Gotta LOVE Salted Caramels

New product I will be adding to my Urban Hobo line…”Salted Caramels”. Yum Yum! I have to tell you….this was NOT an easy task for me. Being new to candy-making…I was trying to master the “soft ball and hard ball” stages. Like I said… not an easy task.

First time I made it, was too hard. However, Juan (my master taste tester) LOVED them. Reminded him of a See’s Sucker…I wanted them to be soft and chewy, not hard that would break your teeth. I tried a second time and was so nervous about the candy getting to hard I took it off the heat too soon and now way too soft. (I know it sounds like Goldilocks and the Three Bears) Again, Juan loved the texture and taste with the bit of sea salt it really topped it off.

I tried again and again… a little nervous as my candy thermometer I began to have no faith in and started doing it more traditional or old school….getting a small dish of water and testing for hardness of mixture.

It was better; however still not keeping a form (cut into small squares) so it needed to go longer. HOWEVER, Juan did come up with a great idea…”Dipping Sauce”

Of course we tried it by reheating the mixture and slicing some apples and dipped into the warm caramel goodness. You know what??? It was awesome. A great sauce to heat up fondue style or top your favorite ice cream dessert.

Alas, SUCCESS! I got the soft ball stage perfect AND I was able to cut into squares and wrap with wax paper. They look great, kinda “old school” style candy.


My "friends" like it


So now…I will have caramel suckers, caramel chews and delectable sauce ready to order in the very near future. I’m so excited to have mastered the caramel chews as I hate to lose at something …. And each day I would gather the ingredients and explain to Juan that “This is it!...I am getting it today” Well, I attempted many times and FINALLY won! 

 To be continued…

Happy Valentine’s Day

Wow! It seems like yesterday I was putting up a Christmas tree! (I know I know time flies for me)
Now we have red and pink hearts decorating windows and storefronts…cookies, cupcakes and chocolate with “I Love You”, “Be Mine” or “Run Away with Me”.

For me…Valentine’s Day isn’t about the one day a year….it is about the other 364 days…. a reminder how lucky I am to have Juan in my life!

He is my best friend and I married him…of course if you ask him, he would say that I would have had a much L-O-N-G-E-R engagement and I should’ve said yes sooner etc. (wink wink smiley face)

Juan doesn’t have to worry about spending the outrageous cost for flowers or buy me another sparkly diamond…I really never was into that. A homemade card or dinner made at home is perfect for me.

Taking the time to do something special for your loved one can make up for any pricey gift or flowers.
So today I wish you and yours a wonderful Valentine’s Day and I hope it’s special. Especially if you live in a cozy 900 square foot home.

The Calm Before the Storm

Well....the weekend before Valentine'Day and Juan and I are slammed with cookie orders. (thank you all for purchasing)

Thank God I have a small house as it will take a short time to get it cleaned up and ready to Rock-N-Roll the kitchen in "sweet peanut buttery goodness"!!!!

Juan and I did get up early and headed out for a long bike ride. Have I mentioned how much I love bicycling? (wink wink smiley face)

So my calm...enjoying a long bike ride and some hot coffee....before my hectic weekend begins with baking.

However....I love doing this (baking and design) and can do it 24/7.

On a side note...anyone like chewy caramels, or caramel sauce? Well I am perfecting a recipe and hopefully it quill be a new addition to Urban Hobo.

Greatest "CLICKS" for January

In case you might’ve missed something in the month of January…Here are the top greatest “clicks” for the first month of the New Year!

Here they are;

How can I have an office in such a small space?

What to do…What to do

Roses are Red…Violets are Blue…
Trends for 2012

Top Hits for December

Always and Urban Hobo

Please feel free to contact me anytime. I love all your ideas and comments.

Shawn
Shawn@urban-hobo.com

I Am Addicted To Pinterest

Yup! I’ll say it again….”My name is Shawn and I am a Pinterest addict”. My iphone battery life?... Never had to worry about since I make calls, a couple of text messages and some internet browsing, always had plenty of battery life. NOW…I am running my battery out, forever searching for my charger and any available plug! I know I know! I’ve got a problem! (wink wink smiley face)

Pinterest is a Virtual Pinboard. It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find in your life. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes. (Taken from ipad app)

What is so great about this social site is the ability to view anything YOU want based on categories and eliminate much of the “drama” one sees on facebook and other social media sites.

Based on categories…you can look up “DIY and Crafts” or “Men or Women’s Style” or “Stuff for the Home”…even a “Technology” category. So you can sift through what you want to see. The cool thing is it brings up pictures that you might find cool or interesting…OR….a delicious recipe or a great way to organize/build a work desk…OR a wonderful place to visit!

Bottom line…you can enjoy a variety of things, “repin” the ones you love to your pinboard, AND add your own stuff too!

Since Juan and I have started our “Urban Hobo”, we’ve had the opportunity to add some of our “Art” and “Artful Edibles online. It’s exciting to see when someone “likes” your picture and even better…when someone “repins” your stuff.

You can get great ideas, learn something new or just enjoy the beautiful scenery someone has captured on film!

So be sure you check it out..Pinterest. I’m sure if you follow me, I will be adding new stuff I find on my pinboard. Oooppps there goes my battery again. I guess I should get on my laptop. (wink wink smiley face)

Anyone else addicted to Pinterest? Have you found some neat ideas especially for storage or organization? Please write to me…I would love to hear! You can email me shawn@urban-hobo.com or post a comment either way, would love some input.

A great day...

Well...I'm happy to report that I had a great "Pre-Valentine's Event" selling our De-lish (sorry I made it up) Peanut Butter and White Chocolate Cookies on Wednesday.

People enjoyed the sampling and LOVED the bundle packs in the pretty pink and red hues. They also loved the hammered heart shaped tag with a cute sentiment such as "I Love You" or "Run Away With Me"

I was with a group of ladies and discussing the tags and personalizing them. I showed the example of the heart with the saying "Run Away With Me" and one gal said "How about just run away?" another gal piped up and said "How about drop dead?" the gals and I started laughing and I responded that I am happy to add any sentiment you'd like. Next thing I know we are creating crass poems with the start "Roses are red, violets are blue, I saw you cheating and now we're through!".

More chucking and giggling...however, any comments and thoughts from the customers are always appreciated.

Anyway...I received a lot of orders and excited to get started on my tags. THEN next weekend, I'll be busy baking away.

I was able to get some corporate orders for their clients/customers. Several Realtors and and Insurance Group.

If anyone is interested in purchasing a bindle pack for your Valentine and add a heart shaped tag...I'm happy to take orders. If you are seeking corporate gifts, happy to chat too.

Shawn
Shawn@urban-hobo.com