Rustic Caramel Apple Hand Pies

When Annie first blogged about these Rustic Apple Hand Pies I almost jumped in my car and drove 30 minutes to her house just to get my hands on one. I love desserts with fruit in them more than anything and apple pie is one of my favorites (getting excited about our Thanksgiving apple pie as we speak). While I was shopping for produce at the grocery store this weekend I couldn't help but pick up some granny smith apples. Not only were they beautiful but I had been dreaming about making these apple pies for a while. 

While Annie kept her pies classic, I decided to stuff mine with not only apples but little pieces of soft caramel. They might have made for a mess in the baking process (read: hot, melted caramel everywhere) but they tasted wonderful, especially hot, right out of the oven and warmed up with my coffee on Sunday morning.

Follow Annie's recipe and let her pictures be your guide, but if you want the flowing caramel of my version, just add small cubes of caramel (store bought) with the apples!

Maybe I will sneak some caramel in to the pie on Thanksgiving too. 

All Day Thanksgiving Wardrobe

{8:00} Pajamas

{11:30} Sweater // Pants // Flats // Oven Mitt

{2:00} Dress // Tights // Earrings // Lip Pencil

Thanksgiving at my house is full of traditions, food, and outfit changes.

Every Thanksgiving begins the same for me; on the couch, in my pajamas, and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. I have never missed the parade, and I can safety say that I never will.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving morning traditions is drinking orange juice with raspberries out of a wine glass. This morning drink started when I was little and the excitement of drinking from a wine glass was high- 

23 years old and I still get excited.

After the parade, it is officially cooking time and I am summoned to the kitchen to get started on the dressing. Making the dressing has always been a team effort by my dad and me, but I think he finally trusts me enough to give me complete control this year. The pressure!

For all the cooking it is important to be comfortable and that means an oversized sweater, my Pixie pants, and my favorite flats. Don't forget the oven mitt!

After all the food is prepared (which takes about 3 days total), this very anticipated Thanksgiving meal is ready to eat. With all the work and time that has gone in, I think it is important to make this meal a little more formal than an every day dinner, and that shows in my next wardrobe change.

Out of my comfortable outfit and into an (almost) equally comfortable outfit of tights and a dress. The key in this outfit is a loose fitting combo that allows plenty of room for the food baby that will most likely form. Let's be honest, if you don't stuff yourself than you aren't celebrating Thanksgiving in the correct way. 

My last and undocumented outfit change is back in to my comfy outfit for the remainder of the day, which includes pie, football, wine, games, and laughs with my family. 

Enjoy your day of food, family, and fashion.

Giving Back, Thanks, and Treats

I am typing from the comfort of my own bed, at my parents house, and I couldn't be happier. I am in full Thanksgiving mode and even though I am technically not on break yet, I had to come home to prepare myself for the food and family festivities this week. 

Being thankful is what this time is all about and even Birchbox got in the holiday mood with their November box. Along with giving me treats this month, Birchbox gave me the opportunity to give back to someone that I love.

The morning that I received my monthly Birchbox in the mail, there was another package in my little mailbox for me. You can imagine my excitement to have not one, but two surprises in the mail, especially when I realized that the second package was from my little sister. I opened her package first to discover that the sweetest gift that was inspired by her own Birchbox.

In this month's Birchbox came a small, purple box thats sole-purpose is to regift to someone else. It originally came filled with the monthly beauty samples, but can be filled with anything else to give to someone else. In the case of my sister, she stuffed it with the ultimate gift-- a Starbucks gift card. 

Thanks sis, you made my whole week!

Now I can't wait to give this polka-dot box away to "make that special someone smile". In fact this whole concept makes me wish that I had more purple boxes to give out!

Along with a wonderful reminder to give thanks and give treats was my monthly dose of beauty happiness.

{Masqueology Revitalizing Eye} 

An under-eye gel mask that can hide even the dark bags after an all-nighter. It brightens while giving the illusion that you slept a full 12-hours. Sounds like a miracle worker to me. Now if I could just find a product that actually let me sleep a full 12 hours each night. 

{MCMC Fragrances in Phoenix}

It is another miracle! A perfume sample that I love! I am so hard to please because I am picky when it comes to perfume, but this scent from the Brooklyn perfumer is warm and feminine and I am happy!

{One Love Organics Body Serum}

A skin serum that smells wonderful and keeps skin hydrated and feeling soft. I have put it on the last couple of days and the scent lasts hours and makes my hands feel wonderful.

{stila All Over Liquid Luminizer}

My favorite Birchbox product is stila, so I am always thrilled to receive another sample from the beauty brand. This month it is a liquid shimmer that you can add to any makeup to add a bit of shine and sparkle for every day or special occasions. 

Swoon.

{Masqueology Masque Cleanse and 7 Day Moisture Cream}

The moisture cream was the first thing that I opened this month. With the colder weather my skin has been crying out for something like this and I am a big fan. The tiny sample has already lasted me four days and there is more left. 

Better to give than receive.