Cooking with Sugary Candy

There is certainly a special thing that happens when you walk into your home and it smells of goodness.  When the oven is on and the smell of cookies or cake is in the air the world seems to slow down for a moment.  The time you take to slow down and smell the smell of goodness brings down anxiety and can bring families together. One of my favorite things to do when I am baking in the kitchen is to add either mine or one of my family members favorite styles of candy boxes to the mix and see their face light up when they bite into a wonderful treat.

So to me the first thing to know before you are going to get your specialty treat on is to know which candy box you will be using for the desert.  This can change the entire process of what you will be doing and can dictate the best way to incorporate the candy into the cake or cookie.  So I want to go over just a few of my favorite ones that I have either grown up with or learned recently.

The one that comes to mind the most is the sugary mix of hershey kisses and sugar cookies.  This is one of the classics that has been in my family for years.  My mother used to make these during Christmas time and it brings back memories of happy times with family every single time I eat them. 

  The joy of making them for me brings back memories of making them with my mom and other family members when I was young.  Now is there really anything better than recreating those moments and memories with your family? Honestly, I can't think of a better thing to do then to pass on traditions like this with my family.  I truly love the idea of passing on great times with family and essentially possibly keeping those memories going forever. 

This is just a cool and lovely idea and I highly suggest taking your baking to a little more than being just about food. It is about spending time with those you love rather they are making the items with you or they are enjoying them with you when they are done.  And for all of those who don't bake with your family and just enjoy the aftermath, remember to thank the baker and maybe spend a little time talking about the product.

Shopping for Candy

How do you like to choose what sweet treat you will enjoy for the day, week, or month? There are so many ways to go out and find the treat your heart desires but many people are finding that a little bit difficult at the moment.  Yes we are going through the covid-19 pandemic currently and getting you favorite candy boxes is a little complicated at the moment.  This is because most travel has been limited by local governments to essential travel and the only time you can go and search for your favorite candy boxes is when you are on an essential trip. 

So what are some ways to go about shopping for candy these days.  Well the first and foremost is simply to pick up your favorite treat when you are shopping for normal food.  Now some people have been taking trips to the store only once a month and some once a week.  This can limit the types of treats you are getting because some are rather perishable so think about getting a mix of treats that can last a good amount of time.  But make sure you are able to keep them out of reach and sight so they are not all eaten at once during midnight trips to the fridge or pantry.  It is important to keep up with your normal lifestyle even when things are crazy outside.  The mind and body are important and you don't want either one to suffer during a pandemic because the psyche is important.

Now online shopping is a really cool addition to the ecommerce world and has been a big boom on saving time and allowing you to shop a little safer without going out and being with so many people.  If you are older this is a really good way to stay more secluded and safe while the spread of the covid-19 pandemic is around.  It is now really just as simple as going online, finding a good shopping site that delivers to your home and then ordering almost like you are shopping. 

Instacart is great at this and also is growing its stock value as well. So it may be a good investment in your time and possibly your money as well.  The company is simply helping people because it provides such a great service that has become essential for many of the olderly or more prone to viruses individuals in the United States.

Halloween Treat Protocol for after COVID-19

I hope you are ready for an amazing holiday season not only this year but for all the years to come.  I think this year has taught us some lessons for all to ponder and making incorporate into the future.  The pandemic has led us to understand things about our economy, and the medical world that needs to change.  It has also given us a new understanding of health and ideas to make sure our family is safe for the future.  We have put in place many protocols for holiday gatherings and regulations as well.  What I have enjoyed seeing is a tribute to health for Halloween and ideas to make sure our kids and family stay safe.  The joys of handing our favorite candy boxes to all the children are just wonderful.  It is great to see them light up when they chose the candy boxes and sweet treats you have laid out for them.  THis year thought we have had to add a lot of extra protection for them and I think it is something that is going to keep going on for years and decades to come.

 

What we saw were that some families were following social distancing and strict protocols for their trick or treating and some families were not.  The fact is that the statistics on rather one is better than the other are almost nonexistent.  But I think that the idea of keeping our kids from getting sick when visiting a lot of strangers or even getting the house residents sick by the visiting is a good idea.  The distancing was a good move and at our home, we made sure to separate out buckets of candy so the kids could each be separate.  We also put spooky foot sings for them to keep their distance if so desired.  We did not force anyone into our way of doing things and well kids will be kids, but we gave the open option to do it and to make sure everyone felt comfortable doing it.  I don't think it should be a law, but a choice, because that is what America is all about. 

 

The next thing we made sure of doing was making sure the candy was going to be safe.  The thing is that we believed that some kids or parents were going to disinfect the candy before anyone was able to eat it.  It didn't matter if only one person or child did this.  But what if they used bleach on the candy and then had their kids eat it.  Some containers are made of cardboard and can soak those chemicals right in.  I didn't want anyone to even have to think about getting hurt so we decided to only use waterproof materials for our treats.  We got bars and bags that were all air tight and water sealed because we wanted to ensure that no kids got harmed dur9ng this fun holiday.  YOu never know if one kid is going to put hand sanitizer all over his candy because they saw it done on Youtube.  So we thought it was better safe than sorry and we think its a good idea for the future as well.

 

So I hope this helps you with holiday ideas.  Get good treats and make sure everyone is safe!