Halloween is coming and I am the size of a house, which means my costume options are limited to 'pregnant woman' and 'pregnant woman wearing cat ears.' Jen suggested I go as a 'pumpkin' because 'you're already round, just wear an orange shirt.' I love Jen. I also want to throw a pumpkin at her.
The base is doing a Halloween event for military families — a trunk-or-treat in the parking lot, where cars line up and kids go from trunk to trunk collecting candy. It's sweet and sad and military — sweet because kids in costumes, sad because half the dads are deployed, military because we find a way to celebrate everything even when everything is hard.
I volunteered to bring food for the parents' table. Because of course I did. I made Mom's candy corn brownies and her caramel apple recipe and a batch of popcorn balls that I learned from Sandra's recipe, not Mom's, because the military wife tradition of sharing recipes continues and Sandra's popcorn balls are objectively excellent.
Ryan called on Halloween night. He was in costume — the Marines did a 'morale event' and Ryan dressed as... a sailor. A SAILOR. In a Navy costume. On a Marine base.
'Your father would kill you,' I said.
'Your father would respect the commitment to comedy,' he said.
'My father would ground you and he's not even your father.'
He laughed. I laughed. Seven thousand miles and a terrible costume and we laughed.
I sat on the couch after the call with a bowl of candy (leftover from the trunk-or-treat; nobody needs this much candy, but pregnant Rachel is not leaving candy uneaten) and watched a horror movie that was not scary because nothing is scary when you're thirty-three weeks pregnant and your husband is dressed as a sailor in Okinawa. That's the scariest thing I can imagine.
Caleb kicked through the entire movie. He's either a horror fan or disturbed. Both are Abernathy traits.
Four weeks until Ryan comes home. The brownies are gone. The candy is... also gone. And somewhere in Okinawa, a Marine is dressed as a sailor and his wife is eating Snickers on a couch in North Carolina.
This is our life. It's ridiculous and wonderful and I wouldn't trade it for Megan's four-bedroom house in Arlington.
Okay, maybe some days I'd trade it. But not today.
Mom’s candy corn brownies get all the glory every Halloween, but I’ll tell you a secret: the Chocolate Pecan Caramels were the first thing gone from the parents’ table at that trunk-or-treat — before I even had a chance to grab one for myself, which, thirty-three weeks pregnant, felt like a personal injustice. I’ve been making these alongside the brownies for the last two Halloweens because they travel well, they look fancy enough that people think you tried harder than you did, and — most importantly — they are the kind of thing you eat on a couch at 11pm watching a bad horror movie while your husband is dressed as a sailor in Okinawa. They are comfort in caramel form. Ryan, if you’re reading this: I saved you exactly zero of them.
Chocolate Pecan Caramels
Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min (plus 2 hrs cooling) | Servings: 48 pieces
Ingredients
- 1 cup pecan halves, toasted
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Additional sea salt flakes for topping (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the pan. Line a 9x13-inch baking dish with parchment paper, leaving overhang on two sides. Lightly butter the parchment. Scatter toasted pecan halves evenly across the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Melt the chocolate layer. Melt chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring between each, until smooth. Pour melted chocolate evenly over the pecans and spread gently with a spatula. Refrigerate while you prepare the caramel.
- Cook the caramel. In a heavy-bottomed medium saucepan, combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, heavy cream, and butter over medium heat. Stir constantly until butter melts and sugars dissolve. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan.
- Reach firm-ball stage. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture reaches 245°F (firm-ball stage), about 20–25 minutes. Watch carefully — the caramel will bubble vigorously.
- Finish and pour. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract and fine sea salt. Let the caramel cool for 2 minutes, then carefully pour it evenly over the chilled chocolate-pecan layer.
- Top and set. If desired, sprinkle the surface with flaky sea salt. Allow to cool at room temperature for 30 minutes, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours until fully set.
- Cut and serve. Using the parchment overhang, lift the slab onto a cutting board. Use a sharp knife to cut into 1x1-inch squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature with parchment between layers for up to 2 weeks.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 118 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 45mg
About the cook who shared this
Rachel Abernathy
Week 134 of Rachel’s 30-year story
· San Diego, California
Rachel is a twenty-eight-year-old Marine wife and mom of two who has moved five times in six years and learned to cook a Thanksgiving dinner with half her cookware still in boxes. She married young, survived postpartum depression, and feeds her family of four on a junior Marine's salary with a freezer full of pre-made meals and a crockpot that has never let her down. She writes for the military spouses who are cooking dinner alone in base housing and wondering if they're enough. You are.
