Wednesdays with Wanda

Last week I shared with you my favorite Christmas tradition as a child…putting up Mom and Dad’s Nativity scene.

I loved reading about your family traditions in the comments. Thank you for sharing them with me!

Now I’m going to share with you my second favorite Christmas tradition…

BUCKEYES!

Every Christmas that I can remember as a child, my mom made buckeyes.

Mom wrote about the story behind our “buckeye tradition” in the same article that I shared last week. She wrote it in 1991 for her weekly food column in our local newspaper. Here is what she wrote…”

“On a cold, winter day before Christmas, when Traci (now 21) was seven years old, she came bursting in the house clutching a margarine tub in both hands. Through her happy smile she exclaimed, “Mom, look what Michelle’s mother gave us!” We opened it up and inside were buckeyes (candy). They were so cold and tasty that I asked Traci to go back to Michelle’s house and get the recipe. She did, and these buckeyes have become another family tradition in our family. All the children help make them. Last week, my 4 year old grandson, Cory, and my 5 year old granddaughter, Courtney, helped. (That was an experience – but we had a ball!)”

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Well, now ya’ll know how old I am! :)

Yes…I have been making these buckeyes EVERY single year for 32 years!!! And I hope I can make them for 32 more!

My boys absolutely love making buckeyes. When I started making them the other night, they were smiling from ear to ear, and my son, Luke, said, “Aw, Mom….it really IS Christmas!”

So I am very excited to share this recipe with you!

It is so simple!

Here are the ingredients:

1 cup of peanut butter

1 stick of butter (margarine works best)

1 box of confectioner’s sugar

Put the above ingredients in a large bowl.

It works best to mix them together by hand. (My boys LOVE this part! And it was my favorite part when I was a kid too.)

Mix the ingredients together until they form a ball.

Then roll the dough into small “buckeye-sized” balls and place on a cookie sheet covered with wax paper.

Place a toothpick in each ball and then place in the freezer for them to harden.

Here is what you need to make the chocolate coating:

1 12 oz. bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/3 stick of paraffin wax (Gulf Wax)

Melt the bag of chocolate chips and paraffin wax together in the top of a double broiler. (If you don’t have a double-boiler, use a smaller pan in a larger pan that’s half-way filled with water. That’s what I do.)

Mix together well.

Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer and dip in chocolate mixture.

Be sure to leave the top open to resemble a buckeye.

Place the dipped “buckeye” back on the cookie tray.

Remove the toothpicks…

Let them sit for a few minutes so the peanut butter will soften, then use your fingers to close the (toothpick) hole.

And like magic, they look like buckeyes!

And boy are they delicious!!!!!

My friends and family are always asking me to make these. And believe me…they won’t last long!

But if you have a few left over, store them in the refrigerator. I think they are best when they are cold.

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I am linking this post to Creating Christmas Blog Fest at The Girl Creative, and

Foodie Friday.

As a side note, I want to thank all of you who continue to pray for me and my family during this holiday season. Your comments and words of encouragement have meant so much to me. It is still hard to believe that Mom is gone. Though I am happy to share this recipe with you, my heart aches that Mom won’t be making buckeyes for us this year. She always made Christmas so special. There is not a day ( or hour) that goes by that I do not think of her and long to see her again. Though not having her here makes this Christmas sad for me, I am trying my best to celebrate Christmas for my children the way Mom would want me too. I can hear her saying, “Traci, stop crying over me. You take care of those boys and make Christmas special for them.” She would want me to focus on the true meaning of Christmas and be filled with God’s love and peace.

I’m trying, Mom… I promise.

I pray God’s love and peace for each of you as well!

Blessings,

(This is a weekly post that I am doing to honor my wonderful mother, Wanda, who passed away on September 22, 2009. It is a place for me to share precious memories of her…for myself, for you, and most importantly, for my children.)