm you from the inside out.

7. There is nothing better than a big oversized bag. I don't know about you, but I carry my ENTIRE WORLD in my bag and so I need space. This gorgeous black Moschino bag will be your new best friend if you don't travel light (like me!) I mean, what girl does? ;)

8. This mousepad is pretty + functional since it doubles as calendar you can quickly reference dates. Perfect for your home office or to brighten up your desk area at work. The style screams Rachel - but don't ask me. I'm just a sucker for pastel floral.

9. Pumpkin beer, pumpkin beer, and more pumpkin beer. If I could have an IV drip of this stuff, I would. But don't even dream of serving it to me without a cinnamon sugar rim, because thats just a sin. If you haven't had this life changing flavored beer, head to your local pub and try this seasonal fave!

10. Etsy makes great homemade products, so I love this pumpkin exfoliating soap. Its really important to exfoliate this time of year because the skin starts to become dry and pores can get easily clogged. This is the perfect excuse to scrub a dub dub away.

11. I've been traveling a lot and when possible, I like to travel in style. You can't go wrong with this vintage inspired suitcase, which is perfect for quick overnight stays or as a weekender. Too cute.

12. Check out TruEnergy's line of gorgeous earbuds! They are designed for women, come in a variety of styles and colors, and are a must have for the modern, athletic women. Now available at select Targets and at Target.com.

13. I always have these little notebooks available for jotting down ideas for blog posts, recipes, poetry, etc. These Kate Spade notebooks are great to throw in your purse for jotting down things on the go - whether its a to-do list, brainstorming, or even a grocery list.