If any of you know me (I mean really know me!) you’ll know that I have two golden retrievers. The newest member is Tydus, who was born on September 15, 2007. At this stage in his life, he’s about 19 months old…. still a puppy for sure. Our female is 5 years old and has mellowed out considerably since Tydus became part of the family. She’s the brain and brawn; he’s the goofy nutball.
When we take off to go shopping or leave for work, we barricade the two dogs in the kitchen and dining room as Ty still isn’t out of his chewing stage. Roo, our female, (short for Rogie Roo, which is a nicname for Rogue) also gets shut in the kitchen and dining room because Ty gets whacked out when he cannot be near her. Rather than have Ty tear down the barricades, it’s just easier to corral them both.
Anyway, we’ve recently discovered that Ty cannot cook. I know, I know, before you say “what the hell?”, listen. I have my cookbooks stored on a smallish bookshelf in the kitchen. Several times after arriving home, we’ve discovered that Ty has shredded one or more cookbooks. Usually he’ll leave the book intact, but gnaw on the corners and shred the covers. We’ve determined that Rogue has disagreed with his choice of recipes and put her foot down, knowing that he can’t even boil water. Hence, his fit throwing and chewing up the cookbooks.
Anyway… I had a recipe that was passed down from my great-grandmother for candy Easter eggs. This recipe was one that was lost during one of the multiple shredding incidents. When doing an internet search for something remotely close, I came up with aq big fat zero. Thankfully, I was able to retrieve it from my mother from her old, old recipe cards.
When we were kids living on the farm, she would make these eggs and we would munch on them for days prior to Easter. Occasionally we would get them in our Easter baskets. When my own daughter was an infant, I made these eggs one year. I found that every time I had to heat up a bottle, I would scarf down an egg while in the fridge grabbing the bottle. Needless to say, I waited a few years before stirring up a batch again!
So, without further adieu, here’s the old fashioned recipe!
Old Fashioned Candy Eggs for Easter
1 bag (4 cups) coconut
1 can (14 oz) sweetened, condensed milk
2 boxes gelatin mix (jello) in your favorite flavor
1 1/2 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mix all ingredients until the coconut has absorbed the gelatin mixture. Be sure to taste the mixture to see if the gelatin still has a “grainy” taste. If so, keep mixing until that grainy taste is gone.
Shape the mixture into eggs with your hands. A good tip is to wash your hands after every 3rd egg or so. The mix will stick to your hands and it will be hard to shape unless your hands are clean.
Chill for a few hours (overnight is best) on waxed paper.
Dip into melted semi-sweet chocolate and place on waxed paper.
Tip: I use a cookie sheet covered with waxed paper. This recipe will make about 12 - 15 eggs about 1-2 inches long.
Enjoy and have a very Happy Easter with your friends and family.
