A few days ago I posted a quick an easy holiday card featuring the Snowman from Jar of Cheer. I mentioned I had created companion cards using other images from this set. Several of you have emailed me, asking to see them. As with the Snowman card, which I discussed in this post, I used Blender Pens, inks and Stampin’ Up!’s Note Cards, which are perfect for these small images. If you are in need of a last minute, quick and easy card, search for a smaller holiday image and stamp away! While Jar of Cheer works perfectly, there are many other sets in your stash which will fill the bill!
And if you are in need of a quick and easy candy to share with family and friends, continue reading!
Momma’s Candy
My mother was an excellent cook, baker and candy maker. Although I inherited all of her recipes, I did not inherit her baking and candy making genes. Her pies were legendary. And although she has been gone nearly 34 years, my sister and I talk about them to this very day. I have never tasted anything like her cakes either. German Chocolate and Red Velvet were made from scratch, using recipes from the Jewel T cook book, along with her own special added touches. Breads and rolls were set atop the cook stove to rise. My cakes come from boxes. My pies from Marie Callender. My homemade bread is made in a bread making machine. I never tackled her divine divinity or her fabulous fudge. But I do make this wonderful peanut butter confection. Her original recipe was written on a scrap of paper, a bank deposit slip if I remember correctly. But before she passed away, she was in the process of recopying many of them. My recipe files are a mish-mash of index cards, scraps of paper, and clippings. This particular recipe had no other name except “Candy”, so in her honor, my family calls it “Momma’s Candy”. I hope you’ll try it, and enjoy it as much as my family does.
1 Package Almond Bark
2 Cups of Super Chunky Peanut Butter
2 Cups of Dry Roasted Peanuts
2 Cups of Miniature Marshmallows
2 Cups of Rice Krispies
Melt the Almond Bark according to package directions. (I use the microwave). When melted, mix in the Peanut Butter. Then add the dry ingredients, and thoroughly coat. Drop by spoonfuls (I use a tablespoon) onto cookie sheets. (I cover mine with wax paper to make clean-up easier.) Chill in the refrigerator. (I place mine out on the back porch to set.) This makes a large batch of candy, and is easy-peasy! I ended up with 72 pieces, not counting the ones I tested for quality control. While I use the Vanilla Almond Bark, my stampin’ friend Vicki has tried the Chocolate Almond Bark, and says it tastes like crunchy peanut clusters! I can’t wait to try it!
My mother would have been 98 on December 28th. She was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. Not a day passes that I do not remember her in some way. And I know her spirit will be embracing us this Christmas, as we enjoy the traditional Christmas Eve soup she always prepared and nibble on “Momma’s Candy”.
May peace fill your hearts during this holiday season. Until next time…
Such lovely cards and such a heart warming tribute to your mother. Thanks for sharing her candy recipe.
Wishing you and your family a Very Happy and Blessed New Years
I always enjoy your posts and this one touched my heart. I hope it is OK that I copied and pasted the Candy recipe and the picture of your mom. I want to print them and put them in my recipe book giving credit to where they came from.
My grandmother made something like this and called it Plantation Crunch. Love the simple beautiful cards!
I love reading your posts. They always touch my heart. I treasure all my recipes that my grandma (who adopted me) wrote out for me in her beautiful handwriting.
Blessings to you and your family. Thanks for sharing this piece of your heart with us all. Merry Christmas!
Loved the memories of your mother that you shared, she was a very beautiful woman. My mother was also an excellent baker and this time of year I always miss her more. Momma’s Candy sounds yummy. I suggested it to my husband as he likes to make things that do not need to be baked.
Love your group of clean and simple holiday cards. Handwritten recipes have such an emotional connection to those we love. Thanks for sharing a little bit of Momma’s Candy.
What wonderful cards !!! I love the story of your Mom. I have my Mom living with me. She is a very young 90. I am so grateful that we are still able to be making memories together. She, like your Mother is also beautiful inside & out.I will have to try your Mom’s candy recipe. Sounds good!!!
Cards are cute, but I can’t wait to try the candy recipe. Your mom sounds like mine. My mom’s birthday was Dec 8, and she would have been 94. I made her favorite cookies last night, Brownie Drops.
What a classic beauty your mother was! That luxurious dark hair…I’m envious! I love hearing stories like these; my mother was a gem, too. Merry Christmas to you and all your family! I will be attempting to make Momma’s Candy on Christmas Day.
I enjoyed the story. Your mother was a beautiful lady and I love the dress! I may get to try the candy. Merry Christmas!
Wonderful picture and story. I have tried the candy before, and it was good.
Hi Ann~ What a beautiful tribute to your mom. My mother has been gone a long time too, but as with your mom, she was always the person around whom everything happened. She hosted most family gatherings and they were also legendary. I can’t wait to try your candy recipe. And thank you for sharing your creativity with all of us. You inspire me, and these note cards are adorable! Happy holidays!
Ann, my mother was a fabulous cook too and I’ve never been able to make some of the dishes she made from “memory”!! She was thin as a rail and I don’t think she ever passed a candy or ice cream store without stopping!! I remember when I was about 7 years old we had a bedroom with just a single bed in it and I went in before Christmas to see all the chocolates and different candy she’d made for Christmas!! She made a liver recipe in a gravy that was so tender you could cut it with a fork!! I tried making it one time and I could have sold it for shoe leather!!!
Thank you for sharing your story and your mother’s candy recipe. Yes, your mother sure was a beautiful woman. Continue to cherish your memories.
p.s. I like the quality control testing!!!
Ann, Great story about your Mom. ,I too, have abandoned making baked goods from scratch. But I will try “Moms’ candy” for the office after the holidays. Thanks for the recipe.
Love the pin and the button on your Mom’s blouse. Clothes used to be so much more elegant then are today.
What a sweet story! Your mother was beautiful! I tried, just this season, to recreate my grandmother’s fudge. Got the taste, but not the texture…I am not a candy-maker either! I will try again with a little tweaking! Thanks for sharing your memories, the recipe, and your cards, one of which is sitting on my table right now as we speak, as cute as anything! And you have your own wonderful talents in your own right! Merry Christmas!
Sweet sweet story and remembrance of your Momma. She was very pretty and look at that gorgeous hair. My recipe boxes are just like yours, and that’s on my “to do” list to organize again someday. But not so important now. I will definitely save and try your Momma’s Candy recipe. It’s different, but oh so delicious looking. Thanks for the Muffy blog a couple of days ago. You really should write a book Ann. You have the most incredible ways of expressing what’s in your heart. Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Love the cards that you made. They are lovely! Thank you for sharing your Mother’s candy recipe with all of us. It sounds delicious. Your Mother was a very beautiful looking woman and I can see her in you. Merry Christmas Ann to you and to your family. 🙂 Smile BIG! 🙂
Mary from NH
Ann, thank you for sharing that wonderful story of your beautiful mom! Brought back lots of memories of my own mom and our own Christmas traditions as being raised in a Dutch family. I wish you and your loved ones a warm and wondrous Christmas.
Your momma was a beautiful lady. Bless you and your family.
Thank you Ann! I love to cook and bake. I will be making this extra dessert treat this weekend. I would love you to share your moms recipes” of the month!” I only have a few of my great grandmothers because they never wrote it down! So I’m getting some from other moms and making a cookbook scrapbook of Mom’s Best!
What a blessing and cherished memories of those we love. The recipe sounds great–will have to try it. Thanks for sharing. May you & your family have a very blessed Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Ann, what fun cards! Very cute designs! I’m so sorry you certainly lost our mother when she was far too young.
As for the chocolate almond bark, my huband definitely approved of the chocolate version. We both love both versions of it. So glad you shared it with me. I think this is the 3rd year I’ve made them. I had half a package left from dipping pretzels so it was so easy to make half of the recipe. Of course I already had a whole batch made that have gradually been disappearing. Had to make more for our Christmas gathering.
Thank you, Ann, for telling your story of your mother and her cooking and baking talents. And, her picture shows a beautiful woman, as well!
It will be fun to try your recipe. Thanks for sharing and have a wonderful and peace-filledl 2017!
Karen
Ann, what a wonderful tribute to your lovely mom. And look at that pin she is wearing! Looks like it was made with Stampin Up materials! You have wonderful memories of all her baking. You, my dear rock the cardmaking, just so you know.
Shirl (in Canada) Merry Christmas!