Haystacks and Memories

I have been in the mood to make candy this Christmas. My neighbor across the street, Mrs. Betty, always brings us a goody bag (or bucket, or dish) full of yummy things at Christmas and I wanted to return the favor this year, not just to her, but to my other neighbors who were so sweet to our family when Momma passed away.

Tonight, I decided it was time to make some Haystacks. I have a couple of recipes in my recipe folder, but neither of them sounded like the one I wanted. So, of course I Swagbucked it (I mean, if I'm gonna search, I might as well get something out of it, right?) and found one that was exactly like the one my cousin, Karen, made when I was younger.

When I first told Kiddo I was going to make them he was all over me until I finally did. He was in the shower when I mixed them up and when he came out I was already dropping them out on the foil (you're really supposed to use wax paper, but I didn't have any, so I used the non-shiny side of the aluminum foil and hope it works). He was talking non-stop and I finally shooed him out of the kitchen, then realized he was one of the reasons I was making them.

I called him back in the kitchen to help me drop the last few. After he finished, he stood there with peanut butter/butterscotch on his face, licking the wooden spoon, talking about Spider-man 3. Between licks he was comparing the storyline in the movie to our spiritual lives, and what lessons we can learn from it. My eleven-year-old...what a young man he's become. I knew right then I wanted to remember tonight forever.

In case you'd like a forever memory, here's the recipe. At least for the Haystacks. : )

Haystacks

• 1 cup butterscotch chips
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup peanuts
• 2 cups chow mein noodles

Microwave the butterscotch chips and peanut butter on 50 percent power for 3 to 5 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and blend to coat noodles thoroughly. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper.

I doubled this recipe because I knew we'd want plenty for ourselves, too. If you make these differently, let me know. I'd like to see variations of it.

Have a great Christmas Week!