Season 1, bonus episode - small plate: A SWEET HOLIDAY STORY

Transcript

Conner: (00:06)
Welcome to Kiddos in the Kitchen, a podcast hosted by my mom.

Stephanie Conner: (00:15)
Melanie Potock is a certified speech language pathologist who wrote a book about helping kids learn to love vegetables, but she also tells parents not to stress about the veggies too much. Instead she says, "Our job is to help our kiddos experience joy in the kitchen." This is a Kiddos in the Kitchen Small Plate. I'm your host, Stephanie Conner, and in this bonus episode, I'm sharing a sweet story from Melanie to remind us all about the impact of families together in the kitchen, finding joy at the holidays.

Melanie Potock: (01:00)
I really want to share the story of how I learned to make my grandmother's candy. My grandmother had this very famous candy recipe that was nothing but brown sugar and butter. So incredibly healthy. It was called millionaires candy. It'll make me tear up just talking about it. I still have the page out of the recipe book, the actual brown and weathered page of the recipe for millionaires candy. I'll never lose it. I'm going to have it framed. It means everything to me because when I was a little girl, my Grandma Nyla would make this candy for all of us every Christmas. And when she taught me how to make it, it's actually a little tricky. We tend to throw out two or three batches before we get to the perfect batch, and it takes a long time and it's delicious. But what I remember is that time with my Grandma Nyla in the kitchen. I have to say that when my sweet Grandma Nyla passed away, and my mom said, "Is there anything of Nyla's that you would like to have to keep?"

Melanie Potock: (02:08)
I said, "I want that big cast iron pan that we made millionaires candy in every Christmas." I still have that pan, and now my daughters who are 30 and 32, every year since they were little pull out that pan and every Christmas we make millionaires candy. I share that with you because that's what it means to bring your children into the kitchen. You're creating not only positive memories, but you're also creating family traditions. It brings back such wonderful memories of love and connection and a little delicious candy. And it always makes me think of my Grandma Nyla.

Stephanie Conner: (03:01)
I love that story. It makes me cry. I also just love that the veggie lady has a sweet tooth. I've got one too. I remember making all sorts of candies and cookies with my mom during the holidays when I was young. There was chocolate fudge and peanut butter fudge, peanut butter blossoms with a Hershey Kiss on top, butterscotch fudge, sugar cookies with frosting and sprinkles, peanut butter balls, which you might know of as buckeyes, pumpkin roll. Yeah, while I don't remember my mom loving to cook when I was a kid, boy, did she know how to make candy and bake. These days my parents are practically sugar-free, so I'm sure my mom is fairly mortified by just how much sugar coursed through our veins every December, but she'd do well to remember Melanie Potock's advice. Melanie told us in episode 3 that our job as parents isn't to make kids eat broccoli. Now I'm guessing she'd say it's not exactly our job to make them eat candy either. But our role is to help them discover joy in the kitchen.

Stephanie Conner: (04:22)
And I can think of no other time of the year when there is so much joy in my kitchen. Even when navigating the stress of multiple food allergies and having to make my own dairy-free kiss-shaped chocolates, there's been joy. When my son puts a million sprinkles on a teeny tiny cookie, or turns the mixer on high with the powdered sugar sitting on top, there's still joy. When we burn a batch because you pretty much have to burn at least one batch every year, yep, there's still joy. Fond memories in the kitchen can and should come at all seasons. But during this, the most joyous of seasons, let's go all in for joyously sweet treats. The memories made are worth it. Happy holidays, and I wish you a joyous New Year.

Stephanie Conner: (05:27)
Thanks for joining me for this Kiddos in the Kitchen Small Plate. I'm your host, Stephanie Conner with a reminder from my son.

Conner: (05:34)
If you like my mom's podcast as much as I do, you can subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Stephanie Conner: (05:53)
That's right, Conner. You can also view the show notes, subscribe to our newsletter and check out all of our other content at kiddosinthekitchen.com. We're Kiddos Cook on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and I'll be back next month with another fresh episode. Until then, I encourage you to get your kiddos in the kitchen.