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CANDY MAKING FOR KIDS INTERVIEW

August 2, 2012 By Carrie 1 Comment

Yesterday, I shared some sneak peeks of a new book for kids, Candy Making for Kids, by Courtney Dial Whitmore with photography by Zac Williams. Today, I’m sharing some pics with you of a darling photo shoot Courtney did with three precious little candy makers! I also was able to tie this busy lady down to answer a few questions about her new book!

What inspired you to write a candy making book for kids??

The publisher actually approached me with the book topic and I was hooked – what’s better than candy except candy made easy for kids of all ages. None of the recipes use a candy thermometer which makes it really perfect for kids! To create the recipe, I was really inspired by treats I loved making as a child. Toffee is one of my favorite foods so it definitely made the book (easy-style of course). I also love candies around the holidays so there is a whole chapter devoted to holiday-themed candies!

Kids are such fun to work with, did you have any funny/interesting experiences with little ones while writing this book?

So, I don’t have kids of my own (yet) but I definitely have a lot of little ones in my life. My ring bearer (he turns 3 on Friday) is like my own little one and helped me so much with this book. What I learned from the kids is that “fru-fru” recipes are totally not necessary because when it comes down to it – sprinkles on anything reigns supreme!

Was this book designed with a particular age group in mind, or will it be good for all kids?

I think there are recipes in the book for kids of all ages. Some use a saucepan and microwave so that’s for older kids and some truly involve decorating and using your hands (candy play-dough!) but my answer to that would be ages 3-99

What would be your number one tip for grown ups who are interested in getting their kids into the kitchen?

MAKE IT FUN! If you mess up and focus too much on making it perfect, then it becomes a chore. Do the basics of the recipe and then when it comes to the decorating (which most of these recipes allow for), let them at it! There shouldn’t be any rules at that stage – it’s like art!

Did you remember to sign up to win your own AUTOGRAPHED copy of Candy Making for Kids? Head on over to my post here for all of the details!

Want to know where to find out more about the author? Head over to her sites:

Pizzazzerie
The Bakery Spot
courtneywhitmore.com

Filed Under: Baking, Books, Entertaining Tagged With: author interview, baking, books, candy, candy making for kids, courtney whitmore, entertaining, kids, pizzazzerie

CANDY MAKING FOR KIDS BLOG TOUR

August 1, 2012 By Carrie 24 Comments

You guys, let me just say, I’m SO excited and happy to be a stop on the Candy Making for Kids Blog Tour! When I got my e-mail from Courtney telling me I’d be taking part in this fun event, I was on vacation and it was killing me that I couldn’t open the file and see the pics she sent from my phone. As soon as I could, I opened up the laptop and checked it out and I was SO impressed. This book is going to be darling!

I’m sure most of you already know who I’m talking about when I say Courtney, but just in case…

…here she is! Courtney Dial Whitmore, my sweet and lovely friend from the south! She’s the face behind the popular entertaining blog, Pizzazzerie and also the author of the popular dessert cookbook, Push Up Pops. With two books under her belt, and more still to come, she’s one lady you’ll want to keep an eye on!

Candy Making for Kids is Courtney’s second book and was beautifully photographed by Zac Williams. The colors are bright and cheery, and the recipes are simple so little ones can get involved without getting frustrated! Better yet, none of the recipes require a candy thermometer, so there’s no need to worry about little fingers getting burnt. (Or, if you’re accident prone like me, there’s no need to worry about your own fingers getting burnt!)

”There is nothing more fun than entertaining children. They make the best guests! Pick any sweet treat from Courtney’s book and dazzle the little guests and adults alike!” – Kimberly Schlegel Whitman, Editor-At-Large of Southern Living

For those of you who order a copy, Courtney has darling red + white polka dotted book plate labels that she will be mailing out to those who request them so you can stick the personalized greeting inside your book. All you have to do is email courtney@pizzazzerie.com with the subject line BOOK SIGNATURE and proof of purchase (screen shot of Amazon order, picture of receipt, etc) along with the address to send the book plate, who to make the greeting out to, and she’ll send it out to you so you can have your copy of the book signed! (Think about this as a great idea for getting a jump on Christmas presents…a whole chapter is devoted to holiday candies!)

And now, are you ready for a big surprise??? Okay, but first, one more sneaky peeky!

And now for the surprise…I am so excited to announce that I’ll be giving away a signed copy of Candy Making for Kids to one of my readers!

WOOHOOOOOOOO!

Want to win? Here’s what you have to do…

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck to you all! And to those of who don’t win, Candy Making for Kids is available for purchase from Amazon and Barnes & Noble at a very reasonable price!

Author: Courtney Dial Whitmore
Photography: Zac Williams

Filed Under: Baking, Books, Entertaining, Uncategorized Tagged With: baking, blog book tour, book, candy, candy making for kids, courtney whitmore, entertaining, kids, pizzazzerie

Cracker Crunch Candy

June 3, 2011 By Carrie Leave a Comment

Recently, my son insisted on buying some saltines crackers at the grocery store. He promised me he’d eat them, but as I suspected would happen, the box sat unopened in the cabinet. (Because really, who snacks on saltines unless they’re sick??) I remember seeing a recipe for a toffee-like candy made with saltines so I headed to Google to find the recipe. Instead, I found a recipe for Cracker Crunch Candy, and since I had all the ingredients on hand, I decided to give it a try.

I made it, and I have to be honest, the jury’s still out on this one. It definitely wasn’t what I expected, yet I found myself unable to stop eating it! It was so peculiar! Have you ever made this treat before? If so, I’d love to hear what you thought of it!

CRACKER CRUNCH CANDY

Ingredients:

3 c sugar
1 c evaporated milk
1 stick butter
2/3 c creamy peanut butter
1 c flaked coconut
24 Saltine crackers, crumbled, but not too fine
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Combine sugar, milk, and butter in a large heavy saucepan. Bring to full boil over moderate heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 4 minutes. Remove from heat and add peanut butter, coconut, crackers, and vanilla. Stir until well mixed. Pour into buttered 9 x 9 pan and chill. Cut into squares. Makes 2 1/2 pounds.

Recipe Source: I found several sites that had this recipe, this is one of them.