Caramel Sauce

If I'm being completely honest, I've always had a biased opinion concerning caramel. I envision those gross hard-as-a-rock candies that people give you in gift bags. They're nasty. They're old. They're not anything I'm interested in making or eating.

Turns out you just have to wait for the right caramel to come along.

I have to admit that I've been holding out on sharing this recipe with you all for awhile. It's almost like I needed to keep it hidden in my heart; my own special miracle. But I decided it was against the Christmas spirit, and I am so for the Christmas spirit.

Fa-lah-lah-lah-lah....lah-lah, lah, laaaaaaaaaaaah.

So don't make me regret giving this to you, because it's insane. And incredible. And flawless. And I can drink it like soup. But please don't tell my health-nut husband that. He'll judge my lack of will power.

Ingredients:

• 4 tablespoons of butter
• 1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 tablespoon of salt

Directions:

• This is going to be easy. Throw it all in a pot on the stove. Turn the heat on medium low (about a 6-scale). Whisk gently until ingredients are melted and combined (about 10 minutes if the butter was cold, or you can shred the butter to moves things along a little quicker).
• Transfer the caramel to a sealable container and put it in the fridge to cool.
• Stir well and top anything and everything with it. And lick the spoon a few times. Life is short, after all.

Honestly, this is so good that I've considered making large batches, filling up mason jars with it and giving them away as Christmas gifts to friends. Anyone would love this. Anyone.

Love and my best kept secret,

Rachael

November Giveaway

I am so in love with November. See, I got married in November. November is also the bearer of Thanksgiving, whose job is to essentially roll out the red carpet for Christmas. And we all know how obsessed I am with Christmas.

Speaking of obsessions, I am minorly obsessed with these personalized tumblers. Our dear family friend, Inger Luff, sells these amazing cups and personalizes them however you'd like. Posted above are a few examples, but don't limit Inger. This lady knows her stuff. She's that woman who you secretly envy because she's so fabulous and crafty and talented.

So as a "thank you" to the month of November-and as a little "I love ya'" to all of you readers out there-we're going to give one of these fabulous tumblers away. For free. As in nothing. Not even shipping. I actually own two of these in different designs, and wherever I am, they are. Kinda' like Ruth and Naomi (read your Bible, kids).

Inger's cups are $10 plus shipping, which I can just about promise is less expensive than you'll find in any of these boutiques. So I have to throw in there, this is a perfect Christmas gift for teachers, bosses and friends. Just sayin'. This one's on the house, though.

Okay, so here's the question I need you to answer in the comments section:

Seriously...when do you put up your Christmas tree?

I ask because mine has been up for over a week and I'm looking to absolve the weird guilt that plagues me over this. So make me feel good and maybe say that yours has been up since Halloween. The deadline is Friday, December 2, at midnight. The winner will be chosen randomly.

Good luck!

Love and cups,
Rachael