sugar – Ruth E. Hendricks

Candy Containers, Candy Dish Etiquette and Candy Salad

This post made possible with contributions from

Marianne M.,

Joanne B.,

Maura M. and Evie D. –

Remember root beer barrels, red and white Starlight mints, yellow cellophane wrapped butterscotch, a hard candy with a fruit filled center strawberry?

There were toffees in a foil sleeve, Hershey kisses in shiny silver with a tiny paper label sticking out, coffee nibs and sour balls. Some M and Ms

I’ve been thinking about candy dishes, candy jars, candy bowls.

My neighbors Nell and Tom had a crystal candy dish in their living room. Was it on top of the wooden tv console or a coffee table?

A couple of friends have a candy dish collection so I enlisted their help with this candy dish post today.

I have one lidded candy dish but it’s in a cupboard, not on a coffee table filled with wrapped hard candies.

I asked

I asked my friend Marianne M what is candy dish etiquette? –

Does one help oneself or wait to be offered a piece? She replied –if it’s out in the open, it’s fair game! Help yourself! (Then what do you do with the wrapper after you stick the piece of candy in your mouth?)

Here’s what she wrote to me about her candy dishes –

“Candy dishes… What can I say about candy dishes? My mom always had one in the living room filled with the popular candy of the times. When we went to Tata’s (great aunt) house, she always had candy dishes in every room even in the bedrooms. I do believe at one time, candy dishes were a popular wedding gift.

Why I have so many in 2025 I don’t know. However, I do switch the candy dishes at the seasons. I tend to fill them less often now because I’m too tempted to eat the sweets.” MM

**My first candy dish purchase was the M&M jug that I bought at Pawley’s Island, South Carolina.**
**It was a favorite of my friend Ruth!**

***The heart shaped Lenox candy dish was a Christmas gift several years ago from a childhood friend.***

The little Easter dish I purchased at Kmart before they closed. MM

***This lidded crystal dish was an anniversary gift to my parents – MM***

***Christmas Gift Package Candy Dish MM***

My friend Joanne B in Florida writes

“For many years I’ve collected small silver footed candy dishes. Bought them at estate sales or thrift shops, and fully intended to gift them. I thought they would make the perfect hostess, holiday or shower gift with the addition of a small box of Godiva chocolates or some other elegant treat. But I only gave a few of them away because I love them too much. They are now tucked amongst the decor in my house; some hold candles and some hold seaglass. Now and then they hold candy. I think I have eight of them but there are probably a few more around.” JB

And my granddaughter Maura (16) was at sleep away camp in early June this year

They had a Candy Salad.

I had to ask. What is a Candy Salad?

Her friend Evie D. took this photo of the Candy Salad at Camp.

All the campers dump a bag of candy into a big bowl

Some of today’s popular candies included are

“Nerds gummy clusters, sour patch kids, watermelon, lifesaver gummy’s, gummi worms, gummy sharks, Haribo gummi bears, and airhead extremes” Maura

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Sounds like it should be toothbrushes and toothpaste for EVERYONE!

***And I almost forgot my Lenox candy dish hand decorated with 24 Karat gold –***
***a wedding gift fifty-one years ago***

Need candy? Want candy? There are even sugar- free root beer barrel options.

Vermont Country Store has many of the old fashioned candies for sale

The Nuts.com website states The strawberry “festive strawberry exterior, these crunchy candies are filled with sweet strawberry flavor and are the perfect way to indulge a sweet tooth. They make a fine addition to a red candy buffet and are sure to be a crowd-pleasing treat at any special celebration”and yellow wrapped butterscotch product details “Our butterscotch candy is a delight for anyone who has a sweet tooth. These classic hard candies are individually-wrapped for optimal freshness. They will bring back memories of seeing candies brimming from bins in your favorite candy store as a kid. Butterscotch candies are real crowd-pleasers!”are available at Nuts.com

(you can get organic dried fruit and nuts there, too but that’s another post 😂)

Here’s an article about candy consumption in USA. Do you know which state eats the most candy ?

June 19, 2025 by Ruth Categories: Candy, PhotographyTags: candy, candy bowl, candy consumption, candy dish, candy jar, candy salad, food, hard candy, photography, postaday, sugar, sweet, sweet tooth 14 Comments

Real Lancashire Eccles cakes at Afternoon Tea

This week I received a package of yarn and goodies from a Woolswap knitter who lives in the UK. Amanda included a tin of Traditional English Tea and a packet of Real Lancashire Eccles Cakes with Real Butter. She mentioned her husband likes to dip his into his tea. This afternoon I was inspired to make a tea party for one on my front porch. The Eccles cake was delicious and went perfectly with the English Afternoon Tea. I added a drop of milk. There are three cakes left so three more tea parties on the porch. Here’s what the bakery says on their website

The Eccles Cake is a traditional product, which is believed to have originated in the town of Eccles, approximately five miles from our bakery.

The Edmonds family recipe and method of manufacture has been handed down through generations. Our Eccles Cakes are handmade and consist of a mixture of the finest Vostizza currants, raisins, butter and sugar enclosed in a shell of flaky buttery pastry.

April 19, 2021April 19, 2021 by Ruth Categories: foodTags: afternoon tea, butter, crochet, currants, Eccles Cakes, front porch, Lancashire, pastry, Real Lancashire Eccles Cakes, sugar, tea, tea time, United Kingdom, Woolswap 14 Comments

Peeps. Yes or No?

Peeps. Yes or no?

The 2012 NY Times slide show showing how peeps are manufactured is still available. I ate one tonight. 32 calories. I could not detect any flavor other than sweet.

I bought them on sale post-Easter sale for just 99 cents at the fabric store

Since 1953, Peeps.

Turns out this is my FOURTH post about Peeps.

There are Peep Haters says Julie Bosman in NYTimes 2012 article . “But for such an innocent, marshmallow-and-sugar pastel candy, the Peep is surprisingly polarizing. Peeps-hater Web sites show pictures of Peeps dipped in liquid nitrogen and smashed with hammers. Admirers dress them in costumes and arm them with plastic swords. Matthew Beals, director of the 2009 documentary ”The Power of the Peep,” said their appeal endures because ”they coexist as both cute and horrible.”

Previous posts include

Peeps Not just for Easter anymore

Peeps on Top of brightly colored frosted doughnuts

(What Will One Admit to Eating When No One is Watching ?)

Blue Peeps Still Life

April 13, 2021 by Ruth Categories: food, PhotographyTags: candy, childhood, Easter, food, PEEPS, photography, postaday, sugar 17 Comments

Split-Second Cookies Recipe

Here’s the recipe I used to bake Split-Second Cookies. They are like a shortbread filled with jam.

I creamed the butter and sugar by hand.

Added egg and vanilla.

The combined dry ingredients.

I usually fill them with raspberry and apricot Bonne Maman jam. I was fortunate to receive some delicious marmalade and jam from two different friends.

I used Eileen’s Orange Marmalade and Pam’s Blubarb in addition to the raspberry and apricot.

Eileen’s Marmalade and Pam’s Blubarb Jam

Took a plateful to a friend for her birthday

January 31, 2021 by Ruth Categories: Baking, PhotographyTags: baking, butter, cookies, egg, food, friends, homemade jam, kitchen, photography, postaday, split second cookies, sugar, vanilla 20 Comments

JELL-O, Yes or No?

My mother (from Illinois) always made a Christmas JELL-O with the juice of a fresh lemon added. I made it on Christmas Eve but forgot it on Christmas Day and it’s still in the fridge. Maybe we’ll eat some tomorrow. Her other concoction was lemon jello with crushed pineapple and shredded carrots with fresh lemon a pinch of salt. Oh and one made with the little packet of plain gelatin, fresh limes’ juice and sliced green grapes. My childhood memories of JELL-O(click for history as it all started in 1897) my sense is that it’s just not as popular anymore.

So JELL-O, yes or no?

Christmas JELL-O preparation on Christmas Eve

My sister gave me this cookbook

Perhaps your remember my Rainbow JELL-O post which was more of an art project.

December 25, 2020 by Ruth Categories: food, PhotographyTags: Christmas, dessert, food, fruit, gelatin, holiday, holiday food, Jell-o, Midwest, mother.lemon, pears, photography, postaday, sugar, video 21 Comments

Peeps.Not Just at Easter Anymore

The little yellow marshmallow chicks wrapped in cellophane showed up in 1953. They used to appear on store shelves at Easter time. Now you can get them year round in other holiday shapes. Information on the history and detailed categories such as “alleged indestructibility“ and Peeps “Recipes” at Wikipedia. There are contests and ingredients listed at that link, too. Yes, people microwave Peeps. That’s a lot of food color, isn’t it? Perhaps you ate them as a child but wouldn’t think of biting off a head of one now.

Here’s the question. Would you eat one? And if you did, would you want the Peep stale or fresh?