Sparkle Kitchen: Healthy "Candy" Necklaces
In the Martin & Sylvia: More Adventures story “The Necklace”, Momma and Daddy are getting dressed up for a special dinner, and Sylvia notices Momma’s beautiful necklace. It was a gift from Daddy, and he explains that every little charm represents something special about Momma. Sylvia gets the idea that she and Martin could make their own necklaces—but what special “charms” should go on them?
I don’t see them so much anymore, but when I was a little girl I could hardly pass a sweet shop without stopping to stare at the wall full of candy necklaces. Ropes of “pearl” candy sours, carats of sugared “diamonds” — I remember thinking I looked so fancy on the occasions my mother would buy me a piece of “jewelry” and let me wear it around for the day. I felt like I was ready to meet the Queen of England.
Many years later, as mom myself, I love the fun of letting my kiddos dress up with candy jewelry, but hate the aftermath of the off-the-charts sugar in the candy store versions. As such, I came up with this recipe for making our own “candy” jewelry out of fruit and cereal.
It’s part craft project, part snack.
While you could use fresh fruit—think beautiful raspberry and blueberry jewels—our family stuck to dried so that our jewelry could be worn for awhile before eating. I also recommend using a large, metal yarn needle to string your jewelry. Not only does it prevent little hands from poking themselves with a sharp point, it has enough heft to get through even really sticky dried fruits without breaking.
Now, off to find Her Majesty….
Ingredient Ideas
Dried fruit (cranberries, banana chips, and dried apricots are all good choices)
Unsweetened “O” shaped cereal
Unwaxed dental floss
Yarn needle
Directions
Using a large plate, set out small handfuls of the dried fruit and cereal. Break off a long piece of unwaxed floss and use it to thread your yarn needle. Then, thread-on a substantial piece of fruit or cereal, and tie a knot around it to provide a backstop for the rest of your “jewels”.
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About the Author
Meryl Carver-Allmond
The Sparkle Kitchen Series is created by Meryl Carver-Allmond.
Meryl lives in a hundred-year-old house near the prairie with her sweet husband, two preschoolers, one puppy, one gecko, and about ten chickens. While she's been writing since she could pick up a pen, in recent years she's discovered the joy of photography, too. She feels lucky to be able to combine those skills, along with a third passion — showing people that cooking for themselves can be healthy and fun — in her Sparkle Kitchen posts.
