Candy Fixes Everything

Marriage can be tricky in the best of circumstances.  Two people from different families, possibly even different countries, regions, genders, races, socio-economic status and political leanings start living under the same roof and attempt to merge their individual existences into a shared life.

For example, my husband and I couldn't be more different.  One of us is rather liberal, and the other leans towards the conservative.  One of us is the child of a successful business owner, and the other is the child of a tough-guy union ironworker.  One of us is a Star Trek-loving super nerd, and the other has developed a keen interest in biker tattoos.  One of us is a cat lover, and the other has never lived without a dog.  One of us rolls the toilet paper over... well, you get the idea.  But love conquers all, right?  Well.....

One of us graduated from the University of Michigan, and the other attended THE Ohio State University.  Whaaaaat?  A Buckeye.  Married to a Wolverine.  How do we resolve that?

Well, recently my husband took me on a lovely weekend trip to Ann Arbor to help me to better appreciate his alma mater, so different from where I went to school.  I thought the university was really lovely.  We had a very nice time there.

And then for my counterpoint, I made him these:

I think we have achieved an even greater appreciation for each other as individuals.  We're like peanut butter and chocolate:  so different, but so good together!

Recipe for Buckeye Candy

To make buckeye candy, you will need:

• 1 1/2 lbs. of confectioner's sugar
• 1 lb. of creamy peanut butter
• 1 lb. of butter
• 12 oz. of good quality chocolate chips  (i.e., made of actual chocolate)
• 3 oz. of paraffin wax

Combine the confectioner's sugar, peanut butter and butter into a dry, doughy mixture.  Roll this mixture in your hands to form round, walnut-sized balls.  Place the peanut butter balls onto a wax paper-lined cookie sheet, and let them rest in the fridge while you start making the chocolate mixture for the outer shell.

Heat water in the bottom of a double boiler, and slowly melt the chocolate and paraffin wax together in the top of the boiler until combined.  Remove from the heat, and dip each peanut butter ball about 3/4 deep in the melted chocolate.  Return the buckeyes to the chilled, wax paper-lined cookie sheet, and place in the fridge to cool until their chocolate shells have hardened.

Eat half a dozen or so, and then store the remainder in an airtight container in a cool-ish location. 

And that's how you do it: two very different tastes perfectly combine to make something better than either one of them alone.  Just like my hubby and me!  (I'm still not watching Star Trek, though.  And one of these days I am getting that tattoo.)



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