A couple of weeks ago I was celebrating my 50th birthday. This year my birthday fell on a Wednesday so my husband and I decided that we were not going to celebrate it until the weekend. However, my crew took me out for lunch and after work my sister, Grace, invited me over to her house for cake. Her daughter and I have the same birthday so she baked a cake for both of us. I really enjoyed my day.
When the weekend came, on Saturday, my husband told me he made a reservation at María María, a Mexican restaurant relatively new in town. This place is really good - we have eaten there before. The day was very cold and it had been raining thoughout so I really didn't feel like going out. I told my husband we didn't need to go, I was happy to cook something nice at home but he said; "oh no, this is a special birthday and I want to take you out". So, we got ready and headed out to the restaurant. To my big surprise, all my sisters and their husbands were there waiting for me! My husband had been planing this dinner for me all along. I had no idea! This was one of the most precious presents he could have given me. I love my family and having a surprise party at a restaurant with all of them was just so beautiful to me. I adore my husband for being able to keep this a secret and for not letting me stay at home that night. What a great thing to do for me!
Till this day, I think about my birthday dinner and still enjoy memories of the fun we had. So, I wanted to make something nice for my husband to thank him for such a nice birthday present. I made his favorite candy - Buckeye. This is a candy I learned to make a long, long time ago. My mother-in-law taught me how to make it. She makes Buckeyes every Christmas. It is a candy traditionally made for the holidays but my husband loves it at any time of the year. It's made out of peanut butter and chocolate - delicious!
Buckeyes
1 lb. creamy peanut butter
1 lb. confectioner sugar
1 stick of butter, melted
3 C. Rice Krispies (optional)
Mix above ingredients by hand and roll into small balls. Add more melted butter if too dry. Place on a cookie sheet or tray and refrigerate until firm.
In a double boiler melt:
12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
8 oz. milk chocolate chips
1/2 bar of paraffin wax
Pick balls with a toothpick and dip into melted chocolate. Place on wax paper and refrigerate or freeze. They are ready to eat as soon as the chocolate sets.
