Day 4: Grandma's Goodies

Ever since I was a little girl I've always loved baking, cooking, and candy-making. The reason why I'm not quite sure. Once could say that it runs in my veins. My grandmother is an absolutely exceptional cook! And since I was little my grandma would send me and all my cousins a box of candy every year! I can remember how during the early days of December I woul eagerly run to the front door after school to see if the large carboard box with Christmas stickers had arrived yet. Two years ago my grandmother had a heart attack and had to have a pace maker put in. She sleeps a lot more now and candy is no longer part of her diet. Needless to say she no longer sends us any. She says she can't make any without eating it. (I guess I have that problem too...) One year when I'm more settled in and have a steady income I hope to continue my grandma's tradition. I'll send all my cousins and family members this nostalgic treat! Stay tuned for some of my grandma's special xmas recipes.

-Cranberry Walnut Fudge
-Snickers Caramels
-Magic Fudge
-Pecan Tassies
-Date Pinwheels
-Spiral Cookies
-Pretzel Caramels
-Rudolph Nutter Butters
-Rice Krispy Haystacks

Another reason behind my love of baking could stem from the fact that my mom ran a small but successfull bakery in the upper east side of Manhattan. Up until I was four or so my dad would take me to visit my mom at work. The countertop was line with character cookie jars and candy bins. At the time my favorite thing to watch was The Nightmare Before Christmas. My mom bought the Jack Skellington jar for me and I still have it till this day. We don't use it of course. Actually, I never saw the point of cookie jars unless you have a large family. Seriously if you make a batch of cookies from scratch you're gonna want to eat them hot from the oven. If you go putting soft, chewy cookies in a jar they'll just end up sticking together or breaking into pieces! That's certainly not good eats! Anyway, During my junior in high school I wanted to earn some extra money to buy my boyfriend a Christmas present. I was fifteen at the time so I couldn't get a real job. But one night I had this brilliant idea. I planned to sell my homemade cookies to me friends, family, and teachers. The next morning I hopped on the computer and printed out order forms. I took orders all through the week, made the cookies during the weekend, and distributed them Monday morning. Although it took up my entire weekends I made a good deal of money and really toned up my icing skills. I did the same thing during Valentine's Day and my business was just successful. I even named my company Munching Merriment. I'll include some pictures of my cookies but not too many. I would like to make it an actual business once I'm on my feet after completing school and I don't want people stealing my ideas.