valentine candy Archives - TGIF - This Grandma is Fun

Valentine Suckers

Debbie — Fri, 31 Jan 2014 08:00:41 +0000

I almost got married on Valentine’s Day.

But then we thought that would be too cheesy. What do you think?

Instead my hubby and I were married on February 7th. So yup, my anniversary of 34 years is coming up real quick.

Having my anniversary a week before Valentine’s Day has turned out pretty well though. It means that I get taken out to dinner twice in a very short time. No complaints there! I’m a “sucker” for dinner at a restaurant.

Sorry.

Couldn’t resist.

And I’m also a “sucker” for Valentine’s! I love to celebrate it and have another excuse to show my love for my family and friends.

One thing that I have done for YEARS is to give these Valentine Candy Dishes and once people find out what they are made of, they LOVE them!

But this year, when I saw these cute suckers that I pinned from Sweet 2 Eat Baking, I thought that I would make them in a Valentine version. Aren’t these cute?

They were super easy to make and set up faster that I had expected. Which means that they will be ready eat in no time!

So if you are wanting to “share some love” to your family friends this Valentine’s Day, then make these Valentine Suckers!

Your family will love you for it because This Pin Rocks!

Valentine Suckers

Course Candy

Author Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
⅔ cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
2 tsp extract in any flavor of your choosing. My favorite is almond which is what I used
Food coloring if desired
Assorted sprinkles
Candy thermometer

Instructions

Prepare at least two baking sheets by lining them with Silpat nonstick baking mats or parchment paper. Line up your lollipop sticks on your baking sheets about 4 inches apart.
In a large glass bowl, fill with ice and water and then set aside.
In a medium saucepan, bring the sugar, corn syrup, and 1/4 cup water to a boil. Stir constantly until sugar is dissolved and your candy thermometer reaches 310 which is the hard crack stage. This usually takes about 5-7 minutes. Occasionally wash down sides of pan with a pastry brush dipped in cold water to prevent crystals from forming.
Add your extract to your mix then immediately set pan into ice-water bath to stop the cooking (syrup will steam vigorously) Let sit about 25 seconds. (If you want a colored candy, add your food dye with the extract)
WORKING QUICKLY, pour syrup onto your lollipop sticks, forming circles that are about 3 to 31/2 inches in diameter.
Add sprinkles, candies, seeds, etc. and lightly press into the lollipop.
NOTE: I would pour a lollipop and then sprinkle my sprinkles and then do another lollipop and sprinkles, as the candy hardens quickly!
Let sit until completely hardened and cooled.

We’re sharing this fun treat at: The 36th Avenue, Whipperberry, Tatertots & Jello, Inside BruCrew Life,

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11 Valentine’s Day Ideas We Love!

Sherri — Thu, 23 Jan 2014 02:03:13 +0000

From dinner to dessert, gifts and decorations this collection of Valentine’s Day ideas has got you covered! We three sisters are all about family, food and fun. Our experience is that it is often the little things that have the biggest impact and create the most lasting memories. I am the baby of the family, and by far my favorite gifts from my sisters are the letters they wrote in my journal over the years expressing their love for me. A motto I try to live up to when it comes to my family is “Leave them with no doubt.”. I want to treat each of my family members in such a way that they have no doubt that I love them. So I LOVE celebrating Valentine’s Day with my family. I hope this collection we have tested and tried will help you to leave your loved ones with no doubt this Valentine’s Day. And to my family, the whole lot of you, thank you. All the little and big things you do to show your love all year round make me feel all mushy inside and so very, very blessed. I love you. Happy Valentine’s Day to one and all.

[inlinkz_linkup id=363732]

We’re sharing these ideas at: Home Stories A to Z, A Bowl Full of Lemons

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Valentine Candy Dish

Debbie — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 05:46:42 +0000

My childhood was very far from any kind of “country” environment. I grew up in the city which was near a beach and most of my days were spent planning on when my friends and I would get to go lay out in the sun. Growing up we never had a garden, never raised chickens or had any other kind of “farmy” experience, except when I would get to visit my cousins in Utah and Idaho and then we got to play Pom Pom Pullaway in the root cellar. Man, my sister and I thought that was the coolest thing EVER!

Fast forward to a few years ago and a dear friend of mine gave me a Valentine Candy Dish. It was darling and I loved that it had little holes for the candy to come out! I wanted to share the love and give some to other friends of mine so I asked my friend where she found those cute candy dishes. Imagine my shock when my she told me that these containers were actually chick feeders! WHAT?!?! This city girl had no clue what chick feeders were!

But don’t they make darling candy dishes?

To make your own, first you will need to find a feed store near you. I purchased my chick feeders at our local IFA feed store and they were $3.39 a piece. Make sure you clean the inside out very well with rubbing alcohol. Next you will need a mason jar. I used both a pint and a quart mason jar. With the candy of your choosing, (I used M&M’s and Conversation Hearts) pour the candy into the base and then shake slightly as the candy will settle and will make more room in the base. Fill and shake until you can’t fit any more candy .

Then fill a mason jar with the same candy and carefully place the opening of the jar into the chick feeder and screw in. Tie with a bow and you are good to go!

Whenever I have given these as gifts, they are a huge hit and have become my friends favorite thing as it is mine! So share the love and give someone a Valentine Candy Dish this holiday – complete in a chick feeder!

A big thank you to The Creative Goddess for the inspiration and the memory!

This Pin Rocks!

We’re sharing this project at: Lines Across, Home Stories A to Z, Sugar Bee Crafts, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Lady Behind the Curtain

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