Moving to the country has taught us some lessons. When your house is surrounded by 100 foot trees, you keep a closer eye on windy storms. When there's poisonous snakes, you take extra care moving wood or lifting septic lids. And when grocery stores are a half-hour away, you make sure there's always an extra snack or two for hungry kids and last-minute company.

Because nothing makes kids hungrier than running low on food :)

Since there's a nearby orchard, we usually keep these dip ingredients on hand. It's filling, easy for kids to assemble, and pretty enough for guests.

It's also good all year round:

• We enjoy it with warm tea after cool spring blossom hikes.

• It's simple to pack in summer for day-long beach trips.

• We enjoy it alongside board games on snowy winter days. 

• Our favorite is combining it with hot apple cider for fall foliage picnics.  

We'd love to hear what you think of it!

Gluten-Free Caramel Apple Dip for Kids

• Cream Cheese, softened

• Caramel Sauce, room temperature

• Chopped Pecans

• Sliced Apples

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make sure your cream cheese is softened (you can quickly zap in a low temp microwave) and place on a serving dish.
2. Spoon/pour caramel sauce on top, then sprinkle on chopped pecans.
3. Slice your apples (kids love this for helping). We toss the slices with a smidge of lemon juice if they're not being ate right away. 
4. Enjoy!

  FOR LEFTOVERS:

• This doesn't store well overnight since the caramel sauce gets runny. So we mix it together the next day, put it in a dip bowl, and place more chopped pecans on top. It's also perfect for making it in advance!